Drosophila Fecal Sampling

Abstract

Fecal sampling is a non-invasive method which raises the possibility to study the development and the changes in the microbial community throughout different time points of a fly population or throughout different treatments. This method allows precise manipulation to trigger the fly's physiology by nutritional interventions, bacterial infections or other stressors. As in most other animals, the intestinal microbiota is essential for a healthy fly-life. Because Drosophila only harbors a relative simple bacterial community with a small variety of round about 8 to 10 different species, it is rather easy to build up the microbial community and to investigate microbial changes after treatment. Another positive effect using the fly's feces is that bacteria that are not part of the intestinal microbiome, for example Wolbachia, can be excluded directly from the analysis because they are not excreted. Using this method, the generated datasets may reflect a good paradigm to study microbiome associated diseases in a simple fly model or furthermore, to test drugs in a high-throughput approach.

Keywords: DNA isolation; Drosophila; Fecal sampling; Intestine; Microbiome.