Drosophila activity, survival and pathogen shedding after oral infection with the bacterial pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Sixty (60) lines from the DGRP were exposed to an orally acquired infection of the bacterial pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Six to ten replicate flies for each line (60) and sex (2) were exposed individually to infection overnight. Each treatment was replicated 5-10 times (707 samples in total). The experiment was split among 5 experimental blocks with a variable number of replicates tested in each, as described in the data file.

Following infection (see above) pathogen shedding was measured by placing each individual fly inside a sterile Eppendorf and then quantifying the number of viable P. aeruginosa colony-forming units defecated each infected fly for 24h following oral infection. CFU (colony forming unit) plating was carried out on Pseudomonas sp. selective media (PIM) to select for P. aeruginosa CFUs only.

Each fly was then transferred to Drosophila Activity Monitor (DAM) and the total number of activity events were measured for each fly individually measured at 1 min resolution until death (2500-~20,000 minutes). Data generated in the DAM included the total number of activity bouts recoded for each minute for the duration of the experiment (2500-~20,000 minutes). The values reported in the resource are the total number of activity bouts recoded per fly until death or until the end of the experiment. Mortality was recorded as the last detected movement in DAM.