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Dynamics and diversity of bacteria associated with the disease vectors Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus.

ABSTRACT: Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus develop in the same aquatic sites where they encounter microorganisms that influence their life history and capacity to transmit human arboviruses. Some bacteria such as Wolbachia are currently being considered for the control of Dengue, Chikungunya and Zika. Yet little is known about the dynamics and diversity of Aedes-associated bacteria, including larval habitat features that shape their tempo-spatial distribution. We applied large-scale 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing to 960 adults and larvae of both Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus mosquitoes from 59 sampling sites widely distributed across nine provinces of Panama. We find both species share a limited, yet highly variable core microbiota, reflecting high stochasticity within their oviposition habitats. Despite sharing a large proportion of microbiota, Ae. aegypti harbours higher bacterial diversity than Ae. albopictus, primarily due to rarer bacterial groups at the larval stage. We find significant differences between the bacterial communities of larvae and adult mosquitoes, and among samples from metal and ceramic containers. However, we find little support for geography, water temperature and pH as predictors of bacterial associates. We report a low incidence of natural Wolbachia infection for both Aedes and its geographical distribution. This baseline information provides a foundation for studies on the functions and interactions of Aedes-associated bacteria with consequences for bio-control within Panama.

SUBMITTER: Bennett KL

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6704126 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Dynamics and diversity of bacteria associated with the disease vectors Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus.

Bennett Kelly L KL Gómez-Martínez Carmelo C Chin Yamileth Y Saltonstall Kristin K McMillan W Owen WO Rovira Jose R JR Loaiza Jose R JR

Scientific reports 20190821 1

Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus develop in the same aquatic sites where they encounter microorganisms that influence their life history and capacity to transmit human arboviruses. Some bacteria such as Wolbachia are currently being considered for the control of Dengue, Chikungunya and Zika. Yet little is known about the dynamics and diversity of Aedes-associated bacteria, including larval habitat features that shape their tempo-spatial distribution. We applied large-scale 16S rRNA amplicon se ...[more]

PMID: 31434963

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Project description:BackgroundThe midgut microbiota of mosquitoes maintain basal immune activity and immune priming. In recent years, scientists have focused on the use of microbial communities for vector control interventions. In the present study, the midgut bacteria of larvae and adults of Aedes aegypti and Ae. albopictus were assessed using both field-collected and laboratory-reared mosquitoes from Sri Lanka.MethodsAdults and larvae of Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus were collected from three selected areas in Gampaha Medical Officer of Health area, Gampaha District, Western Province, Sri Lanka. Bacterial colonies isolated from mosquito midgut dissections were identified by PCR amplification and sequencing of partial 16S rRNA gene fragments.ResultsAdults and larvae of Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus harbored 25 bacterial species. Bacillus endophyticus and Pantoea dispersa were found more frequently in field-collected Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus adults, respectively. The midgut bacteria of Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus adults (X2 = 556.167, df = 72, P < 0.001) and larvae (X2 = 633.11, df = 66, P < 0.001) were significantly different. There was a significant difference among the bacterial communities between field-collected adults (X2 = 48.974, df = 10, P < 0.001) and larvae (X2 = 84.981, df = 10, P < 0.001). Lysinibacillus sphaericus was a common species in adults and larvae of laboratory-reared Ae. aegypti. Only P. dispersa occurred in the field-collected adults of Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus. Species belonging to genera Terribacillus, Lysinibacillus, Agromyces and Kocuria were recorded from Aedes mosquitoes, in accordance with previously reported results.ConclusionsThis study generated a comprehensive database on the culturable bacterial community found in the midgut of field-collected (Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus) and laboratory-reared (Ae. aegypti) mosquito larvae and adults from Sri Lanka. Data confirm that the midgut bacterial diversity in the studied mosquitoes varies according to species, developmental stage and strain (field vs laboratory).

Project description:BACKGROUND: In the past ten years, the Indian Ocean region has been the theatre of severe epidemics of chikungunya and dengue. These outbreaks coincided with a high increase in populations of Aedes albopictus that outcompete its sister taxon Aedes aegypti in most islands sampled. The objective of this work was to update the entomological survey of the two Aedes species in the island of Madagascar which has to face these arboviroses. METHODS: The sampling of Aedes mosquitoes was conducted during two years, from October 2007 to October 2009, in fifteen localities from eight regions of contrasting climates. Captured adults were identified immediately whereas immature stages were bred until adult stage for determination. Phylogenetic analysis was performed using two mtDNA genes, COI and ND5 and trees were constructed by the maximum likelihood (ML) method with the gene time reversible (GTR) model. Experimental infections with the chikungunya virus strain 06.21 at a titer of 107.5 pfu/mL were performed to evaluate the vector competence of field-collected mosquitoes. Disseminated infection rates were measured fourteen days after infection by immunofluorescence assay performed on head squashes. RESULTS: The species Aedes aegypti was detected in only six sites in native forests and natural reserves. In contrast, the species Aedes albopictus was found in 13 out of the 15 sites sampled. Breeding sites were mostly found in man-made environments such as discarded containers, used tires, abandoned buckets, coconuts, and bamboo cuts. Linear regression models showed that the abundance of Ae. albopictus was significantly influenced by the sampling region (F = 62.00, p < 2.2 × 10(-16)) and period (F = 36.22, p = 2.548 × 10(-13)), that are associated with ecological and climate variations. Phylogenetic analysis of the invasive Ae. albopictus distinguished haplotypes from South Asia and South America from those of Madagascar, but the markers used were not discriminant enough to discern Malagasy populations. The experimental oral infection method showed that six Ae. albopictus populations exhibited high dissemination infection rates for chikungunya virus ranging from 98 to 100%. CONCLUSION: In Madagascar, Ae. albopictus has extended its geographical distribution whereas, Ae. aegypti has become rare, contrasting with what was previously observed. Changes are predominantly driven by human activities and the rainfall regime that provide suitable breeding sites for the highly anthropophilic mosquito Ae. albopictus. Moreover, these populations were found to be highly susceptible to chikungunya virus. In the light of this study, Ae. albopictus may have been involved in the recent outbreaks of chikungunya and dengue epidemics in Madagascar, and consequently, control measures should be promoted to limit its current expansion.

