An apple a day keeps the doctor away, but what about a shot of
tequila? It seems to work for fruit flies: Drosophila
melanogaster seek out alcohol to kill off parasitic wasps living
in their blood. Alcohol exposure also discourages the wasps from
laying their eggs in the fly larvae in the first place. The
research, published today (February 16) in Current Biology, is
the first evidence that animals may use alcohol to fight
infection, the authors say. “It’s an important paper in the
field of self-medication,” said Michael Singer, who studies
ecology and evolution at Wesleyan University in Connecticut. “It
widens the scope of possibility when thinking about what sorts
of animals might engage in self-medication.” Several species are
known to self-medicate: primates consume specific plants to
purge intestinal parasites, for example, and caterpillars ingest
toxic leaves when sick. The new research now adds Drosophila to
the list, and is the first recorded instance of alcohol being
ingested as the medicine of choic