Wolbachia have very distinct localization patterns in the drosophila oocyte, this is likely to be a crucial factor in maintaining high efficiency of vertical transmission. Recent work has focused on Wolbachia transport mechanisms (Ferree et al. 2005, Serbus et al. 2007) has shown that host transport mechanisms are subverted for Wolbachia localization. Different Wolbachia strains have subtly different localization patterns, suggesting variation between strains for how host systems are manipulated.

Observation of localization patterns of Wolbachia strains native to mycophagous drosophila species has revealed significant diversity. These patterns are being studied further in order to better understand fundamental mechanisms that govern Wolbachia patterning.