Project description:BackgroundArthropod-borne viruses (arboviruses) transmitted by mosquito vectors cause many important emerging or resurging infectious diseases in humans including dengue, chikungunya and Zika. Understanding the co-evolutionary processes among viruses and vectors is essential for the development of novel transmission-blocking strategies. Episomal viral DNA fragments are produced from arboviral RNA upon infection of mosquito cells and adults. Additionally, sequences from insect-specific viruses and arboviruses have been found integrated into mosquito genomes.ResultsWe used a bioinformatic approach to analyse the presence, abundance, distribution, and transcriptional activity of integrations from 425 non-retroviral viruses, including 133 arboviruses, across the presently available 22 mosquito genome sequences. Large differences in abundance and types of viral integrations were observed in mosquito species from the same region. Viral integrations are unexpectedly abundant in the arboviral vector species Aedes aegypti and Ae. albopictus, in which they are approximately ~10-fold more abundant than in other mosquito species analysed. Additionally, viral integrations are enriched in piRNA clusters of both the Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus genomes and, accordingly, they express piRNAs, but not siRNAs.ConclusionsDifferences in the number of viral integrations in the genomes of mosquito species from the same geographic area support the conclusion that integrations of viral sequences is not dependent on viral exposure, but that lineage-specific interactions exist. Viral integrations are abundant in Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus, and represent a thus far underappreciated component of their genomes. Additionally, the genome locations of viral integrations and their production of piRNAs indicate a functional link between viral integrations and the piRNA pathway. These results greatly expand the breadth and complexity of small RNA-mediated regulation and suggest a role for viral integrations in antiviral defense in these two mosquito species.

Project description:BACKGROUND: The microbiota has been shown to play an important role in the biology of insects. In recent decades, significant efforts have been made to better understand the diversity of symbiotic bacteria associated with mosquitoes and assess their influence on pathogen transmission. Here, we report the bacterial composition found in field-caught Aedes albopictus populations by using culture-dependent methods. RESULTS: A total of 104 mosquito imagos (56 males and 48 females) were caught from four contrasting biotopes of Madagascar and their bacterial contents were screened by plating whole body homogenates on three different culture media. From 281 bacterial colony types obtained, amplified ribosomal DNA restriction analysis (ARDRA) showed they had 40 distinct ribotypes. Sequencing and BLAST analysis of the 16S rDNA genes responsible for each representative profile made it possible to identify 27 genera distributed in three major phyla. In female mosquitoes, bacterial isolates were mostly Proteobacteria (51.3%) followed by Firmicutes (30.3%) and Actinobacteria (18.4%). Conversely, Actinobacteria was the most abundant phylum in male mosquitoes (48%) followed by Proteobacteria (30.6%) and Firmicutes (20.4%). The relative abundance and composition of isolates also varied between sampling sites, ranging from 3 distinct families in Ankazobe to 8 in Tsimbazaza Park, and Toamasina and Ambohidratrimo. Pantoea was the most common genus in both females and males from all sampling sites, except for Ambohidratrimo. No differences in genome size were found between Pantoea isolates from mosquitoes and reference strains in pulse field gel electrophoresis. However, according to the numbers and sizes of plasmids, mosquito isolates clustered into three different groups with other strains isolated from insects but distinct from isolates from the environment. CONCLUSIONS: The recent upsurge in research into the functional role of the insect microbiota prompts the interest to better explore the role some bacteria detected here may have in the mosquito biology. Future studies of culturable bacteria might decipher whether they have a biological role in the invasiveness of Ae. albopictus. As a possible candidate for paratransgenesis, the predominant genus Pantoea will be characterized to better understand its genetic contents and any possible influence it may have on vector competence of Ae. albopictus.

Dataset Information

Dynamics and diversity of bacteria associated with the disease vectors Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus.

Publications

Dynamics and diversity of bacteria associated with the disease vectors Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus.

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