Zombie fly fungus lures healthy male flies to mate with female corpses

A common housefly can be killed by infecting it with a deadly fungus. Research shows that the fungus has a unique way to survive. The male house flies are brought to necrophilia with the dead females.

The host of a fly that has been bitten by a fungus has slowly been eaten alive from within. After roughly six days, the fungus takes over the behavior of the female fly and forces it to the highest point, where it dies. Sesquiterpenes are chemical signals that are released when a zombie is killed.

According to one of the study's authors, the chemical signals act like bewitching male flies and cause an incredible urge for them to mate with dead females.

Male flies copulate with dead females and then suffer the same gruesome fate as their female counterparts. In this way, Entomophthora muscae makes sure that it stays alive.

A new study was conducted by researchers at the University of Copenhagen and the Swedish University of Agriculture Sciences.

It appears that this is a deliberate strategy for the fungus. It is a master of manipulation.

As time passes, fly corpses become more attractive.

The researchers were able to show that dead female flies became more attractive as time went on.

73 percent of the male flies in the study had sex with dead female flies. Only 15 percent of males and female corpses were still alive when they died.

The longer a fly is dead, the more attractive it becomes to men. The number of fungus increases with time, which makes the scent more attractive.

The study sheds light on nature's fascinating mechanisms, as well as providing new knowledge that may lead to effective fly deterrents. De Fine Licht has added.

Humans and animals can get sick from being exposed to colibacteria and any diseases that they carry. In areas where food is being produced there is an incentive to limit the housefly population. This may be a good place to find the Entomophthora muscae Fungus. It could be possible for us to use the same fragrances as a biological pest control that attracts healthy males to a fly trap instead of a corpse.

The paper was published in a journal.

The research gave an explanation.

• The researchers used an array of methods. These included the chemical analysis of fragrances emitted by the fungus and amplified in dead female flies, as well as by studying the fungus' genetics via RNA sequencing.
• They also studied the sexual habits of male flies through behavioral experiments that exposed them to dead female flies which were at various stages of fungal infection, as well as females that had died from other causes. Here, researcher observations demonstrated that male flies preferred mating with fungus-infected females that had been dead for quite some time.

There is more about the zombie flies.

• Entomophthora muscae is a fungus that survives by taking control of and infecting its host, namely flies.
• The fungus secretes special enzymes that break a fly's body down over the course of about seven days. The fungus can eject its infected spores at up to 10 meters a second, which is among the fastest of nature's movements.

More information: Andreas Naundrup et al, Pathogenic fungus uses volatiles to entice male flies into fatal matings with infected female cadavers, The ISME Journal (2022). DOI: 10.1038/s41396-022-01284-x Journal information: ISME Journal