Researchers from the Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences at the University of Copenhagen and the Danish
Fungi infect two species of Danish flies (Coenosiatigrina and Coenosia testacea). In doing so, they create a large hole in the abdomen of the infected host. The flies survive for several days after infection, while the fungi devour them from the inside and eject fungal spores from the holes in the insects' bodies. A few days later, the fly lies on its back and convulsively spasms in the last hours of its life.
The ability of these mushrooms to retain flies is sufficienthealthy so that they can buzz for days while they are eaten from the inside, has prompted researchers to speculate that mushrooms may produce substances that "stimulate" their hosts. Studies of other types of fungi that infect cicadas show that amphetamine-like substances can act here.
Scientists speculate that the new species of fungi may also produce amphetamine-like substances that keep the fly high in energy until the very end.
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