Figure 1.

Drosophila embryo bleaching yields GF flies. (A) Preparation of GF and CV flies prior to behavioural phenotyping. Prior to eclosion, pupae were picked into fresh vials and housed individually or in groups of 20. A full methodological description is provided in Methods. (B) Validation of adult GF fly production by PCR of the 16S rRNA gene on fly homogenate (upper panel) in duplicate and culturing fly homogenate on MRS media (lower panel). A negative PCR result for the 16S rRNA gene and negative growth on MRS agar were used to confirm the absence of microbes. (C) F1 GF flies were monitored for developmental delays by measuring the number of days it took for GF flies to form pupae. Error bars represent average % pupae formation +/− S.E.M. Bleaching of Drosophila embryos took 19% longer to form pupae post bleach treatment (−1.33 days [CI95 −1.47, −1.19], P = 1.0 × 10⁻⁴, N = 112, 213].