Experimental Evaluation of Musca domestica (Diptera: Muscidae) as a Vector of Newcastle Disease Virus

Watson, D. Wes; Niño, Elina L.; Rochon, Kateryn; Denning, Steve; Smith, Lynda; Guy, James S.

Experiment 2. Survival of NDV in house ßy intestines was evaluated. A time-delineated experiment was conducted to examine the presence of NDV in the digestive tract of the house ßy. Flies were separated into two groups of 350 ßies and administered NDV as described above. Groups of 40 ßies were examined for the presence of virus at 0.5, 1, 3, 6, 9, 12, 24, and 96 h postfeeding. Target tissues for experiment 2 were ßy mid-and hindgut. After surface sterilization, the terminal abdominal plate was excised and the intestinal tract was gently pulled through the opening. Separating at the proventriculus, the mid-and hindgut tissues remained intact. If gut or crop was compromised, the ßy was rejected. Gut tissues were excised from ßies (n ϭ 40), pooled, and placed in 2 ml of chilled DMEM supplemented with antibiotics. Pooled ßy gut tissues were stored frozen at Ϫ70ЊC. Gut tissues were homogenized and assayed for the presence of virus as described above.