bioRxivJClub
Harnessing variation in Drosophila melanogaster reveals different routes to increased infection susceptibility over age and sex-dependent association with lifespan
bioRxiv · · Preprint · Open access
Monteiro-Black, Corbally + 7 more
Abstract ↗AI summary
The abstract is read at the publisher; the summary is JClub's.
Susceptibility to bacterial infection in outbred Drosophila melanogaster increases early in life and follows a power-law (Weibull) pattern, with each doubling of age approximately doubling susceptibility.
- Why it matters: Age-related infection susceptibility is often attributed to immune dysregulation, but non-immune changes affecting resistance versus tolerance may differ by population and sex, shaping lifespan risk.
- What they did: The study measured age-related infection susceptibility across bacterial pathogens in an outbred population and 22 isolines, then linked susceptibility to resistance and tolerance declines and to lifespan.
- The result: Increased susceptibility was linked more often to reduced tolerance detectable early and remaining low, and old-age susceptibility predicted lifespan in males only, implying sex-specific ageing routes.
The findingWhy it mattersWhat they didThe result
- Open access