BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA — Scientists have identified a fungal pathogen that hijacks hapless fruit flies and puppeteers them to their death.<br /><br />According to new research from UC Berkeley, when the fungus known as entomophthora muscae infects fruit flies, it infiltrates the nervous system early on.<br /><br />The host insect remains seemingly unaffected while the fungus feeds off its fat stores, but begins acting abnormally once the pathogen invades and destroys its organs.<br /><br />Eventually, the fly is forced to climb to an elevated spot, where the fungus grows out of its proboscis and sticks to the surface it's on, cementing it in place.<br /><br />The fly is then made to raise its wings to a 90-degree angle before dying, allowing new spores to be ejected from its exposed abdomen to infect new hosts.<br /><br />The existence of the fungus, whose scientific name means "destroyer of insects", has been known for over a hundred years. Similar pathogens exists that hijack ants and aphids, but scientists have yet to figure out how exactly how.<br /><br />The Berkeley researchers are especially curious about how the puppet-master fungus gets the fly to override survival instincts and climb to its death, and are now focusing their efforts to uncover the answer.
