“My roommate fought off the intruders!” – Characterising the virus-repressing effect of Wolbachia in Drosophila melanogaster

Sarah Walsh – @SarahW29329

Wolbachia, a common endosymbiont of insects, exerts significant antiviral effects. This phenomenon is valuable in reducing the spread of arboviruses, such as dengue. Employing NMR metabolomics, we uncover that in virus-infected Drosophila melanogaster Wolbachia drives host metabolism in a way that inhibits RNA virus replication both directly and indirectly.