Effects of sleep deprivation on susceptibility to parasitic infection

We investigate the role of sleep deprivation on Drosophila
nigrospiracula susceptibility to parasitic infections by the ectoparasitic
mite, Macrocheles subbadius. We tested the hypothesis that sleep
deprivation reduces behavioural resistance against mites, resulting in
higher rates of infection among sleep deprived (SD) flies compared to
non-sleep deprived flies, and that this is mediated by lower endurance (in
negative geotaxis assays) among SD flies. We tested the impact of sleep
deprivation on susceptibility to infection and climbing endurance in two
age groups, flies 14 and 21 days post-eclosion.