@article {pmid33629719, year = {2021}, author = {Benedict, MQ}, title = {Sterile Insect Technique: Lessons From the Past.}, journal = {Journal of medical entomology}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1093/jme/tjab024}, pmid = {33629719}, issn = {1938-2928}, abstract = {When E.F. Knipling conceived of the release of sexually sterile insects to suppress wild populations, he laid down several fundamental qualities that characterized suitable target species-some of which mosquitoes generally violate-including high reproductive rates and large population numbers. Regardless of this, their global importance in public health has led numerous research teams to attempt to use the mosquito sterile insect technique against several species. Because of the degree of financial commitment required for suppression programs, most releases have consisted of preliminary investigations of male performance, population characteristics, and production methods. Those that have accomplished suppression provide important insights regarding the challenges of production, dispersal, and immigration. Insights gained from these studies remain relevant today, regardless of the genetic control technology being applied. In this article, I highlight studies that were notable for the insights that were gained, the intrinsic difficulties that mosquitoes present, and synthesize these into recommendations for successful applications of the sterile insect technique and newer technologies to mosquitoes.}, }
@article {pmid33627171, year = {2021}, author = {Bulman, CA and Chappell, L and Gunderson, E and Vogel, I and Beerntsen, B and Slatko, BE and Sullivan, W and Sakanari, JA}, title = {The Eagle effect in the Wolbachia-worm symbiosis.}, journal = {Parasites &amp; vectors}, volume = {14}, number = {1}, pages = {118}, pmid = {33627171}, issn = {1756-3305}, support = {OPP1017584//Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation/ ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Onchocerciasis (river blindness) and lymphatic filariasis (elephantiasis) are two human neglected tropical diseases that cause major disabilities. Mass administration of drugs targeting the microfilarial stage has reduced transmission and eliminated these diseases in several countries but a macrofilaricidal drug that kills or sterilizes the adult worms is critically needed to eradicate the diseases. The causative agents of onchocerciasis and lymphatic filariasis are filarial worms that harbor the endosymbiotic bacterium Wolbachia. Because filarial worms depend on Wolbachia for reproduction and survival, drugs targeting Wolbachia hold great promise as a means to eliminate these diseases.<br><br>METHODS: To better understand the relationship between Wolbachia and its worm host, adult Brugia pahangi were exposed to varying concentrations of doxycycline, minocycline, tetracycline and rifampicin in vitro and assessed for Wolbachia numbers and worm motility. Worm motility was monitored using the Worminator system, and Wolbachia titers were assessed by qPCR of the single copy gene wsp from Wolbachia and gst from Brugia to calculate IC50s and in time course experiments. Confocal microscopy was also used to quantify Wolbachia located at the distal tip region of worm ovaries to assess the effects of antibiotic treatment in this region of the worm where Wolbachia are transmitted vertically to the microfilarial stage.<br><br>RESULTS: Worms treated with higher concentrations of antibiotics had higher Wolbachia titers, i.e. as antibiotic concentrations increased there was a corresponding increase in Wolbachia titers. As the concentration of antibiotic increased, worms stopped moving and never recovered despite maintaining Wolbachia titers comparable to controls. Thus, worms were rendered moribund by the higher concentrations of antibiotics but Wolbachia persisted suggesting that these antibiotics may act directly on the worms at high concentration. Surprisingly, in contrast to these results, antibiotics given at low concentrations reduced Wolbachia titers.<br><br>CONCLUSION: Wolbachia in B. pahangi display a counterintuitive dose response known as the &quot;Eagle effect.&quot; This effect in Wolbachia suggests a common underlying mechanism that allows diverse bacterial and fungal species to persist despite exposure to high concentrations of antimicrobial compounds. To our knowledge this is the first report of this phenomenon occurring in an intracellular endosymbiont, Wolbachia, in its filarial host.}, }
@article {pmid33610188, year = {2021}, author = {Guo, H and Wang, N and Niu, H and Zhao, D and Zhang, Z}, title = {Interaction of Arsenophonus with Wolbachia in Nilaparvata lugens.}, journal = {BMC ecology and evolution}, volume = {21}, number = {1}, pages = {31}, pmid = {33610188}, issn = {2730-7182}, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Co-infection of endosymbionts in the same host is ubiquitous, and the interactions of the most common symbiont Wolbachia with other symbionts, including Spiroplasma, in invertebrate organisms have received increasing attention. However, the interactions between Wolbachia and Arsenophonus, another widely distributed symbiont in nature, are poorly understood. We tested the co-infection of Wolbachia and Arsenophonus in different populations of Nilaparvata lugens and investigated whether co-infection affected the population size of the symbionts in their host.<br><br>RESULTS: A significant difference was observed in the co-infection incidence of Wolbachia and Arsenophonus among 5 populations of N. lugens from China, with nearly half of the individuals in the Zhenjiang population harbouring the two symbionts simultaneously, and the rate of occurrence was significantly higher than that of the other 4 populations. The Arsenophonus density in the superinfection line was significantly higher only in the Maanshan population compared with that of the single-infection line. Differences in the density of Wolbachia and Arsenophonus were found in all the tested double-infection lines, and the dominant symbiont species varied with the population only in the Nanjing population, with Arsenophonus the overall dominant symbiont.<br><br>CONCLUSIONS: Wolbachia and Arsenophonus could coexist in N. lugens, and the co-infection incidence varied with the geographic populations. Antagonistic interactions were not observed between Arsenophonus and Wolbachia, and the latter was the dominant symbiont in most populations.}, }
@article {pmid33601807, year = {2018}, author = {Noor-Shazleen-Husnie, MM and Emelia, O and Ahmad-Firdaus, MS and Zainol-Ariffin, P and Aishah-Hani, A}, title = {Detection of Wolbachia in wild mosquito populations from selected areas in Peninsular Malaysia by loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) technique.}, journal = {Tropical biomedicine}, volume = {35}, number = {2}, pages = {330-346}, pmid = {33601807}, issn = {2521-9855}, abstract = {Wolbachia, a naturally endosymbiotic bacteria, has shown its potential as one of biological control agents for vector borne diseases. Due to large number of mosquitoes involved in Wolbachia screening, Loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) is recommended as a convenient and time-saving technique. This study aimed to evaluate a newly developed LAMP assay for detection of Wolbachia by targeting 16S rDNA gene in samples of wild mosquito populations. The LAMP products were confirmed by colorimetric detection using hydroxy naphthol blue (HNB), digestion with RsaI restriction enzyme and gel electrophoresis. The restriction enzyme digestion of PCR products was performed to differentiate between Wolbachia supergroups A and B. Out of 765 mosquito samples tested, 349 (45.6%) and 237 (31%) of the samples were positive for LAMP and PCR techniques respectively. The prevalence of Wolbachia detected in mosquitoes was significantly higher using LAMP as compared to PCR. There is significant association between numbers of mosquitoes positive with Wolbachia detected using LAMP and PCR (χ2=61.31; df=1; p < 0.05) with a kappa (κ) value of 0.27 and Phi value, 0.283. This study highlighted the potential of LAMP as a sensitive, specific and rapid tool for screening of Wolbachia in mosquitoes, thus it presents as an alternative to PCR-based assays.}, }
@article {pmid33592944, year = {2017}, author = {Vythilingam, I and Wan-Yusoff, WS}, title = {Dengue vector control in Malaysia: Are we moving in the right direction?.}, journal = {Tropical biomedicine}, volume = {34}, number = {4}, pages = {746-758}, pmid = {33592944}, issn = {2521-9855}, abstract = {Dengue is a major public health problem across more than 123 countries. Vector control has been the hallmark of the dengue control programme in many countries in Southeast Asia since there are no anti-dengue drugs available, and the most recent dengue vaccine is partly efficacious. House-to-house larval surveys, source reduction, larviciding, fogging, ULV which have been carried out since the inception of the dengue control programme in the 1970s are no longer practicable and need to be augmented by more targeted but less ambitious outbreak responses that focus on a few tools that might justify expense of deployment. However, according to recent reports these tools have not really been evaluated for their effectiveness in dengue control. Novel techniques such the release of genetically modified mosquitoes (RIDL) and the use of the bacterium Wolbachia to control the populations of the Ae. aegypti are still under trial. In this review proactive methods to detect epidemics have been suggested. Tools based on adult mosquitoes is an important strategy for dengue vector surveillance and control. The outbreak response may be more efficient when timely vector control measures are implemented after the immediate detection of an infected mosquito.}, }
@article {pmid33592927, year = {2017}, author = {Teo, CHJ and Lim, PKC and Voon, K and Mak, JW}, title = {Detection of dengue viruses and Wolbachia in Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus larvae from four urban localities in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.}, journal = {Tropical biomedicine}, volume = {34}, number = {3}, pages = {583-597}, pmid = {33592927}, issn = {2521-9855}, abstract = {Dengue fever (DF) is currently one of the most important mosquito-borne diseases that affects humans. Dengue fever (DF) and dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) are caused by four serotypes of dengue viruses (DENV-1 to DENV-4). The main vector transmitting dengue is Aedes aegypti while Aedes albopictus acts as a secondary vector. As treatment is unavailable and the first dengue vaccine approved in Mexico, Dengvaxia® has yet to be accepted worldwide, prevention of the disease relies heavily on surveillance and control of mosquito vectors. A transgene driver, Wolbachia was found to limit the transmission of dengue virus in Aedes mosquitoes. Wolbachia alone was able to inhibit viral replication, dissemination and transmission in A. aeygpti mosquitoes in experimental studies. In A. albopictus, Wolbachia did not affect the replication of dengue virus but was able to reduce the viral infection of mosquito salivary glands and limit transmission. Studies on Wolbachia have all been carried out in adult Aedes mosquitoes, hence this study was conducted to determine the presence of dengue virus serotypes and Wolbachia in A. aegypti and A. albopictus larvae collected from ovitraps in four localities in Kuala Lumpur viz. Happy Gardens, IMU Bukit Jalil, Ampang and Taman Yarl. Another objective of this study was to determine the association between dengue virus serotypes and the presence of Wolbachia in A. aegypti and A. albopictus larvae. A total of 300 mosquito larvae was collected; 99 (Happy Gardens), 85 (Bukit Jalil), 73 (Ampang) and 43 (Taman Yarl). Out of 300 larvae collected, 284 were identified as A. albopictus and 16 others were identified as A. aegypti. Of the 284 A. albopictus larvae collected, 211 (74.3%) and 73 (25.7%) were found to be negative and positive for dengue virus respectively. The dengue serotypes detected were 2 DENV-2 (2.7%), 58 DENV-3 (79.5%) and 13 DENV-4 (17.8%). DENV-1 was not detected in any of the A. albopictus larvae. For A. aegypti, out of 16 A. aegypti larvae collected, 12 (75%) were found to be negative and 4 (25%) were positive for DENV-2. For the detection of Wolbachia in A. albopictus, 71 out of 284 (25%) and 213 (75%) larvae were found to be positive and negative for Wolbachia respectively. For A. aegypti, 4 (25%) and 12 (75%) out of 16 larvae were positive and negative for Wolbachia respectively. This is the first report of Wolbachia in A. albopictus and A. aegypti larvae in Malaysia. A chisquare test analysis to determine the association between dengue virus and Wolbachia in A. albopictus and A. aegypti larvae collected from the four localities in Kuala Lumpur showed that there was no association (χ2 = 3.080; df = 1; P > 0.05).}, }
@article {pmid33591971, year = {2021}, author = {Lau, MJ and Ross, PA and Hoffmann, AA}, title = {Infertility and fecundity loss of Wolbachia-infected Aedes aegypti hatched from quiescent eggs is expected to alter invasion dynamics.}, journal = {PLoS neglected tropical diseases}, volume = {15}, number = {2}, pages = {e0009179}, doi = {10.1371/journal.pntd.0009179}, pmid = {33591971}, issn = {1935-2735}, abstract = {The endosymbiotic bacterium Wolbachia shows viral blocking in its mosquito host, leading to its use in arboviral disease control. Releases with Wolbachia strains wMel and wAlbB infecting Aedes aegypti have taken place in several countries. Mosquito egg survival is a key factor influencing population persistence and this trait is also important when eggs are stored prior to releases. We therefore tested the viability of mosquitoes derived from Wolbachia wMel and wAlbB-infected as well as uninfected eggs after long-term storage under diurnal temperature cycles of 11-19°C and 22-30°C. Eggs stored at 11-19°C had higher hatch proportions than those stored at 22-30°C. Adult Wolbachia density declined when they emerged from eggs stored for longer, which was associated with incomplete cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI) when wMel-infected males were crossed with uninfected females. Females from stored eggs at both temperatures continued to show perfect maternal transmission of Wolbachia, but storage reduced the fecundity of both wMel and wAlbB-infected females relative to uninfected mosquitoes. Furthermore, we found a very strong negative impact of the wAlbB infection on the fertility of females stored at 22-30°C, with almost 80% of females hatching after 11 weeks of storage being infertile. Our findings provide guidance for storing Wolbachia-infected A. aegypti eggs to ensure high fitness adult mosquitoes for release. Importantly, they also highlight the likely impact of egg quiescence on the population dynamics of Wolbachia-infected populations in the field, and the potential for Wolbachia to suppress mosquito populations through cumulative fitness costs across warm and dry periods, with expected effects on dengue transmission.}, }
@article {pmid33588918, year = {2021}, author = {Farnesi, LC and Carvalho, FD and Lacerda, APC and Moreira, LA and Bruno, RV}, title = {Correction to: The influence of different sources of blood meals on the physiology of Aedes aegypti harboring Wolbachia wMel: mouse blood as an alternative for mosquito rearing.}, journal = {Parasites &amp; vectors}, volume = {14}, number = {1}, pages = {109}, pmid = {33588918}, issn = {1756-3305}, }
