Microglia have so far not been described for the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster. In this organism, as noted by several speakers, neuroectodermally derived cells carry out many immune functions in the CNS, suggesting that a single cell type carries out the role of macro- and microglia.

Do flies have microglia?

In flies, 10-20% of the cells are glia, while glia make up at least 50% of the vertebrate CNS [23]. In the vertebrate CNS, glial cells are further subdivided into several classes, including microglia, astrocytes, oligodendrocytes, and pericytes, amongst others [10,23].

Do Drosophila have astrocytes?

Drosophila astrocytes are important for clearance of neurotransmitters from the synaptic space and loss of this activity can have profound effects on animal behavior and survival. Fly astrocytes express EAATs for glutamate (Rival et al.