Methods for following the fate of infectious agents fed to single flies.

Methods have been devised which facilitate the handling, feeding, and collection of excreta from individual flies bred in the laboratory. Using these methods, quantitative studies can be carried out in which known amounts of infectious material are fed to flies and the fate of these agents determined. It has been possible to determine the persistence of excretion of viruses, and the amount of the ingested virus recovered in the excreta and in the bodies of the flies as well.