@article {pmid33584729, year = {2020}, author = {Pimentel, AC and Cesar, CS and Martins, M and Cogni, R}, title = {The Antiviral Effects of the Symbiont Bacteria Wolbachia in Insects.}, journal = {Frontiers in immunology}, volume = {11}, number = {}, pages = {626329}, doi = {10.3389/fimmu.2020.626329}, pmid = {33584729}, issn = {1664-3224}, abstract = {Wolbachia is a maternally transmitted bacterium that lives inside arthropod cells. Historically, it was viewed primarily as a parasite that manipulates host reproduction, but more recently it was discovered that Wolbachia can also protect Drosophila species against infection by RNA viruses. Combined with Wolbachia's ability to invade insect populations due to reproductive manipulations, this provides a way to modify mosquito populations to prevent them transmitting viruses like dengue. In this review, we discuss the main advances in the field since Wolbachia's antiviral effect was discovered 12 years ago, identifying current research gaps and potential future developments. We discuss that the antiviral effect works against a broad range of RNA viruses and depends on the Wolbachia lineage. We describe what is known about the mechanisms behind viral protection, and that recent studies suggest two possible mechanisms: activation of host immunity or competition with virus for cellular resources. We also discuss how association with Wolbachia may influence the evolution of virus defense on the insect host genome. Finally, we investigate whether the antiviral effect occurs in wild insect populations and its ecological relevance as a major antiviral component in insects.}, }
@article {pmid33584626, year = {2021}, author = {Scolari, F and Sandionigi, A and Carlassara, M and Bruno, A and Casiraghi, M and Bonizzoni, M}, title = {Exploring Changes in the Microbiota of Aedes albopictus: Comparison Among Breeding Site Water, Larvae, and Adults.}, journal = {Frontiers in microbiology}, volume = {12}, number = {}, pages = {624170}, doi = {10.3389/fmicb.2021.624170}, pmid = {33584626}, issn = {1664-302X}, abstract = {The mosquito body hosts highly diverse microbes, which influence different physiological traits of both larvae and adults. The composition of adult mosquito microbiota is tightly linked to that of larvae, which are aquatic and feed on organic detritus, algae and prokaryotic microorganisms present in their breeding sites. Unraveling the ecological features of larval habitats that shape the structure of bacterial communities and their interactions with the mosquito host is still a poorly investigated topic in the Asian tiger mosquito Aedes albopictus, a highly invasive species that is vector of numerous arboviruses, including Dengue, Chikungunya, and Zika viruses. In this study, we investigated the composition of the bacterial community present in the water from a natural larval breeding site in which we separately reared wild-collected larvae and hatched eggs of the Foshan reference laboratory strain. Using sequence analysis of bacterial 16S rRNA gene amplicons, we comparatively analyzed the microbiota of the larvae and that of adult mosquitoes, deriving information about the relative impact of the breeding site water on shaping mosquito microbiota. We observed a higher bacterial diversity in breeding site water than in larvae or adults, irrespective of the origin of the sample. Moreover, larvae displayed a significantly different and most diversified microbial community than newly emerged adults, which appeared to be dominated by Proteobacteria. The microbiota of breeding site water significantly increased its diversity over time, suggesting the presence of a dynamic interaction among bacterial communities, breeding sites and mosquito hosts. The analysis of Wolbachia prevalence in adults from Foshan and five additional strains with different geographic origins confirmed the described pattern of dual wAlbA and wAlbB strain infection. However, differences in Wolbachia prevalence were detected, with one strain from La Reunion Island showing up to 18% uninfected individuals. These findings contribute in further understanding the dynamic interactions between the ecology of larval habitats and the structure of host microbiota, as well as providing additional information relative to the patterns of Wolbachia infection.}, }
@article {pmid33581654, year = {2021}, author = {Kwarteng, A and Sylverken, A and Asiedu, E and Ahuno, ST}, title = {Genome editing as control tool for filarial infections.}, journal = {Biomedicine &amp; pharmacotherapy = Biomedecine &amp; pharmacotherapie}, volume = {137}, number = {}, pages = {111292}, doi = {10.1016/j.biopha.2021.111292}, pmid = {33581654}, issn = {1950-6007}, abstract = {Human filarial infections are vector-borne nematode infections, which include lymphatic filariasis, onchocerciasis, loiasis, and mansonella filariasis. With a high prevalence in developing countries, filarial infections are responsible for some of the most debilitating morbidities and a vicious cycle of poverty and disease. Global initiatives set to eradicate these infections include community mass treatments, vector control, provision of care for morbidity, and search for vaccines. However, there are growing challenges associated with mass treatments, vector control, and antifilarial vaccine development. With the emergence of genome editing tools and successful applications in other infectious diseases, the integration of genetic editing techniques in future control strategies for filarial infections would offer the best option for eliminating filarial infections. In this review, we briefly discuss the mechanisms of the three main genetic editing techniques and explore the potential applications of these powerful tools to control filarial infections.}, }
@article {pmid33580178, year = {2021}, author = {Kapantaidaki, DE and Antonatos, S and Evangelou, V and Papachristos, DP and Milonas, P}, title = {Genetic and endosymbiotic diversity of Greek populations of Philaenus spumarius, Philaenus signatus and Neophilaenus campestris, vectors of Xylella fastidiosa.}, journal = {Scientific reports}, volume = {11}, number = {1}, pages = {3752}, pmid = {33580178}, issn = {2045-2322}, abstract = {The plant-pathogenic bacterium Xylella fastidiosa which causes significant diseases to various plant species worldwide, is exclusively transmitted by xylem sap-feeding insects. Given the fact that X. fastidiosa poses a serious potential threat for olive cultivation in Greece, the main aim of this study was to investigate the genetic variation of Greek populations of three spittlebug species (Philaenus spumarius, P. signatus and Neophilaenus campestris), by examining the molecular markers Cytochrome Oxidase I, cytochrome b and Internal Transcribed Spacer. Moreover, the infection status of the secondary endosymbionts Wolbachia, Arsenophonus, Hamiltonella, Cardinium and Rickettsia, among these populations, was determined. According to the results, the ITS2 region was the less polymorphic, while the analyzed fragments of COI and cytb genes, displayed high genetic diversity. The phylogenetic analysis placed the Greek populations of P. spumarius into the previously obtained Southwest clade in Europe. The analysis of the bacterial diversity revealed a diverse infection status. Rickettsia was the most predominant endosymbiont while Cardinium was totally absent from all examined populations. Philaenus spumarius harbored Rickettsia, Arsenophonus, Hamiltonella and Wolbachia, N. campestris carried Rickettsia, Hamiltonella and Wolbachia while P. signatus was infected only by Rickettsia. The results of this study will provide an important knowledge resource for understanding the population dynamics of vectors of X. fastidiosa with a view to formulate effective management strategies towards the bacterium.}, }
@article {pmid33572512, year = {2021}, author = {Hou, HX and Zhao, D and Xiao, JH and Huang, DW}, title = {Transcriptomic Analysis Reveals the Sexually Divergent Host-Wolbachia Interaction Patterns in a Fig Wasp.}, journal = {Microorganisms}, volume = {9}, number = {2}, pages = {}, doi = {10.3390/microorganisms9020288}, pmid = {33572512}, issn = {2076-2607}, support = {96172158, 96173250, 91822294//the construction funds for the &quot;Double First-Class&quot; initiative for Nankai University/ ; 31830084, 31970440, 31672336//National Natural Science Foundation of China/ ; }, abstract = {Wolbachia are widely distributed in arthropods and nematodes, acquiring nutrients from the hosts, and inducing remarkable reproductive modulations on the hosts. To investigate the interaction of Wolbachia and insects, Wolbachia are often artificially eliminated from Wolbachia-infected hosts, which may produce negative effects of antibiotics. In the present study, based on the transcriptomic data of a fig wasp species Ceratosolen solmsi with two sibling lineages, one natively infected and the other noninfected with Wolbachia, we investigated the expression patterns of genes. The comparison results of differently expressed genes (DEGs) between Wolbachia infected and noninfected samples show that males have many more DEGs than females. The male unique upregulated genes are enriched in biological processes mainly related to biosynthesis, transport, positive regulation of I-kappaB kinase/NF-kappaB signaling, MAPK cascade, and pathogenesis; the male unique downregulated genes are enriched in biological processes mainly related to transport, oxidation-reduction, cellular responses to oxidative stress, lipid oxidation, cytoskeleton organization, actin filament-based process, and localization. In addition, for the Wolbachia's gene expression, the number of genes up-regulated in males is higher than that in females. The results revealed divergent patterns of the host-Wolbachia interactions between males and females in the fig wasp species.}, }
@article {pmid33564174, year = {2021}, author = {Salje, J}, title = {Cells within cells: Rickettsiales and the obligate intracellular bacterial lifestyle.}, journal = {Nature reviews. Microbiology}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, pmid = {33564174}, issn = {1740-1534}, abstract = {The Rickettsiales are a group of obligate intracellular vector-borne Gram-negative bacteria that include many organisms of clinical and agricultural importance, including Anaplasma spp., Ehrlichia chaffeensis, Wolbachia, Rickettsia spp. and Orientia tsutsugamushi. This Review provides an overview of the current state of knowledge of the biology of these bacteria and their interactions with host cells, with a focus on pathogenic species or those that are otherwise important for human health. This includes a description of rickettsial genomics, bacterial cell biology, the intracellular lifestyles of Rickettsiales and the mechanisms by which they induce and evade the innate immune response.}, }
@article {pmid33563832, year = {2021}, author = {Lindsey, ARI and Bhattacharya, T and Hardy, RW and Newton, ILG}, title = {Wolbachia and Virus Alter the Host Transcriptome at the Interface of Nucleotide Metabolism Pathways.}, journal = {mBio}, volume = {12}, number = {1}, pages = {}, pmid = {33563832}, issn = {2150-7511}, support = {R21 AI121849/AI/NIAID NIH HHS/United States ; R01 AI144430/AI/NIAID NIH HHS/United States ; P40 OD018537/OD/NIH HHS/United States ; }, abstract = {Wolbachia is a maternally transmitted bacterium that manipulates arthropod and nematode biology in myriad ways. The Wolbachia strain colonizing Drosophila melanogaster creates sperm-egg incompatibilities and protects its host against RNA viruses, making it a promising tool for vector control. Despite successful trials using Wolbachia-transfected mosquitoes for dengue control, knowledge of how Wolbachia and viruses jointly affect insect biology remains limited. Using the Drosophila melanogaster model, transcriptomics and gene expression network analyses revealed pathways with altered expression and splicing due to Wolbachia colonization and virus infection. Included are metabolic pathways previously unknown to be important for Wolbachia-host interactions. Additionally, Wolbachia-colonized flies exhibit a dampened transcriptomic response to virus infection, consistent with early blocking of virus replication. Finally, using Drosophila genetics, we show that Wolbachia and expression of nucleotide metabolism genes have interactive effects on virus replication. Understanding the mechanisms of pathogen blocking will contribute to the effective development of Wolbachia-mediated vector control programs.IMPORTANCE Recently developed arbovirus control strategies leverage the symbiotic bacterium Wolbachia, which spreads in insect populations and blocks viruses from replicating. While this strategy has been successful, details of how this &quot;pathogen blocking&quot; works are limited. Here, we use a combination of virus infections, fly genetics, and transcriptomics to show that Wolbachia and virus interact at host nucleotide metabolism pathways.}, }
@article {pmid33563818, year = {2021}, author = {Sicard, M and Namias, A and Perriat-Sanguinet, M and Carron, E and Unal, S and Altinli, M and Landmann, F and Weill, M}, title = {Cytoplasmic Incompatibility Variations in Relation with Wolbachia cid Genes Divergence in Culex pipiens.}, journal = {mBio}, volume = {12}, number = {1}, pages = {}, pmid = {33563818}, issn = {2150-7511}, abstract = {In arthropods, Wolbachia endosymbionts induce conditional sterility, called cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI), resulting from embryonic lethality. CI penetrance (i.e., embryonic death rate) varies depending on host species and Wolbachia strains involved. All Culex pipiens mosquitoes are infected by the endosymbiotic alphaproteobacteria Wolbachia wPip. CI in Culex, characterized as a binary &quot;compatible/incompatible&quot; phenomenon, revealed an unparalleled diversity of patterns linked to the amplification-diversification of cidA and cidB genes. Here, we accurately studied CI penetrance variations in the light of cid genes divergence by generating a C. pipiens compatibility matrix between 11 lines hosting different phylogenetic wPip groups and exhibiting distinct cid gene repertoires. We showed, as expected, that crosses involving wPip from the same group were mostly compatible. In contrast, only 22% of the crosses involving different wPip groups were compatible, while 54% were fully incompatible. For the remaining 24% of the crosses, &quot;intermediate&quot; compatibilities were reported, and a cytological observation of the first zygotic division confirmed the occurrence of &quot;canonical&quot; CI phenotypes in a fraction of the eggs. Backcross experiments demonstrated that intermediate compatibilities were not linked to host genetic background but to the Wolbachia strains involved. This previously unstudied intermediate penetrance CI was more severe and frequent in crosses involving wPip-IV strains exhibiting cid variants markedly divergent from other wPip groups. Our data demonstrate that CI is not always a binary compatible/incompatible phenomenon in C. pipiens but that intermediate compatibilities putatively resulting from partial mismatch due to Cid proteins divergence exist in this species complex.IMPORTANCECulex pipiens mosquitoes are infected with wPip. These endosymbionts induce a conditional sterility called CI resulting from embryonic deaths, which constitutes a cornerstone for Wolbachia antivectorial methods. Recent studies revealed that (i) two genes, cidA and cidB, are central in Wolbachia-CI mechanisms, and (ii) compatibility versus incompatibility between mosquito lines depends on the wPip phylogenetic groups at play. Here, we studied CI variations in relation to wPip groups and cid genes divergence. We showed, as expected, that the crosses involving wPip from the same group were compatible. In contrast, 78% of the crosses involving different wPip groups were partially or fully incompatible. In such crosses, we reported defects during the first zygotic division, a hallmark of CI. We showed that CI was more severe and frequent in crosses involving wPip-IV strains exhibiting cid variants, which markedly diverge from those of other wPip groups.}, }
