The Effect of the Virus (MdSGHV) on the Ultrastructure of the Salivary Glands of Musca domestica L

Abstract

The salivary glands of insects play a key role in the replication cycle and vectoring of viral pathogens. Consequently, Musca domestica L, and the Salivary Gland Hypertrophy Virus (MdSGHV) serve as a model to study insect vectoring of viruses. A better understanding of the structural aspects of this virus, and the tissues it invades, will help obtain a better picture of the pathological impact that the virus has on adult flies. Furthermore, since the virus inhibits mating and egg development in the adult fly, its study can lead to development of novel techniques to control this world‐wide pest for food safety improvement. Using scanning and transmission electron microscopic techniques (SEM, TEM), researchers have shown the effects of infection by MdSGHV on the salivary glands; however, the exact location among the glands where the infection was found is unclear (i.e., given that the salivary glands extend throughout the entire adult body). For this reason, this study intends to do a comprehensive examination of the ultrastructural effects of the hypertrophy virus on the salivary glands. Here, we report the clear hypertrophy present throughout the salivary glands in their entirety, as well as enveloped virus particles in the cytoplasm of infected cells. Moreover, the virus provokes an erosion of the cuticular lining that separates the epithelial cells from the lumen of the internal duct.