Effets de l'anesthésie par le gaz carbonique chez la drosophile : éclatement du tube digestif et mortalité des jeunes adultes

Abstract

Carbon dioxide anaesthesia of young Drosophila adults, when the wings just begin to be expanded, results in a distension of the flies followed by a precocious mortality. This sensitive period, which lasts less than 2 h can be explained by a physical mechanism. As most insects do, the fly swallows air for expanding its wings. CO₂, which diffuses rapidly through the permeable cuticle, penetrates into the air bubble contained in the midgut, increases considerably its volume, induces the rupture of the gut wall, and the swelling of the abdomen. Mortality is probably due mainly to the rupture of the digestive tube, but other organs may also be altered. Similar data could probably be observed in many species of insects.