@article {pmid33562305, year = {2021}, author = {Moo-Llanes, DA and López-Ordóñez, T and Torres-Monzón, JA and Mosso-González, C and Casas-Martínez, M and Samy, AM}, title = {Assessing the Potential Distributions of the Invasive Mosquito Vector Aedes albopictus and Its Natural Wolbachia Infections in México.}, journal = {Insects}, volume = {12}, number = {2}, pages = {}, doi = {10.3390/insects12020143}, pmid = {33562305}, issn = {2075-4450}, abstract = {The Asian tiger mosquito Aedes albopictus is currently the most invasive vector species, with a widespread global distribution. Aedes albopictus is the potential vector of diverse arboviruses, including Zika and dengue. This study updated the ecological niche model of Ae. albopictus and inferred the potential distribution of natural Wolbachia infections in Ae. albopictus in México. The ecological niche models were constructed based on diverse model settings to better estimate the potential distributions and uncertainty indices of both Ae. albopictus and its natural Wolbachia infections in México. The distribution of Ae. albopictus covered the states across Northern México, the Gulf of México, the Pacific Coast of México, Central México, and the southeast of México. The ecological niche model of the natural Wolbachia infections in Ae. albopictus populations anticipated the occurrence of natural Wolbachia infections in the southeast of México, the Chiapas border with Guatemala, and Veracruz. These results can be used to prioritize vector surveillance and control programs in México for strategic and future decision-making; however, it is still necessary to establish active surveillance programs to assess model predictions based on the independent sampling of Ae. albopictus from different invasion zones in México. Finally, vector surveillance should also screen the natural Wolbachia infections in Ae. albopictus to validate Wolbachia predictions across México, particularly in the southeast of México.}, }
@article {pmid33555369, year = {2021}, author = {Dou, W and Miao, Y and Xiao, J and Huang, D}, title = {Association of Wolbachia with Gene Expression in Drosophila Testes.}, journal = {Microbial ecology}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, pmid = {33555369}, issn = {1432-184X}, support = {31830084//National Natural Science Foundation of China/ ; 31970440//National Natural Science Foundation of China/ ; 31672336//National Natural Science Foundation of China/ ; }, abstract = {Wolbachia is a genus of intracellular symbiotic bacteria that are widely distributed in arthropods and nematodes. These maternally inherited bacteria regulate host reproductive systems in various ways to facilitate their vertical transmission. Since the identification of Wolbachia in many insects, the relationship between Wolbachia and the host has attracted great interest. Numerous studies have indicated that Wolbachia modifies a variety of biological processes in the host. Previous studies in Drosophila melanogaster (D. melanogaster) have demonstrated that Wolbachia can affect spermatid differentiation, chromosome deposition, and sperm activity in the early stages of spermatogenesis, leading to sperm dysfunction. Here, we explored the putative effect of Wolbachia in sperm maturation using transcriptomic approaches to compare gene expression in Wolbachia-infected and Wolbachia-free D. melanogaster adult testes. Our findings show that Wolbachia affects many biological processes in D. melanogaster adult testes, and most of the differentially expressed genes involved in carbohydrate metabolism, lysosomal degradation, proteolysis, lipid metabolism, and immune response were upregulated in the presence of Wolbachia. In contrast, some genes that are putatively associated with cutin and wax biosynthesis and peroxisome pathways were downregulated. We did not find any differentially expressed genes that are predicted to be related to spermatogenesis in the datasets. This work provides additional information for understanding the Wolbachia-host intracellular relationships.}, }
@article {pmid33555087, year = {2021}, author = {}, title = {Corrigendum: Wolbachia influence on the fitness of Anagyrus vladimiri (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae), a bio-control agent of mealybugs.}, journal = {Pest management science}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1002/ps.6316}, pmid = {33555087}, issn = {1526-4998}, }
@article {pmid33542272, year = {2021}, author = {Sucháčková Bartoňová, A and Konvička, M and Marešová, J and Wiemers, M and Ignatev, N and Wahlberg, N and Schmitt, T and Faltýnek Fric, Z}, title = {Wolbachia affects mitochondrial population structure in two systems of closely related Palaearctic blue butterflies.}, journal = {Scientific reports}, volume = {11}, number = {1}, pages = {3019}, pmid = {33542272}, issn = {2045-2322}, support = {152/2016/P//Jihočeská Univerzita v Českých Budějovicích/ ; 2015-04441//Vetenskapsrådet/ ; }, abstract = {The bacterium Wolbachia infects many insect species and spreads by diverse vertical and horizontal means. As co-inherited organisms, these bacteria often cause problems in mitochondrial phylogeny inference. The phylogenetic relationships of many closely related Palaearctic blue butterflies (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae: Polyommatinae) are ambiguous. We considered the patterns of Wolbachia infection and mitochondrial diversity in two systems: Aricia agestis/Aricia artaxerxes and the Pseudophilotes baton species complex. We sampled butterflies across their distribution ranges and sequenced one butterfly mitochondrial gene and two Wolbachia genes. Both butterfly systems had uninfected and infected populations, and harboured several Wolbachia strains. Wolbachia was highly prevalent in A. artaxerxes and the host's mitochondrial structure was shallow, in contrast to A. agestis. Similar bacterial alleles infected both Aricia species from nearby sites, pointing to a possible horizontal transfer. Mitochondrial history of the P. baton species complex mirrored its Wolbachia infection and not the taxonomical division. Pseudophilotes baton and P. vicrama formed a hybrid zone in Europe. Wolbachia could obscure mitochondrial history, but knowledge on the infection helps us to understand the observed patterns. Testing for Wolbachia should be routine in mitochondrial DNA studies.}, }
@article {pmid33531619, year = {2021}, author = {Sandoval-Mojica, AF and Hunter, WB and Aishwarya, V and Bonilla, S and Pelz-Stelinski, KS}, title = {Antibacterial FANA oligonucleotides as a novel approach for managing the Huanglongbing pathosystem.}, journal = {Scientific reports}, volume = {11}, number = {1}, pages = {2760}, pmid = {33531619}, issn = {2045-2322}, support = {2016-70016-24782//U.S. Department of Agriculture/ ; }, abstract = {Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus (CLas), a bacterium transmitted by the Asian citrus psyllid, Diaphorina citri, is the causal agent of citrus greening disease, or Huanglongbng (HLB). Currently, vector population suppression with insecticides and tree removal are the most effective strategies for managing the HLB pathosystem. In this study, we assessed the bactericidal capabilities of 2'-deoxy-2'-fluoro-D-arabinonucleic acid antisense oligonucleotides (FANA ASO) both in vitro and in vivo by (1) confirming their capacity to penetrate insect cells, (2) silencing bacterial essential genes, and (3) quantifying reductions in bacterial titer and D. citri transmission. We confirmed that FANA ASO are able to penetrate insect cells without the use of a delivery agent. Expression of an essential gene in the D. citri endosymbiont, Wolbachia (wDi), significantly decreased by 30% following incubation with a wDi-specific FANA ASO. Viability of isolated wDi cells also decreased in response to the FANA ASO treatment. Delivery of a CLas-specific FANA ASO to infected adult D. citri in feeding assays resulted in significant silencing of a CLas essential gene. CLas relative density and transmission were significantly lower among D. citri fed FANA ASO in diet compared to untreated insects. Root infusions of a CLas-specific FANA ASO into infected Citrus trees significantly reduced CLas titer during a 30-day trial. Our results suggest that FANA ASO targeting insect-transmitted plant bacteria or insect endosymbionts may be useful tool for integrated management of agricultural pathogens.}, }
@article {pmid33507381, year = {2021}, author = {Fallon, AM}, title = {DNA recombination and repair in Wolbachia: RecA and related proteins.}, journal = {Molecular genetics and genomics : MGG}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, pmid = {33507381}, issn = {1617-4623}, abstract = {Wolbachia is an obligate intracellular bacterium that has undergone extensive genomic streamlining in its arthropod and nematode hosts. Because the gene encoding the bacterial DNA recombination/repair protein RecA is not essential in Escherichia coli, abundant expression of this protein in a mosquito cell line persistently infected with Wolbachia strain wStri was unexpected. However, RecA's role in the lytic cycle of bacteriophage lambda provides an explanation for retention of recA in strains known to encode lambda-like WO prophages. To examine DNA recombination/repair capacities in Wolbachia, a systematic examination of RecA and related proteins in complete or nearly complete Wolbachia genomes from supergroups A, B, C, D, E, F, J and S was undertaken. Genes encoding proteins including RecA, RecF, RecO, RecR, RecG and Holliday junction resolvases RuvA, RuvB and RuvC are uniformly absent from Wolbachia in supergroup C and have reduced representation in supergroups D and J, suggesting that recombination and repair activities are compromised in nematode-associated Wolbachia, relative to strains that infect arthropods. An exception is filarial Wolbachia strain wMhie, assigned to supergroup F, which occurs in a nematode host from a poikilothermic lizard. Genes encoding LexA and error-prone polymerases are absent from all Wolbachia genomes, suggesting that the SOS functions induced by RecA-mediated activation of LexA do not occur, despite retention of genes encoding a few proteins that respond to LexA induction in E. coli. Three independent E. coli accessions converge on a single Wolbachia UvrD helicase, which interacts with mismatch repair proteins MutS and MutL, encoded in nearly all Wolbachia genomes. With the exception of MutL, which has been mapped to a eukaryotic association module in Phage WO, proteins involved in recombination/repair are uniformly represented by single protein annotations. Putative phage-encoded MutL proteins are restricted to Wolbachia supergroups A and B and show higher amino acid identity than chromosomally encoded MutL orthologs. This analysis underscores differences between nematode and arthropod-associated Wolbachia and describes aspects of DNA metabolism that potentially impact development of procedures for transformation and genetic manipulation of Wolbachia.}, }
@article {pmid33500597, year = {2021}, author = {Zimmermann, BL and Cardoso, GM and Bouchon, D and Pezzi, PH and Palaoro, AV and Araujo, PB}, title = {Supergroup F Wolbachia in terrestrial isopods: Horizontal transmission from termites?.}, journal = {Evolutionary ecology}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {1-18}, pmid = {33500597}, issn = {0269-7653}, abstract = {Horizontal transmission between distantly related species has been used to explain how Wolbachia infect multiple species at astonishing rates despite the selection for resistance. Recently, a terrestrial isopod species was found to be infected by an unusual strain of supergroup F Wolbachia. However, only Wolbachia of supergroup B is typically found in isopods. One possibility is that these isopods acquired the infection because of their recurrent contact with termites-a group with strong evidence of infection by supergroup F Wolbachia. Thus, our goals were: (1) check if the infection was an isolated case in isopods, or if it revealed a broader pattern; (2) search for Wolbachia infection in the termites within Brazil; and (3) look for evidence consistent with horizontal transmission between isopods and termites. We collected Neotroponiscus terrestrial isopods and termites along the Brazilian coastal Atlantic forest. We sequenced and identified the Wolbachia strains found in these groups using coxA, dnaA, and fpbA genes. We constructed phylogenies for both bacteria and host taxa and tested for coevolution. We found the supergroup F Wolbachia in other species and populations of Neotroponiscus, and also in Nasutitermes and Procornitermes termites. The phylogenies showed that, despite the phylogenetic distance between isopods and termites, the Wolbachia strains clustered together. Furthermore, cophylogenetic analyses showed significant jumps of Wolbachia between terrestrial isopods and termites. Thus, our study suggests that the horizontal transmission of supergroup F Wolbachia between termites and terrestrial isopods is likely. Our study also helps understanding the success and worldwide distribution of this symbiont.<br><br>Supplementary information: The online version of this article (10.1007/s10682-021-10101-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.}, }
@article {pmid33486127, year = {2021}, author = {Lozano-Sardaneta, YN and Valderrama, A and Sánchez-Montes, S and Grostieta, E and Colunga-Salas, P and Sánchez-Cordero, V and Becker, I}, title = {Rickettsial agents detected in the genus Psathyromyia (Diptera:Phlebotominae) from a Biosphere Reserve of Veracruz, Mexico.}, journal = {Parasitology international}, volume = {82}, number = {}, pages = {102286}, doi = {10.1016/j.parint.2021.102286}, pmid = {33486127}, issn = {1873-0329}, abstract = {Phlebotomine sand flies are considered the main vectors of Leishmania, the causal agents of leishmaniasis, which is a serious emerging public health problem worldwide. The use of biological control alternatives, like endosymbiotic bacteria (Wolbachia and Rickettsia), have been proposed to decrease sand fly populations and reduce Leishmania transmissions, yet only few records on the detection of Wolbachia or Rickettsia in sand flies are available worldwide. The aim of this study was to perform the molecular detection of Rickettsial agents associated with sand flies from the last patch of a rainforest in south-eastern Mexico, where a high prevalence of Leishmania infantum has been reported. Sampling effort of sand flies covered 300 trap-nights between 2011 and 2013, and a total of 925 specimens from twelve species were morphologically identified. Using PCR techniques, we identified a new lineage of the endosymbionts Rickettsia in Psathyromyia aclydifera (prevalence of 19.54%), and Wolbachia in Psathyromyia shannoni and Lutzomyia sp. (prevalence of 25%). The detected Wolbachia lineage was similar to the wWhi strain found in Pa. shannoni from Colombia and Nyssomyia whitmani from Brazil; whereas the identified Rickettsia represents a new lineage worldwide. This is the first record of Rickettsial agents associated to sand flies from this region, yet it remains for analysed if these bacteria possibly play a role as vector control agents, capable of reducing the sand fly populations in Mexico.}, }
