Lauren M. Hedges et al., 2008, Science

This paper examines the survivorship of Drosophila melanogaster infected with Drosophila C, cricket paralysis and Flock House viruses, in the presence or the absence of Wolbachia infection. The authors found that Wolbachia infection delayed virus induced mortality in adult flies, compared with flies that did not contain Wolbachia. These results indicate that the antiviral effect observed in Wolbachia-infected Drosophila functions to protect flies from diverse RNA viruses. The authors proposed that the antiviral protection associated with Wolbachia infection could be used in strategies to reduce insect-transmitted diseases.