Altruism is common in eusocial insects. Here, we report on a yet
unexplored altruistic extra-corporeal detoxification of insecticides in
the non-eusocial Drosophila melanogaster. Wild-type flies incubated with
DDT, a contact insecticide, in a closed environment die as expected.
However, incubation of a second cohort in the same environment after
removal of the dead flies was not lethal. Consistent to the kin
selection theory, the effect is significantly lower if un-related
wild-type flies are used in the assay. This indicates kin selection.
Incubation assays with Chlorpyrifos, another contact insecticide,
yielded identical results, while incubation assays with
Chlorantraniliprole, again a contact insecticide, was toxic for the
second cohort of flies. Consequently, following individuals might be
saved from intoxication and therefore, this phenomenon may serve as an
example of non-eusocial insect altruism. This novel program is, however,
not omnipotent as it targets certain xenobiotics while others remain
active. The molecular and genetic mechanisms await identification and
characterization.