@article {pmid33484388, year = {2021}, author = {Yang, K and Chen, H and Bing, XL and Xia, X and Zhu, YX and Hong, XY}, title = {Wolbachia and Spiroplasma could influence bacterial communities of the spider mite Tetranychus truncatus.}, journal = {Experimental &amp; applied acarology}, volume = {83}, number = {2}, pages = {197-210}, pmid = {33484388}, issn = {1572-9702}, support = {32020103011//National Natural Science Foundation of China/ ; 31871976//National Natural Science Foundation of China/ ; 31901888//National Natural Science Foundation of China/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; Bacteria/genetics ; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S/genetics ; *Spiroplasma/genetics ; Symbiosis ; *Tetranychidae/genetics ; *Wolbachia/genetics ; }, abstract = {The structures of arthropod bacterial communities are complex. These microbiotas usually provide many beneficial services to their hosts, whereas occasionally they may be parasitical. To date, little is known about the bacterial communities of Tetranychus truncatus and the factors contributing to the structure of its bacterial communities are unexplored yet. Here, we used four symbiont-infected T. truncatus strains-including one Wolbachia and Spiroplasma co-infected strain, two symbiont singly-infected strains and one symbiont uninfected strain-to investigate the influence of endosymbionts on the structure of the host mites' microbiota. Based on 16S rRNA genes sequencing analysis, we found Wolbachia and Spiroplasma were the two most abundant bacteria in T. truncatus and the presence of both symbionts could not change the diversity of bacterial communities (based on alpha-diversity indexes such as ACE, Chao1, Shannon and Simpson diversity index). Symbiont infection did alter the abundance of many other bacterial genera, such as Megamonas and Bacteroides. The structures of bacterial communities differed significantly among symbiont-infected strains. These results suggested a prominent effect of Wolbachia and Spiroplasma on bacterial communities of the host T. truncatus. These findings advance our understanding of T. truncatus microbiota and will be helpful for further study on bacterial communities of spider mites.}, }
@article {pmid33468006, year = {2021}, author = {Yoshida, K and Sanada-Morimura, S and Huang, SH and Tokuda, M}, title = {Silence of the killers: discovery of male-killing suppression in a rearing strain of the small brown planthopper, Laodelphax striatellus.}, journal = {Proceedings. Biological sciences}, volume = {288}, number = {1943}, pages = {20202125}, doi = {10.1098/rspb.2020.2125}, pmid = {33468006}, issn = {1471-2954}, abstract = {According to evolutionary theory, sex ratio distortions caused by reproductive parasites such as Wolbachia and Spiroplasma are predicted to be rapidly normalized by the emergence of host nuclear suppressors. However, such processes in the evolutionary arms race are difficult to observe because sex ratio biases will be promptly hidden and become superficially unrecognizable. The evolution of genetic suppressors has been reported in just two insect species so far. In the small brown planthopper, Laodelphax striatellus, female-biases caused by Spiroplasma, which is a 'late' male-killer, have been found in some populations. During the continuous rearing of L. striatellus, we noted that a rearing strain had a 1 : 1 sex ratio even though it harboured Spiroplasma. Through introgression crossing experiments with a strain lacking suppressors, we revealed that the L. striatellus strain had the zygotic male-killing suppressor acting as a dominant trait. The male-killing phenotype was hidden by the suppressor even though Spiroplasma retained its male-killing ability. This is the first study to demonstrate the existence of a late male-killing suppressor and its mode of inheritance. Our results, together with those of previous studies, suggest that the inheritance modes of male-killing suppressors are similar regardless of insect order or early or late male killing.}, }
@article {pmid33466915, year = {2021}, author = {Dong, S and Dimopoulos, G}, title = {Antiviral Compounds for Blocking Arboviral Transmission in Mosquitoes.}, journal = {Viruses}, volume = {13}, number = {1}, pages = {}, pmid = {33466915}, issn = {1999-4915}, support = {R01AI141532/NH/NIH HHS/United States ; }, abstract = {Mosquito-borne arthropod-borne viruses (arboviruses) such as the dengue virus (DENV), Zika virus (ZIKV), and chikungunya virus (CHIKV) are important human pathogens that are responsible for significant global morbidity and mortality. The recent emergence and re-emergence of mosquito-borne viral diseases (MBVDs) highlight the urgent need for safe and effective vaccines, therapeutics, and vector-control approaches to prevent MBVD outbreaks. In nature, arboviruses circulate between vertebrate hosts and arthropod vectors; therefore, disrupting the virus lifecycle in mosquitoes is a major approach for combating MBVDs. Several strategies were proposed to render mosquitoes that are refractory to arboviral infection, for example, those involving the generation of genetically modified mosquitoes or infection with the symbiotic bacterium Wolbachia. Due to the recent development of high-throughput screening methods, an increasing number of drugs with inhibitory effects on mosquito-borne arboviruses in mammalian cells were identified. These antivirals are useful resources that can impede the circulation of arboviruses between arthropods and humans by either rendering viruses more vulnerable in humans or suppressing viral infection by reducing the expression of host factors in mosquitoes. In this review, we summarize recent advances in small-molecule antiarboviral drugs in mammalian and mosquito cells, and discuss how to use these antivirals to block the transmission of MBVDs.}, }
@article {pmid33454808, year = {2021}, author = {Takano, SI and Gotoh, Y and Hayashi, T}, title = {&quot;Candidatus Mesenet longicola&quot;: Novel Endosymbionts of Brontispa longissima that Induce Cytoplasmic Incompatibility.}, journal = {Microbial ecology}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, pmid = {33454808}, issn = {1432-184X}, support = {18H02207//Japan Society for the Promotion of Science/ ; 16H06279//Japan Society for the Promotion of Science/ ; }, abstract = {Intracellular bacteria that are mainly transmitted maternally affect their arthropod hosts' biology in various ways. One such effect is known as cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI), and three bacterial species are known to induce CI: Wolbachia, Cardinium hertigii, and a recently found alphaproteobacterial symbiont. To clarify the taxonomic status and provide the foundation for future studies to reveal CI mechanisms and other phenotypes, we investigated genetic and morphological properties of the third CI inducer that we have previously reported inducing CI in the coconut beetle Brontispa longissima. The draft genome of the bacteria was obtained from the oocytes of two isofemale lines of B. longissima infected with the bacteria: one from Japan (GL2) and the other from Vietnam (L5). Genome features of the symbionts (sGL2 and sL5) were highly similar, showing 1.3 Mb in size, 32.1% GC content, and 99.83% average nucleotide sequence. A phylogenetic study based on 43 universal and single-copy phylogenetic marker genes indicates that they formed a distinct clade in the family Anaplasmataceae. 16S rRNA gene sequences indicate that they are different from the closest known relatives, at least at the genus level. Therefore, we propose a new genus and species, &quot;Candidatus Mesenet longicola&quot;, for the symbionts of B. longissima. Morphological analyses showed that Ca. M. longicola is an intracellular bacterium that is ellipsoidal to rod-shaped and 0.94 ± 0.26 μm (mean ± SD) in length, and accumulated in the anterior part of the oocyte. Candidates for the Ca. M. longicola genes responsible for CI induction are also described.}, }
@article {pmid33452445, year = {2021}, author = {Santos, LMB and Mutsaers, M and Garcia, GA and David, MR and Pavan, MG and Petersen, MT and Corrêa-Antônio, J and Couto-Lima, D and Maes, L and Dowell, F and Lord, A and Sikulu-Lord, M and Maciel-de-Freitas, R}, title = {High throughput estimates of Wolbachia, Zika and chikungunya infection in Aedes aegypti by near-infrared spectroscopy to improve arbovirus surveillance.}, journal = {Communications biology}, volume = {4}, number = {1}, pages = {67}, pmid = {33452445}, issn = {2399-3642}, abstract = {Deployment of Wolbachia to mitigate dengue (DENV), Zika (ZIKV) and chikungunya (CHIKV) transmission is ongoing in 12 countries. One way to assess the efficacy of Wolbachia releases is to determine invasion rates within the wild population of Aedes aegypti following their release. Herein we evaluated the accuracy, sensitivity and specificity of the Near Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS) in estimating the time post death, ZIKV-, CHIKV-, and Wolbachia-infection in trapped dead female Ae. aegypti mosquitoes over a period of 7 days. Regardless of the infection type, time post-death of mosquitoes was accurately predicted into four categories (fresh, 1 day old, 2-4 days old and 5-7 days old). Overall accuracies of 93.2, 97 and 90.3% were observed when NIRS was used to detect ZIKV, CHIKV and Wolbachia in dead Ae. aegypti female mosquitoes indicating NIRS could be potentially applied as a rapid and cost-effective arbovirus surveillance tool. However, field data is required to demonstrate the full capacity of NIRS for detecting these infections under field conditions.}, }
@article {pmid33441735, year = {2021}, author = {Díaz-Nieto, LM and Gil, MF and Lazarte, JN and Perotti, MA and Berón, CM}, title = {Culex quinquefasciatus carrying Wolbachia is less susceptible to entomopathogenic bacteria.}, journal = {Scientific reports}, volume = {11}, number = {1}, pages = {1094}, pmid = {33441735}, issn = {2045-2322}, support = {ANPCyT PICT-2015-0575//Agencia Nacional de Promoción Científica y Tecnológica/ ; PUE 2017-0101//Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas/ ; 15/E883 EXA925/19//Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata/ ; }, abstract = {In an attempt to evaluate the susceptibility of the mosquito Culex quinquefasciatus to bacterial agents, a population naturally infected with a Wolbachia pipientis wPipSJ native strain was tested against the action of three bacterial mosquitocides, Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. israelensis, Bacillus wiedmannii biovar thuringiensis and Lysinibacillus sphaericus. Tests were carried out on mosquito larvae with and without Wolbachia (controls). Cx. quinquefasciatus naturally infected with the native wPipSJ strain proved to be more resistant to the pathogenic action of the three mosquitocidal bacterial strains. Additionally, wPipSJ was fully characterised using metagenome-assembled genomics, PCR-RFLP (PCR-Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism) and MLST (MultiLocus Sequence Typing) analyses. This Wolbachia strain wPipSJ belongs to haplotype I, group wPip-III and supergroup B, clustering with other mosquito wPip strains, such as wPip PEL, wPip JHB, wPip Mol, and wAlbB; showing the southernmost distribution in America. The cytoplasmic incompatibility phenotype of this strain was revealed via crosses between wildtype (Wolbachia+) and antibiotic treated mosquito populations. The results of the tests with the bacterial agents suggest that Cx. quinquefasciatus naturally infected with wPipSJ is less susceptible to the pathogenic action of mosquitocidal bacterial strains when compared with the antibiotic-treated mosquito isoline, and is more susceptible to B. thuringiensis subsp. israelensis than to the other two mosquitocidal agents.}, }
@article {pmid33436511, year = {2021}, author = {Chung, M and Adkins, RS and Mattick, JSA and Bradwell, KR and Shetty, AC and Sadzewicz, L and Tallon, LJ and Fraser, CM and Rasko, DA and Mahurkar, A and Dunning Hotopp, JC}, title = {FADU: a Quantification Tool for Prokaryotic Transcriptomic Analyses.}, journal = {mSystems}, volume = {6}, number = {1}, pages = {}, pmid = {33436511}, issn = {2379-5077}, abstract = {Quantification tools for RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) analyses are often designed and tested using human transcriptomics data sets, in which full-length transcript sequences are well annotated. For prokaryotic transcriptomics experiments, full-length transcript sequences are seldom known, and coding sequences must instead be used for quantification steps in RNA-Seq analyses. However, operons confound accurate quantification of coding sequences since a single transcript does not necessarily equate to a single gene. Here, we introduce FADU (Feature Aggregate Depth Utility), a quantification tool designed specifically for prokaryotic RNA-Seq analyses. FADU assigns partial count values proportional to the length of the fragment overlapping the target feature. To assess the ability of FADU to quantify genes in prokaryotic transcriptomics analyses, we compared its performance to those of eXpress, featureCounts, HTSeq, kallisto, and Salmon across three paired-end read data sets of (i) Ehrlichia chaffeensis, (ii) Escherichia coli, and (iii) the Wolbachia endosymbiont wBm. Across each of the three data sets, we find that FADU can more accurately quantify operonic genes by deriving proportional counts for multigene fragments within operons. FADU is available at https://github.com/IGS/FADUIMPORTANCE Most currently available quantification tools for transcriptomics analyses have been designed for human data sets, in which full-length transcript sequences, including the untranslated regions, are well annotated. In most prokaryotic systems, full-length transcript sequences have yet to be characterized, leading to prokaryotic transcriptomics analyses being performed based on only the coding sequences. In contrast to eukaryotes, prokaryotes contain polycistronic transcripts, and when genes are quantified based on coding sequences instead of transcript sequences, this leads to an increased abundance of improperly assigned ambiguous multigene fragments, specifically those mapping to multiple genes in operons. Here, we describe FADU, a quantification tool for prokaryotic RNA-Seq analyses designed to assign proportional counts with the purpose of better quantifying operonic genes while minimizing the pitfalls associated with improperly assigning fragment counts from ambiguous transcripts.}, }
@article {pmid33436431, year = {2021}, author = {Deehan, M and Lin, W and Blum, B and Emili, A and Frydman, H}, title = {Intracellular Density of Wolbachia Is Mediated by Host Autophagy and the Bacterial Cytoplasmic Incompatibility Gene cifB in a Cell Type-Dependent Manner in Drosophila melanogaster.}, journal = {mBio}, volume = {12}, number = {1}, pages = {}, pmid = {33436431}, issn = {2150-7511}, abstract = {Autophagy is an intracellular degradation pathway involved in innate immunity. Pathogenic bacteria have evolved several mechanisms to escape degradation or exploit autophagy to acquire host nutrients. In the case of endosymbionts, which often have commensal or mutualistic interactions with the host, autophagy is not well characterized. We utilized tissue-specific autophagy mutants to determine if Wolbachia, a vertically transmitted obligate endosymbiont of Drosophila melanogaster, is regulated by autophagy in somatic and germ line cell types. Our analysis revealed core autophagy proteins Atg1 and Atg8 and a selective autophagy-specific protein Ref(2)p negatively regulate Wolbachia in the hub, a male gonad somatic cell type. Furthermore, we determined that the Wolbachia effector protein, CifB, modulates autophagy-Wolbachia interactions, identifying a new host-related pathway which these bacterial proteins interact with. In the female germ line, the cell type necessary for inheritance of Wolbachia through vertical transmission, we discovered that bulk autophagy mediated by Atg1 and Atg8 positively regulates Wolbachia density, whereas Ref(2)p had no effect. Global metabolomics of fly ovaries deficient in germ line autophagy revealed reduced lipid and carbon metabolism, implicating metabolites from these pathways as positive regulators of Wolbachia Our work provides further understanding of how autophagy affects bacteria in a cell type-dependent manner.IMPORTANCE Autophagy is a eukaryotic intracellular degradation pathway which can act as an innate immune response to eliminate pathogens. Conversely, pathogens can evolve proteins which modulate the autophagy pathway to subvert degradation and establish an infection. Wolbachia, a vertically transmitted obligate endosymbiont which infects up to 40% of insect species, is negatively regulated by autophagy in whole animals, but the specific molecular mechanism and tissue which govern this interaction remain unknown. Our studies use cell type-specific autophagy mutants to reveal that Wolbachia is negatively regulated by selective autophagy in the soma, while nonselective autophagy positively regulates Wolbachia in the female germ line. These data provide evidence that cell type can drive different basal autophagy programs which modulate intracellular microbes differently. Additionally, we identified that the Wolbachia effector CifB acts in the selective autophagy pathway to aid in intracellular bacterial survival, providing a new function for CifB beyond its previously identified role in reproductive manipulation.}, }
