Variation in sensitivity to aflatoxin B1 among several strains of Drosophila melanogaster (Diptera).

Eggs of five different wild-type strains of fruit flies, Drosophila melanogaster, were allowed to develop into adults on media containing 0.27 and 0.40 ppm of the toxic and carcinogenic mycotoxin, aflatoxin B₁ (AFB₁). Egg-to-adult viability and development time, adult sex ratio and size, and pupa case size were measured for each treatment and compared to control values for each strain. Adult size and pupa size were not affected significantly by the AFB₁ treatments, while egg-to-adult development time increased for strains grown on AFB₁-containing media. Strain-specific changes in egg-to-adult viability and adult sex ratio were observed. The most probable explanation for these differences is genetic variation among the strains. Crimea, Hikone-R, Lausanne-S, Oregon-R, and Swedish-C were the strains tested.