@article {pmid33435566, year = {2021}, author = {Ogunlade, ST and Meehan, MT and Adekunle, AI and Rojas, DP and Adegboye, OA and McBryde, ES}, title = {A Review: Aedes-Borne Arboviral Infections, Controls and Wolbachia-Based Strategies.}, journal = {Vaccines}, volume = {9}, number = {1}, pages = {}, pmid = {33435566}, issn = {2076-393X}, abstract = {Arthropod-borne viruses (Arboviruses) continue to generate significant health and economic burdens for people living in endemic regions. Of these viruses, some of the most important (e.g., dengue, Zika, chikungunya, and yellow fever virus), are transmitted mainly by Aedes mosquitoes. Over the years, viral infection control has targeted vector population reduction and inhibition of arboviral replication and transmission. This control includes the vector control methods which are classified into chemical, environmental, and biological methods. Some of these control methods may be largely experimental (both field and laboratory investigations) or widely practised. Perceptively, one of the biological methods of vector control, in particular, Wolbachia-based control, shows a promising control strategy for eradicating Aedes-borne arboviruses. This can either be through the artificial introduction of Wolbachia, a naturally present bacterium that impedes viral growth in mosquitoes into heterologous Aedes aegypti mosquito vectors (vectors that are not natural hosts of Wolbachia) thereby limiting arboviral transmission or via Aedes albopictus mosquitoes, which naturally harbour Wolbachia infection. These strategies are potentially undermined by the tendency of mosquitoes to lose Wolbachia infection in unfavourable weather conditions (e.g., high temperature) and the inhibitory competitive dynamics among co-circulating Wolbachia strains. The main objective of this review was to critically appraise published articles on vector control strategies and specifically highlight the use of Wolbachia-based control to suppress vector population growth or disrupt viral transmission. We retrieved studies on the control strategies for arboviral transmissions via arthropod vectors and discussed the use of Wolbachia control strategies for eradicating arboviral diseases to identify literature gaps that will be instrumental in developing models to estimate the impact of these control strategies and, in essence, the use of different Wolbachia strains and features.}, }
@article {pmid33424811, year = {2020}, author = {Thongprem, P and Evison, SEF and Hurst, GDD and Otti, O}, title = {Transmission, Tropism, and Biological Impacts of Torix Rickettsia in the Common Bed Bug Cimex lectularius (Hemiptera: Cimicidae).}, journal = {Frontiers in microbiology}, volume = {11}, number = {}, pages = {608763}, pmid = {33424811}, issn = {1664-302X}, abstract = {The torix group of Rickettsia have been recorded from a wide assemblage of invertebrates, but details of transmission and biological impacts on the host have rarely been established. The common bed bug (Cimex lectularius) is a hemipteran insect which lives as an obligatory hematophagous pest of humans and is host to a primary Wolbachia symbiont and two facultative symbionts, a BEV-like symbiont, and a torix group Rickettsia. In this study, we first note the presence of a single Rickettsia strain in multiple laboratory bed bug isolates derived from Europe and Africa. Importantly, we discovered that the Rickettsia has segregated in two laboratory strains, providing infected and uninfected isogenic lines for study. Crosses with these lines established transmission was purely maternal. Fluorescence in-situ hybridization analysis indicates Rickettsia infection in oocytes, bacteriomes, and other somatic tissues. We found no evidence that Rickettsia infection was associated with sex ratio distortion activity, but Rickettsia infected individuals developed from first instar to adult more slowly. The impact of Rickettsia on fecundity and fertility resulted in infected females producing fewer fertile eggs. However, we could not find any evidence for cytoplasmic incompatibility associated with Rickettsia presence. These data imply the existence of an unknown benefit to C. lectularius carrying Rickettsia that awaits further research.}, }
@article {pmid33424808, year = {2020}, author = {Doremus, MR and Stouthamer, CM and Kelly, SE and Schmitz-Esser, S and Hunter, MS}, title = {Cardinium Localization During Its Parasitoid Wasp Host's Development Provides Insights Into Cytoplasmic Incompatibility.}, journal = {Frontiers in microbiology}, volume = {11}, number = {}, pages = {606399}, pmid = {33424808}, issn = {1664-302X}, abstract = {Arthropods harbor heritable intracellular symbionts that may manipulate host reproduction to favor symbiont transmission. In cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI), the symbiont sabotages the reproduction of infected males such that high levels of offspring mortality result when they mate with uninfected females. In crosses with infected males and infected females, however (the &quot;rescue&quot; cross), normal numbers of offspring are produced. A common CI-inducing symbiont, Cardinium hertigii, causes variable levels of CI mortality in the parasitoid wasp, Encarsia suzannae. Previous work correlated CI-induced mortality with male development time in this system, although the timing of Cardinium CI-induction and the relationship between development time and CI mortality was not well understood. Here, using a combination of crosses, manipulation of development time, and fluorescence microscopy, we identify the localization and the timing of the CI-induction step in the Cardinium-E. suzannae system. Antibiotic treatment of adult Cardinium-infected males did not reduce the mortality associated with the CI phenotype, suggesting that CI-alteration occurs prior to adulthood. Our results suggest that the alteration step occurs during the pupal period, and is limited by the duration of pupal development: 1) Encarsia produces most sperm prior to adulthood, 2) FISH localization of Cardinium in testes showed an association with sperm nuclei throughout spermatogenesis but not with mature sperm, and 3) two methods of prolonging the pupal period (cool temperatures and the juvenile hormone analog methoprene) both caused greater CI mortality, suggesting the degree of alteration is limited by the duration of the pupal stage. Based on these results, we compare two models for potential mechanisms of Cardinium sperm modification in the context of what is known about analogous mechanisms of Wolbachia, a more extensively studied CI-inducing symbiont.}, }
@article {pmid33419044, year = {2021}, author = {Inácio da Silva, LM and Dezordi, FZ and Paiva, MHS and Wallau, GL}, title = {Systematic Review of Wolbachia Symbiont Detection in Mosquitoes: An Entangled Topic about Methodological Power and True Symbiosis.}, journal = {Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland)}, volume = {10}, number = {1}, pages = {}, pmid = {33419044}, issn = {2076-0817}, abstract = {Wolbachia is an endosymbiotic bacterium that naturally infects several arthropods and nematode species. Wolbachia gained particular attention due to its impact on their host fitness and the capacity of specific Wolbachia strains in reducing pathogen vector and agricultural pest populations and pathogens transmission. Despite the success of mosquito/pathogen control programs using Wolbachia-infected mosquito release, little is known about the abundance and distribution of Wolbachia in most mosquito species, a crucial knowledge for planning and deployment of mosquito control programs and that can further improve our basic biology understanding of Wolbachia and host relationships. In this systematic review, Wolbachia was detected in only 30% of the mosquito species investigated. Fourteen percent of the species were considered positive by some studies and negative by others in different geographical regions, suggesting a variable infection rate and/or limitations of the Wolbachia detection methods employed. Eighty-three percent of the studies screened Wolbachia with only one technique. Our findings highlight that the assessment of Wolbachia using a single approach limited the inference of true Wolbachia infection in most of the studied species and that researchers should carefully choose complementary methodologies and consider different Wolbachia-mosquito population dynamics that may be a source of bias to ascertain the correct infectious status of the host species.}, }
@article {pmid33413518, year = {2021}, author = {Shults, P and Cohnstaedt, LW and Adelman, ZN and Brelsfoard, C}, title = {Next-generation tools to control biting midge populations and reduce pathogen transmission.}, journal = {Parasites &amp; vectors}, volume = {14}, number = {1}, pages = {31}, pmid = {33413518}, issn = {1756-3305}, abstract = {Biting midges of the genus Culicoides transmit disease-causing agents resulting in a significant economic impact on livestock industries in many parts of the world. Localized control efforts, such as removal of larval habitat or pesticide application, can be logistically difficult, expensive and ineffective if not instituted and maintained properly. With these limitations, a population-level approach to the management of Culicoides midges should be investigated as a means to replace or supplement existing control strategies. Next-generation control methods such as Wolbachia- and genetic-based population suppression and replacement are being investigated in several vector species. Here we assess the feasibility and applicability of these approaches for use against biting midges. We also discuss the technical and logistical hurdles needing to be addressed for each method to be successful, as well as emphasize the importance of addressing community engagement and involving stakeholders in the investigation and development of these approaches.}, }
@article {pmid33407798, year = {2021}, author = {Farnesi, LC and Carvalho, FD and Lacerda, APC and Moreira, LA and Bruno, RV}, title = {The influence of different sources of blood meals on the physiology of Aedes aegypti harboring Wolbachia wMel: mouse blood as an alternative for mosquito rearing.}, journal = {Parasites &amp; vectors}, volume = {14}, number = {1}, pages = {21}, pmid = {33407798}, issn = {1756-3305}, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Aedes aegypti control programs have failed to restrain mosquito population expansion and, consequently, the spread of diseases such as dengue, Zika, and Chikungunya. Wolbachia infection of mosquitoes is a new and promising complementary tool for the control of arbovirus transmission. The use of Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes, mass reared using human blood, is currently being tested in several countries. However, the use of human blood for mass rearing mosquitoes, and thus expansion of this strategy, is problematic. With the aim of overcoming this problem, we tested the effect of different types of blood source on the fitness parameters of female Ae. aegypti and the Wolbachia titer over generations to be able to guarantee the suitability of an alternative source to human blood for mass rearing Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes.<br><br>METHODS: We investigated and compared essential parameters of the vector capacity of laboratory strains of Ae. aegypti with and without Wolbachia that fed on blood of different types of host (human, guinea pig, and mouse). The parameters analyzed were fecundity, fertility, pupation dynamics, and adult survival. Also, we tested whether it is possible to maintain mosquitoes with Wolbachia on mouse blood over generations without losing the bacterium titer.<br><br>RESULTS: The average number of eggs per female, egg viability and pupation dynamics in the Wolbachia-infected mosquito (wMelBr) strain were similar, regardless of the blood source. The F1 progenies of females that fed on mouse blood or human blood were analyzed. The longevity of males was lower than that of females. F1 female survival differed depending on the presence of Wolbachia in the mother. In subsequent generations analyzed up until F35, the relative Wolbachia density was even higher when mosquitoes fed on mouse blood in comparison to human blood.<br><br>CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, our results provide no evidence that the different types of blood influenced the fitness of the Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes. The presence of the bacterium in the colonies of Wolbachia-infected Ae. aegypti after 35 generations under the conditions evaluated indicates that they can be maintained on mouse blood. Based on these results, we show that it is possible to use mouse blood to feed female mosquitoes when using human blood for this purpose is problematic.}, }
@article {pmid33406151, year = {2021}, author = {Chevignon, G and Foray, V and Pérez-Jiménez, MM and Libro, S and Chung, M and Foster, JM and Landmann, F}, title = {Dual RNAseq analyses at soma and germline levels reveal evolutionary innovations in the elephantiasis-agent Brugia malayi, and adaptation of its Wolbachia endosymbionts.}, journal = {PLoS neglected tropical diseases}, volume = {15}, number = {1}, pages = {e0008935}, pmid = {33406151}, issn = {1935-2735}, abstract = {Brugia malayi is a human filarial nematode responsible for elephantiasis, a debilitating condition that is part of a broader spectrum of diseases called filariasis, including lymphatic filariasis and river blindness. Almost all filarial nematode species infecting humans live in mutualism with Wolbachia endosymbionts, present in somatic hypodermal tissues but also in the female germline which ensures their vertical transmission to the nematode progeny. These α-proteobacteria potentially provision their host with essential metabolites and protect the parasite against the vertebrate immune response. In the absence of Wolbachia wBm, B. malayi females become sterile, and the filarial nematode lifespan is greatly reduced. In order to better comprehend this symbiosis, we investigated the adaptation of wBm to the host nematode soma and germline, and we characterized these cellular environments to highlight their specificities. Dual RNAseq experiments were performed at the tissue-specific and ovarian developmental stage levels, reaching the resolution of the germline mitotic proliferation and meiotic differentiation stages. We found that most wBm genes, including putative effectors, are not differentially regulated between infected tissues. However, two wBm genes involved in stress responses are upregulated in the hypodermal chords compared to the germline, indicating that this somatic tissue represents a harsh environment to which wBm have adapted. A comparison of the B. malayi and C. elegans germline transcriptomes reveals a poor conservation of genes involved in the production of oocytes, with the filarial germline proliferative zone relying on a majority of genes absent from C. elegans. The first orthology map of the B. malayi genome presented here, together with tissue-specific expression enrichment analyses, indicate that the early steps of oogenesis are a developmental process involving genes specific to filarial nematodes, that likely result from evolutionary innovations supporting the filarial parasitic lifestyle.}, }
@article {pmid33399931, year = {2021}, author = {Shih, CM and Ophine, L and Chao, LL}, title = {Molecular Detection and Genetic Identification of Wolbachia Endosymbiont in Wild-Caught Culex quinquefasciatus (Diptera: Culicidae) Mosquitoes from Sumatera Utara, Indonesia.}, journal = {Microbial ecology}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, pmid = {33399931}, issn = {1432-184X}, support = {MOST 109-2314-B-037-077//Ministry of Science and Technology, Taiwan/ ; }, abstract = {The genetic identity of Wolbachia endosymbiont in wild-caught Culex quinquefasciatus was determined for the first time in Indonesia. A total of 314 Cx. quinquefasciatus were examined for Wolbachia by PCR assay targeting the Wolbachia surface protein (wsp) gene. The prevalence of Wolbachia infection was detected in 29.94% of Cx. specimens (45.86% female and 8.27% male). The group-specific infection was detected with an infection rate of 0.32%, 28.98%, and 0.64% in groups A, B, and A&amp;B, respectively. Phylogenetic analysis revealed all Wolbachia strains from Indonesia were genetically affiliated to the supergroup A and B with the high sequence similarity of 97.9-100% and 99.7-100%, respectively. Phylogenetic relationships can be easily distinguished by neighbor-joining analysis and were congruent by maximum likelihood method. The genetic distance (GD) values of intra- and inter-group analysis indicated a lower level (GD < 0.007 for group A and GD < 0.003 for group B) within the Indonesia strains and a higher level (GD > 1.125 for group A and GD > 1.129 for group B) as compared with other Wolbachia strains. Our results provide the first genetic identification of Wolbachia endosymbiont in Cx. quinquefasciatus collected from Indonesia, and the phylogenetic analysis revealed a new discovery of group A Wolbachia in wild-caught Cx. quinquefasciatus mosquitoes.}, }
@article {pmid33362982, year = {2020}, author = {Driscoll, TP and Verhoeve, VI and Brockway, C and Shrewsberry, DL and Plumer, M and Sevdalis, SE and Beckmann, JF and Krueger, LM and Macaluso, KR and Azad, AF and Gillespie, JJ}, title = {Evolution of Wolbachia mutualism and reproductive parasitism: insight from two novel strains that co-infect cat fleas.}, journal = {PeerJ}, volume = {8}, number = {}, pages = {e10646}, pmid = {33362982}, issn = {2167-8359}, abstract = {Wolbachiae are obligate intracellular bacteria that infect arthropods and certain nematodes. Usually maternally inherited, they may provision nutrients to (mutualism) or alter sexual biology of (reproductive parasitism) their invertebrate hosts. We report the assembly of closed genomes for two novel wolbachiae, wCfeT and wCfeJ, found co-infecting cat fleas (Ctenocephalides felis) of the Elward Laboratory colony (Soquel, CA, USA). wCfeT is basal to nearly all described Wolbachia supergroups, while wCfeJ is related to supergroups C, D and F. Both genomes contain laterally transferred genes that inform on the evolution of Wolbachia host associations. wCfeT carries the Biotin synthesis Operon of Obligate intracellular Microbes (BOOM); our analyses reveal five independent acquisitions of BOOM across the Wolbachia tree, indicating parallel evolution towards mutualism. Alternately, wCfeJ harbors a toxin-antidote operon analogous to the wPip cinAB operon recently characterized as an inducer of cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI) in flies. wCfeJ cinB and three adjacent genes are collectively similar to large modular toxins encoded in CI-like operons of certain Wolbachia strains and Rickettsia species, signifying that CI toxins streamline by fission of large modular toxins. Remarkably, the C. felis genome itself contains two CI-like antidote genes, divergent from wCfeJ cinA, revealing episodic reproductive parasitism in cat fleas and evidencing mobility of CI loci independent of WO-phage. Additional screening revealed predominant co-infection (wCfeT/wCfeJ) amongst C. felis colonies, though fleas in wild populations mostly harbor wCfeT alone. Collectively, genomes of wCfeT, wCfeJ, and their cat flea host supply instances of lateral gene transfers that could drive transitions between parasitism and mutualism.}, }
@article {pmid33357053, year = {2021}, author = {Leftwich, PT and Spurgin, LG and Harvey-Samuel, T and Thomas, CJE and Paladino, LC and Edgington, MP and Alphey, L}, title = {Genetic pest management and the background genetics of release strains.}, journal = {Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences}, volume = {376}, number = {1818}, pages = {20190805}, pmid = {33357053}, issn = {1471-2970}, abstract = {Genetic pest management (GPM) methods involve releasing modified versions of a pest species to mate with wild pests in the target area. Proposed for a wide range of applications in public health, agriculture and conservation, most progress has been made with pest insects. Offspring of the released modified insects and wild pests carry the modification-which might be transgenes, artificially introduced Wolbachia or genetic damage from radiation, for example-but they also carry a complete haploid genome from their laboratory-reared parent, as well as one from their wild parent. Unless these F1 hybrids are completely unable to reproduce, further mating will lead to introgression of DNA sequences from the release strain into the wild population. We discuss issues around strain selection and the potential consequences of such introgression. We conclude that such introgression is probably harmless in almost all circumstances, and could, in theory, provide specific additional benefits to the release programme. We outline population monitoring approaches that could be used, going forward, to determine how background genetics may affect GPM. This article is part of the theme issue 'Novel control strategies for mosquito-borne diseases'.}, }
@article {pmid33357050, year = {2021}, author = {Ahmad, NA and Mancini, MV and Ant, TH and Martinez, J and Kamarul, GMR and Nazni, WA and Hoffmann, AA and Sinkins, SP}, title = {Wolbachia strain wAlbB maintains high density and dengue inhibition following introduction into a field population of Aedes aegypti.}, journal = {Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences}, volume = {376}, number = {1818}, pages = {20190809}, pmid = {33357050}, issn = {1471-2970}, abstract = {Aedes aegypti mosquitoes carrying the wAlbB Wolbachia strain show a reduced capacity to transmit dengue virus. wAlbB has been introduced into wild Ae. aegypti populations in several field sites in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, where it has persisted at high frequency for more than 2 years and significantly reduced dengue incidence. Although these encouraging results indicate that wAlbB releases can be an effective dengue control strategy, the long-term success depends on wAlbB maintaining high population frequencies and virus transmission inhibition, and both could be compromised by Wolbachia-host coevolution in the field. Here, wAlbB-carrying Ae. aegypti collected from the field 20 months after the cessation of releases showed no reduction in Wolbachia density or tissue distribution changes compared to a wAlbB laboratory colony. The wAlbB strain continued to induce complete unidirectional cytoplasmic incompatibility, showed perfect maternal transmission under laboratory conditions, and retained its capacity to inhibit dengue. Additionally, a field-collected wAlbB line was challenged with Malaysian dengue patient blood, and showed significant blocking of virus dissemination to the salivary glands. These results indicate that wAlbB continues to inhibit currently circulating strains of dengue in field populations of Ae. aegypti, and provides additional support for the continued scale-up of Wolbachia wAlbB releases for dengue control. This article is part of the theme issue 'Novel control strategies for mosquito-borne diseases'.}, }
@article {pmid33352133, year = {2020}, author = {Sullivan, W}, title = {Vector Control: Wolbachia Expands Its Protective Reach from Humans to Plants.}, journal = {Current biology : CB}, volume = {30}, number = {24}, pages = {R1489-R1491}, doi = {10.1016/j.cub.2020.11.005}, pmid = {33352133}, issn = {1879-0445}, abstract = {RNA viral titers are often suppressed in insects co-infected with the bacterial endosymbiont Wolbachia. This property has been used to suppress transmission of the ragged rice stunt virus from its insect host, the brown planthopper, to the rice plant.}, }
@article {pmid33325576, year = {2020}, author = {Bishop, C and Asgari, S}, title = {Altered gene expression profile of Wolbachia pipientis wAlbB strain following transinfection from its native host Aedes albopictus to Aedes aegypti cells.}, journal = {Molecular microbiology}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1111/mmi.14668}, pmid = {33325576}, issn = {1365-2958}, support = {DP190102048//Australian Research Council/ ; //University of Queensland/ ; }, abstract = {Wolbachia is an obligate intracellular bacterial symbiont prevalent among arthropods and nematodes. To survive and reproduce, Wolbachia interacts with and modifies host subcellular structures, while sensing and responding to changes within the cellular environment. In mutualistic associations, Wolbachia may provision the host with metabolites, or help to maintain the chemical homeostasis of the host cell. Some strains can rapidly invade insect populations by manipulating host reproductive biology, while also preventing viral replication, allowing their use in vector control of arthropod-borne viruses. The Aedes albopictus-derived strain wAlbB is promising in this regard. When transinfected into the Yellow fever mosquito, Aedes aegypti, wAlbB reaches high frequencies within wild populations, and strongly inhibits viral transmission. Despite its obvious potential, much is still unknown about the molecular interactions between Wolbachia and host that enable its use in vector control. Furthermore, most Wolbachia transinfection research to date has focused on host effects. In the current study, we used a cell line model to explore the effect of transinfection of wAlbB from Ae. albopictus to Ae. aegypti. Using RNA sequencing, we show that several genes associated with host-symbiont interactions were downregulated by transinfection, with the greatest downregulation exhibited by prophage-associated genes.}, }
@article {pmid33315074, year = {2020}, author = {Cardoso, A and Gómez-Zurita, J}, title = {Food Resource Sharing of Alder Leaf Beetle Specialists (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) as Potential Insect-Plant Interface for Horizontal Transmission of Endosymbionts.}, journal = {Environmental entomology}, volume = {49}, number = {6}, pages = {1402-1414}, pmid = {33315074}, issn = {1938-2936}, mesh = {*Alnus ; Animals ; *Coleoptera ; Insecta ; North America ; Phylogeny ; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S/genetics ; Specialization ; Symbiosis ; }, abstract = {Recent studies suggest that endosymbionts of herbivore insects can be horizontally transferred to other herbivores feeding on the same host plants, whereby the plant acts as an intermediate stage in the chain of transmission. If this mechanism operates, it is also expected that insect communities sharing the same host plant will have higher chances to share their endosymbionts. In this study, we use a high-throughput 16S rRNA metabarcoding approach to investigate the presence, diversity, and potential sharing of endosymbionts in several species of leaf beetles (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) of a local community specialized on an alder diet in North America. Rickettsia and Wolbachia were predominant in the sample, with strong evidence for each species having their own dominant infection, of either or both types of bacteria. However, all species shared a much lower proportion of a particular Wolbachia type, compatible with the same strain dominant in one of the species of leaf beetles. Crucially, the same 16S rRNA haplotype of Wolbachia was found on alder leaf extracts. The combined evidence and the absence of this strain in a syntopic species of leaf beetle feeding on a different host plant support the hypothesis that at least the initial stages of the mechanism that would allow horizontal transmission of endosymbionts across species feeding on the same plant is possible. The accessibility and characteristics of endosymbiont associations of this system make it suitable for deeper analyses of their diversity and transmission in natural conditions.}, }
@article {pmid33298138, year = {2020}, author = {Ding, H and Yeo, H and Puniamoorthy, N}, title = {Wolbachia infection in wild mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae): implications for transmission modes and host-endosymbiont associations in Singapore.}, journal = {Parasites &amp; vectors}, volume = {13}, number = {1}, pages = {612}, pmid = {33298138}, issn = {1756-3305}, support = {R154000A56133//National University of Singapore/ ; R154000A75114//Ministry of Education, Singapore/ ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Wolbachia are intracellular bacterial endosymbionts found in most insect lineages. In mosquitoes, the influence of these endosymbionts on host reproduction and arboviral transmission has spurred numerous studies aimed at using Wolbachia infection as a vector control technique. However, there are several knowledge gaps in the literature and little is known about natural Wolbachia infection across species, their transmission modes, or associations between various Wolbachia lineages and their hosts. This study aims to address these gaps by exploring mosquito-Wolbachia associations and their evolutionary implications.<br><br>METHODS: We conducted tissue-specific polymerase chain reaction screening for Wolbachia infection in the leg, gut and reproductive tissues of wild mosquitoes from Singapore using the Wolbachia surface protein gene (wsp) molecular marker. Mosquito-Wolbachia associations were explored using three methods-tanglegram, distance-based, and event-based methods-and by inferred instances of vertical transmission and host shifts.<br><br>RESULTS: Adult mosquitoes (271 specimens) representing 14 genera and 40 species were screened for Wolbachia. Overall, 21 species (51.2%) were found positive for Wolbachia, including five in the genus Aedes and five in the genus Culex. To our knowledge, Wolbachia infections have not been previously reported in seven of these 21 species: Aedes nr. fumidus, Aedes annandalei, Uranotaenia obscura, Uranotaenia trilineata, Verrallina butleri, Verrallina sp. and Zeugnomyia gracilis. Wolbachia were predominantly detected in the reproductive tissues, which is an indication of vertical transmission. However, Wolbachia infection rates varied widely within a mosquito host species. There was no clear signal of cophylogeny between the mosquito hosts and the 12 putative Wolbachia strains observed in this study. Host shift events were also observed.<br><br>CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that the mosquito-Wolbachia relationship is complex and that combinations of transmission modes and multiple evolutionary events likely explain the observed distribution of Wolbachia diversity across mosquito hosts. These findings have implications for a better understanding of the diversity and ecology of Wolbachia and for their utility as biocontrol agents.}, }
@article {pmid33295865, year = {2020}, author = {Lefoulon, E and Clark, T and Guerrero, R and Cañizales, I and Cardenas-Callirgos, JM and Junker, K and Vallarino-Lhermitte, N and Makepeace, BL and Darby, AC and Foster, JM and Martin, C and Slatko, BE}, title = {Diminutive, degraded but dissimilar: Wolbachia genomes from filarial nematodes do not conform to a single paradigm.}, journal = {Microbial genomics}, volume = {6}, number = {12}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1099/mgen.0.000487}, pmid = {33295865}, issn = {2057-5858}, abstract = {Wolbachia are alpha-proteobacteria symbionts infecting a large range of arthropod species and two different families of nematodes. Interestingly, these endosymbionts are able to induce diverse phenotypes in their hosts: they are reproductive parasites within many arthropods, nutritional mutualists within some insects and obligate mutualists within their filarial nematode hosts. Defining Wolbachia 'species' is controversial and so they are commonly classified into 17 different phylogenetic lineages, termed supergroups, named A-F, H-Q and S. However, available genomic data remain limited and not representative of the full Wolbachia diversity; indeed, of the 24 complete genomes and 55 draft genomes of Wolbachia available to date, 84 % belong to supergroups A and B, exclusively composed of Wolbachia from arthropods. For the current study, we took advantage of a recently developed DNA-enrichment method to produce four complete genomes and two draft genomes of Wolbachia from filarial nematodes. Two complete genomes, wCtub and wDcau, are the smallest Wolbachia genomes sequenced to date (863 988 bp and 863 427 bp, respectively), as well as the first genomes representing supergroup J. These genomes confirm the validity of this supergroup, a controversial clade due to weaknesses of the multilocus sequence typing approach. We also produced the first draft Wolbachia genome from a supergroup F filarial nematode representative (wMhie), two genomes from supergroup D (wLsig and wLbra) and the complete genome of wDimm from supergroup C. Our new data confirm the paradigm of smaller Wolbachia genomes from filarial nematodes containing low levels of transposable elements and the absence of intact bacteriophage sequences, unlike many Wolbachia from arthropods, where both are more abundant. However, we observe differences among the Wolbachia genomes from filarial nematodes: no global co-evolutionary pattern, strong synteny between supergroup C and supergroup J Wolbachia, and more transposable elements observed in supergroup D Wolbachia compared to the other supergroups. Metabolic pathway analysis indicates several highly conserved pathways (haem and nucleotide biosynthesis, for example) as opposed to more variable pathways, such as vitamin B biosynthesis, which might be specific to certain host-symbiont associations. Overall, there appears to be no single Wolbachia-filarial nematode pattern of co-evolution or symbiotic relationship.}, }
@article {pmid33294020, year = {2020}, author = {Fu, Z and Meier, AR and Epstein, B and Bergland, AO and Castillo Carrillo, CI and Cooper, WR and Cruzado, RK and Horton, DR and Jensen, AS and Kelley, JL and Rashed, A and Reitz, SR and Rondon, SI and Thinakaran, J and Wenninger, EJ and Wohleb, CH and Crowder, DW and Snyder, WE}, title = {Host plants and Wolbachia shape the population genetics of sympatric herbivore populations.}, journal = {Evolutionary applications}, volume = {13}, number = {10}, pages = {2740-2753}, pmid = {33294020}, issn = {1752-4571}, abstract = {Changing climate and land-use practices have the potential to bring previously isolated populations of pest insects into new sympatry. This heightens the need to better understand how differing patterns of host-plant association, and unique endosymbionts, serve to promote genetic isolation or integration. We addressed these factors in populations of potato psyllid, Bactericera cockerelli (Šulc), a generalist herbivore that vectors a bacterial pathogen (Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum, causal pathogen of zebra chip disease) of potato (Solanum tuberosum L.). Genome-wide SNP data revealed two major genetic clusters-psyllids collected from potato crops were genetically similar to psyllids found on a common weed, Lycium spp., but dissimilar from those found on another common non-crop host, Solanum dulcamara L. Most psyllids found on Lycium spp. and potato represented a single mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I (COI) haplotype that has been suggested to not be native to the region, and whose arrival may have been concurrent with zebra chip disease first emerging. The putatively introduced COI haplotype usually co-occurred with endosymbiotic Wolbachia, while the putatively resident COI haplotype generally did not. Genetic intermediates between the two genetic populations of insects were rare, consistent with recent sympatry or reproductive isolation, although admixture patterns of apparent hybrids were consistent with introgression of genes from introduced into resident populations. Our results suggest that both host-plant associations and endosymbionts are shaping the population genetic structure of sympatric psyllid populations associated with different non-crop hosts. It is of future interest to explicitly examine vectorial capacity of the two populations and their potential hybrids, as population structure and hybridization might alter regional vector capacity and disease outbreaks.}, }
@article {pmid33293886, year = {2020}, author = {Wöger, R and Wöger, R and Nuss, M}, title = {DNA barcodes for Aotearoa New Zealand Pyraloidea (Lepidoptera).}, journal = {Biodiversity data journal}, volume = {8}, number = {}, pages = {e58841}, pmid = {33293886}, issn = {1314-2828}, abstract = {Identification of pyraloid species is often hampered by highly similar external morphology requiring microscopic dissection of genitalia. This becomes especially obvious when mass samples from ecological studies or insect monitoring have to be analysed. DNA barcode sequences could accelerate identification, but are not available for most pyraloid species from New Zealand. Hence, we are presenting a first DNA-barcode library for this group, providing 440 COI barcodes (cytochrome C oxidase I sequences) for 73 morphologically-identified species, which is 29% of Pyraloidea known from New Zealand. Results are analysed using the Barcode Index Number system (BIN) of BOLD and the Automatic Barcode Gap Discovery method (ABGD). Using BIN, the 440 barcodes reveal 82 clusters. A perfect match between BIN assignment and morphological identification was found for 63 species (86.3%). Four species (5.5%) share BINs, each with two species in one BIN, of which Glaucocharis epiphaea and Glaucocharis harmonica even share the same barcode. In contrast, six species (8.2%) split into two or more BINs, with the highest number of five BINs for Orocrambus ramosellus. The interspecific variation of all collected specimens of New Zealand Pyraloidea averages 12.54%. There are deep intraspecific divergences (> 2%) in seven species, for instance Orocrambus vulgaris with up to 6.6% and Scoparia ustimacula with 5.5%. Using ABGD, the 440 barcodes reveal 71 or 88 operational taxonomic units (OTUs), depending on the preferred partition. A perfect match between OTU and morphological identification was found for 56 species (76.7%) or 62 species (84.9%). ABGD delivers four or seven species sharing OTUs and four or ten species split into more than one OTU. Morphological re-examination, as well as the analysis of a concatenated dataset of COI and the nuclear markers EF1α and GADPH for species split into more than one BIN or OTU, do not support a higher number of species. Likewise, there is no evidence for Wolbachia infection as a trigger for these sequence variations.}, }
@article {pmid33284808, year = {2020}, author = {Schiefer, A and Hübner, MP and Krome, A and Lämmer, C and Ehrens, A and Aden, T and Koschel, M and Neufeld, H and Chaverra-Muñoz, L and Jansen, R and Kehraus, S and König, GM and Pogorevc, D and Müller, R and Stadler, M and Hüttel, S and Hesterkamp, T and Wagner, K and Pfarr, K and Hoerauf, A}, title = {Corallopyronin A for short-course anti-wolbachial, macrofilaricidal treatment of filarial infections.}, journal = {PLoS neglected tropical diseases}, volume = {14}, number = {12}, pages = {e0008930}, pmid = {33284808}, issn = {1935-2735}, mesh = {Animals ; Female ; Filariasis/*drug therapy/parasitology ; Filaricides/*therapeutic use ; Filarioidea/*drug effects/microbiology ; Lactones/*therapeutic use ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Symbiosis/drug effects ; Wolbachia/*drug effects ; }, abstract = {Current efforts to eliminate the neglected tropical diseases onchocerciasis and lymphatic filariasis, caused by the filarial nematodes Onchocerca volvulus and Wuchereria bancrofti or Brugia spp., respectively, are hampered by lack of a short-course macrofilaricidal-adult-worm killing-treatment. Anti-wolbachial antibiotics, e.g. doxycycline, target the essential Wolbachia endosymbionts of filariae and are a safe prototype adult-worm-sterilizing and macrofilaricidal regimen, in contrast to standard treatments with ivermectin or diethylcarbamazine, which mainly target the microfilariae. However, treatment regimens of 4-5 weeks necessary for doxycycline and contraindications limit its use. Therefore, we tested the preclinical anti-Wolbachia drug candidate Corallopyronin A (CorA) for in vivo efficacy during initial and chronic filarial infections in the Litomosoides sigmodontis rodent model. CorA treatment for 14 days beginning immediately after infection cleared >90% of Wolbachia endosymbionts from filariae and prevented development into adult worms. CorA treatment of patently infected microfilaremic gerbils for 14 days with 30 mg/kg twice a day (BID) achieved a sustained reduction of >99% of Wolbachia endosymbionts from adult filariae and microfilariae, followed by complete inhibition of filarial embryogenesis resulting in clearance of microfilariae. Combined treatment of CorA and albendazole, a drug currently co-administered during mass drug administrations and previously shown to enhance efficacy of anti-Wolbachia drugs, achieved microfilarial clearance after 7 days of treatment at a lower BID dose of 10 mg/kg CorA, a Human Equivalent Dose of 1.4 mg/kg. Importantly, this combination led to a significant reduction in the adult worm burden, which has not yet been published with other anti-Wolbachia candidates tested in this model. In summary, CorA is a preclinical candidate for filariasis, which significantly reduces treatment times required to achieve sustained Wolbachia depletion, clearance of microfilariae, and inhibition of embryogenesis. In combination with albendazole, CorA is robustly macrofilaricidal after 7 days of treatment and fulfills the Target Product Profile for a macrofilaricidal drug.}, }
@article {pmid33283864, year = {2020}, author = {Wang, X and Xiong, X and Cao, W and Zhang, C and Werren, JH and Wang, X}, title = {Phylogenomic Analysis of Wolbachia Strains Reveals Patterns of Genome Evolution and Recombination.}, journal = {Genome biology and evolution}, volume = {12}, number = {12}, pages = {2508-2520}, pmid = {33283864}, issn = {1759-6653}, abstract = {Wolbachia are widespread intracellular bacteria that mediate many important biological processes in arthropod species. In this study, we identified 210 conserved single-copy genes in 33 genome-sequenced Wolbachia strains in the A-F supergroups. Phylogenomic analyses with these core genes indicate that all 33 Wolbachia strains maintain the supergroup relationship, which was classified previously based on the multilocus sequence typing (MLST) genes. Using an interclade recombination screening method, 14 inter-supergroup recombination events were discovered in six genes (2.9%) among 210 single-copy orthologs. This finding suggests a relatively low frequency of intergroup recombination. Interestingly, they have occurred not only between A and B supergroups (nine events) but also between A and E supergroups (five events). Maintenance of such transfers suggests possible roles in Wolbachia infection-related functions. Comparisons of strain divergence using the five genes of the MLST system show a high correlation (Pearson correlation coefficient r = 0.98) between MLST and whole-genome divergences, indicating that MLST is a reliable method for identifying related strains when whole-genome data are not available. The phylogenomic analysis and the identified core gene set in our study will serve as a valuable foundation for strain identification and the investigation of recombination and genome evolution in Wolbachia.}, }
@article {pmid33281793, year = {2020}, author = {Miao, YH and Xiao, JH and Huang, DW}, title = {Distribution and Evolution of the Bacteriophage WO and Its Antagonism With Wolbachia.}, journal = {Frontiers in microbiology}, volume = {11}, number = {}, pages = {595629}, pmid = {33281793}, issn = {1664-302X}, abstract = {The symbiosis system comprising eukaryotic hosts, intracellular bacterium Wolbachia, and temperate bacteriophages WO is widely spread through nearly half the number of arthropod species. The relationships between the three components of the system are extremely intricate. Even though the bacteriophage WO can have diverse influences on the ecology and evolution of Wolbachia, little is known about the distribution and evolution of the phages. To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first to report that in infected fig wasps (Ceratosolen solmsi, Kradibia gibbosae, and Wiebesia pumilae), the genomes of all the Wolbachia strains had only one cryptic WO prophage, which contained defects in the genomic structural modules. This phenomenon was contrary to the widely accepted understanding that Wolbachia with cryptic prophages usually possesses at least one intact WO prophage consisting of gene sequences of the head, baseplate, and tail modules, through which the prophage could form intact virions. In addition to the genetic structure features, the phylogenetic relationships of WO and Wolbachia also revealed that bacteriophage WO can horizontally spread among a certain genus or a group of insect hosts, nearly free from the restriction of the affiliation of Wolbachia. Combined with the vertical transmission along with Wolbachia, the wide spread of WO phages can be explained. Furthermore, the gender preference and functional module preference for transcriptional activity of the genes in cryptic WOs implied the antagonized coevolutionary pattern between WO prophages and their Wolbachia hosts.}, }
@article {pmid33276723, year = {2020}, author = {Yang, C and Zheng, Y and Tan, S and Meng, G and Rao, W and Yang, C and Bourne, DG and O'Brien, PA and Xu, J and Liao, S and Chen, A and Chen, X and Jia, X and Zhang, AB and Liu, S}, title = {Efficient COI barcoding using high throughput single-end 400 bp sequencing.}, journal = {BMC genomics}, volume = {21}, number = {1}, pages = {862}, pmid = {33276723}, issn = {1471-2164}, support = {NO. JCYJ20170817150755701//Shenzhen Municipal Government of China/ ; No. KQTD20150330171505310//Shenzhen Peacock Plan/ ; 31425023//China National Funds for Distinguished Young Scientists/ ; 2019M660051//Chinese Postdoctoral Science Foundation/ ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Over the last decade, the rapid development of high-throughput sequencing platforms has accelerated species description and assisted morphological classification through DNA barcoding. However, the current high-throughput DNA barcoding methods cannot obtain full-length barcode sequences due to read length limitations (e.g. a maximum read length of 300 bp for the Illumina's MiSeq system), or are hindered by a relatively high cost or low sequencing output (e.g. a maximum number of eight million reads per cell for the PacBio's SEQUEL II system).<br><br>RESULTS: Pooled cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) barcodes from individual specimens were sequenced on the MGISEQ-2000 platform using the single-end 400 bp (SE400) module. We present a bioinformatic pipeline, HIFI-SE, that takes reads generated from the 5' and 3' ends of the COI barcode region and assembles them into full-length barcodes. HIFI-SE is written in Python and includes four function modules of filter, assign, assembly and taxonomy. We applied the HIFI-SE to a set of 845 samples (30 marine invertebrates, 815 insects) and delivered a total of 747 fully assembled COI barcodes as well as 70 Wolbachia and fungi symbionts. Compared to their corresponding Sanger sequences (72 sequences available), nearly all samples (71/72) were correctly and accurately assembled, including 46 samples that had a similarity score of 100% and 25 of ca. 99%.<br><br>CONCLUSIONS: The HIFI-SE pipeline represents an efficient way to produce standard full-length barcodes, while the reasonable cost and high sensitivity of our method can contribute considerably more DNA barcodes under the same budget. Our method thereby advances DNA-based species identification from diverse ecosystems and increases the number of relevant applications.}, }
@article {pmid33263885, year = {2020}, author = {Attardo, GM and Scolari, F and Malacrida, A}, title = {Bacterial Symbionts of Tsetse Flies: Relationships and Functional Interactions Between Tsetse Flies and Their Symbionts.}, journal = {Results and problems in cell differentiation}, volume = {69}, number = {}, pages = {497-536}, doi = {10.1007/978-3-030-51849-3_19}, pmid = {33263885}, issn = {0080-1844}, mesh = {Animals ; Enterobacteriaceae/*physiology ; Female ; *Host Microbial Interactions ; Male ; Microbiota ; *Symbiosis ; Trypanosoma ; Tsetse Flies/*microbiology/parasitology ; Wolbachia/*physiology ; }, abstract = {Tsetse flies (Glossina spp.) act as the sole vectors of the African trypanosome species that cause Human African Trypanosomiasis (HAT or African Sleeping Sickness) and Nagana in animals. These flies have undergone a variety of specializations during their evolution including an exclusive diet consisting solely of vertebrate blood for both sexes as well as an obligate viviparous reproductive biology. Alongside these adaptations, Glossina species have developed intricate relationships with specific microbes ranging from mutualistic to parasitic. These relationships provide fundamental support required to sustain the specializations associated with tsetse's biology. This chapter provides an overview on the knowledge to date regarding the biology behind these relationships and focuses primarily on four bacterial species that are consistently associated with Glossina species. Here their interactions with the host are reviewed at the morphological, biochemical and genetic levels. This includes: the obligate symbiont Wigglesworthia, which is found in all tsetse species and is essential for nutritional supplementation to the blood-specific diet, immune system maturation and facilitation of viviparous reproduction; the commensal symbiont Sodalis, which is a frequently associated symbiont optimized for survival within the fly via nutritional adaptation, vertical transmission through mating and may alter vectorial capacity of Glossina for trypanosomes; the parasitic symbiont Wolbachia, which can manipulate Glossina via cytoplasmic incompatibility and shows unique interactions at the genetic level via horizontal transmission of its genetic material into the genome in two Glossina species; finally, knowledge on recently observed relations between Spiroplasma and Glossina is explored and potential interactions are discussed based on knowledge of interactions between this bacterial Genera and other insect species. These flies have a simple microbiome relative to that of other insects. However, these relationships are deep, well-studied and provide a window into the complexity and function of host/symbiont interactions in an important disease vector.}, }
@article {pmid33263882, year = {2020}, author = {Lefoulon, E and Foster, JM and Truchon, A and Carlow, CKS and Slatko, BE}, title = {The Wolbachia Symbiont: Here, There and Everywhere.}, journal = {Results and problems in cell differentiation}, volume = {69}, number = {}, pages = {423-451}, doi = {10.1007/978-3-030-51849-3_16}, pmid = {33263882}, issn = {0080-1844}, mesh = {Animals ; Arthropods/*microbiology ; Filarioidea/*microbiology ; Host Microbial Interactions ; *Symbiosis ; *Wolbachia ; }, abstract = {Wolbachia symbionts, first observed in the 1920s, are now known to be present in about 30-70% of tested arthropod species, in about half of tested filarial nematodes (including the majority of human filarial nematodes), and some plant-parasitic nematodes. In arthropods, they are generally viewed as parasites while in nematodes they appear to be mutualists although this demarcation is not absolute. Their presence in arthropods generally leads to reproductive anomalies, while in nematodes, they are generally required for worm development and reproduction. In mosquitos, Wolbachia inhibit RNA viral infections, leading to populational reductions in human RNA virus pathogens, whereas in filarial nematodes, their requirement for worm fertility and survival has been channeled into their use as drug targets for filariasis control. While much more research on these ubiquitous symbionts is needed, they are viewed as playing significant roles in biological processes, ranging from arthropod speciation to human health.}, }
@article {pmid33263871, year = {2020}, author = {Russell, SL and Castillo, JR}, title = {Trends in Symbiont-Induced Host Cellular Differentiation.}, journal = {Results and problems in cell differentiation}, volume = {69}, number = {}, pages = {137-176}, doi = {10.1007/978-3-030-51849-3_5}, pmid = {33263871}, issn = {0080-1844}, mesh = {Animals ; Arthropods/*microbiology ; *Cell Differentiation ; Genome, Bacterial ; Nematoda/*microbiology ; Reproduction ; *Symbiosis ; *Wolbachia/genetics ; }, abstract = {Bacteria participate in a wide diversity of symbiotic associations with eukaryotic hosts that require precise interactions for bacterial recognition and persistence. Most commonly, host-associated bacteria interfere with host gene expression to modulate the immune response to the infection. However, many of these bacteria also interfere with host cellular differentiation pathways to create a hospitable niche, resulting in the formation of novel cell types, tissues, and organs. In both of these situations, bacterial symbionts must interact with eukaryotic regulatory pathways. Here, we detail what is known about how bacterial symbionts, from pathogens to mutualists, control host cellular differentiation across the central dogma, from epigenetic chromatin modifications, to transcription and mRNA processing, to translation and protein modifications. We identify four main trends from this survey. First, mechanisms for controlling host gene expression appear to evolve from symbionts co-opting cross-talk between host signaling pathways. Second, symbiont regulatory capacity is constrained by the processes that drive reductive genome evolution in host-associated bacteria. Third, the regulatory mechanisms symbionts exhibit correlate with the cost/benefit nature of the association. And, fourth, symbiont mechanisms for interacting with host genetic regulatory elements are not bound by native bacterial capabilities. Using this knowledge, we explore how the ubiquitous intracellular Wolbachia symbiont of arthropods and nematodes may modulate host cellular differentiation to manipulate host reproduction. Our survey of the literature on how infection alters gene expression in Wolbachia and its hosts revealed that, despite their intermediate-sized genomes, different strains appear capable of a wide diversity of regulatory manipulations. Given this and Wolbachia's diversity of phenotypes and eukaryotic-like proteins, we expect that many symbiont-induced host differentiation mechanisms will be discovered in this system.}, }
@article {pmid33257667, year = {2020}, author = {Souto-Maior, C and King, JG and Sartori, LM and Maciel-de-Freitas, R and Gomes, MGM}, title = {Reply to: &quot;Enhancement of Aedes aegypti susceptibility to dengue by Wolbachia is not supported&quot;.}, journal = {Nature communications}, volume = {11}, number = {1}, pages = {6113}, pmid = {33257667}, issn = {2041-1723}, mesh = {*Aedes ; Animals ; *Dengue ; *Wolbachia ; }, }
@article {pmid33257651, year = {2020}, author = {Ant, TH and Mancini, MV and Martinez, J and Sinkins, SP}, title = {Enhancement of Aedes aegypti susceptibility to dengue by Wolbachia is not supported.}, journal = {Nature communications}, volume = {11}, number = {1}, pages = {6111}, pmid = {33257651}, issn = {2041-1723}, mesh = {*Aedes ; Animals ; *Dengue ; *Wolbachia ; }, }
@article {pmid33248417, year = {2020}, author = {Madhav, M and Baker, D and Morgan, JAT and Asgari, S and James, P}, title = {Wolbachia: A tool for livestock ectoparasite control.}, journal = {Veterinary parasitology}, volume = {288}, number = {}, pages = {109297}, doi = {10.1016/j.vetpar.2020.109297}, pmid = {33248417}, issn = {1873-2550}, abstract = {Ectoparasites and livestock-associated insects are a major concern throughout the world because of their economic and welfare impacts. Effective control is challenging and relies mainly on the use of chemical insecticides and acaricides. Wolbachia, an arthropod and nematode-infecting, maternally-transmitted endosymbiont is currently of widespread interest for use in novel strategies for the control of a range of arthropod-vectored human diseases and plant pests but to date has received only limited consideration for use in the control of diseases of veterinary concern. Here, we review the currently available information on Wolbachia in veterinary ectoparasites and disease vectors, consider the feasibility for use of Wolbachia in the control of livestock pests and diseases and highlight critical issues which need further investigation.}, }
@article {pmid33240234, year = {2020}, author = {Momtaz, AZ and Ahumada Sabagh, AD and Gonzalez Amortegui, JG and Salazar, SA and Finessi, A and Hernandez, J and Christensen, S and Serbus, LR}, title = {A Role for Maternal Factors in Suppressing Cytoplasmic Incompatibility.}, journal = {Frontiers in microbiology}, volume = {11}, number = {}, pages = {576844}, pmid = {33240234}, issn = {1664-302X}, abstract = {Wolbachia are maternally transmitted bacterial endosymbionts, carried by approximately half of all insect species. Wolbachia prevalence in nature stems from manipulation of host reproduction to favor the success of infected females. The best known reproductive modification induced by Wolbachia is referred to as sperm-egg Cytoplasmic Incompatibility (CI). In CI, the sperm of Wolbachia-infected males cause embryonic lethality, attributed to paternal chromatin segregation defects during early mitotic divisions. Remarkably, the embryos of Wolbachia-infected females &quot;rescue&quot; CI lethality, yielding egg hatch rates equivalent to uninfected female crosses. Several models have been discussed as the basis for Rescue, and functional evidence indicates a major contribution by Wolbachia CI factors. A role for host contributions to Rescue remains largely untested. In this study, we used a chemical feeding approach to test for CI suppression capabilities by Drosophila simulans. We found that uninfected females exhibited significantly higher CI egg hatch rates in response to seven chemical treatments that affect DNA integrity, cell cycle control, and protein turnover. Three of these treatments suppressed CI induced by endogenous wRi Wolbachia, as well as an ectopic wMel Wolbachia infection. The results implicate DNA integrity as a focal aspect of CI suppression for different Wolbachia strains. The framework presented here, applied to diverse CI models, will further enrich our understanding of host reproductive manipulation by insect endosymbionts.}, }
@article {pmid33237151, year = {2020}, author = {Pimentel, AC and Beraldo, CS and Cogni, R}, title = {Host-shift as the cause of emerging infectious diseases: Experimental approaches using Drosophila-virus interactions.}, journal = {Genetics and molecular biology}, volume = {44}, number = {1 Suppl 1}, pages = {e20200197}, pmid = {33237151}, issn = {1415-4757}, abstract = {Host shifts, when a cross-species transmission of a pathogen can lead to successful infections, are the main cause of emerging infectious diseases, such as COVID-19. A complex challenge faced by the scientific community is to address the factors that determine whether the cross-species transmissions will result in spillover or sustained onwards infections. Here we review recent literature and present a perspective on current approaches we are using to understand the mechanisms underlying host shifts. We highlight the usefulness of the interactions between Drosophila species and viruses as an ideal study model. Additionally, we discuss how cross-infection experiments - when pathogens from a natural reservoir are intentionally injected in novel host species- can test the effect cross-species transmissions may have on the fitness of virus and host, and how the host phylogeny may influence this response. We also discuss experiments evaluating how cooccurrence with other viruses or the presence of the endosymbiont bacteria Wolbachia may affect the performance of new viruses in a novel host. Finally, we discuss the need of surveys of virus diversity in natural populations using next-generation sequencing technologies. In the long term, these approaches can contribute to a better understanding of the basic biology of host shifts.}, }
@article {pmid33222623, year = {2020}, author = {Amala, M and Richard, M and Saritha, P and Prabhu, D and Veerapandiyan, M and Surekha, K and Jeyakanthan, J}, title = {Molecular evolution, binding site interpretation and functional divergence of aspartate semialdehyde dehydrogenase.}, journal = {Journal of biomolecular structure &amp; dynamics}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {1-19}, doi = {10.1080/07391102.2020.1846619}, pmid = {33222623}, issn = {1538-0254}, abstract = {Aspartate Semialdehyde Dehydrogenase (ASDH) is an important enzyme essential for the viability of pathogenic microorganisms. ASDH is mainly involved in amino acid and cell wall biosynthesis of microorganisms, hence it is considered to be a promising target for drug design. This enzyme depicts similar mechanistic function in all microorganisms; although, the kinetic efficiency of an enzyme differs according to their active site residual composition. Therefore, understanding the residual variation and kinetic efficiency of the enzyme would pave new insights in structure-based drug discovery and a novel drug molecule against ASDH. Here, ASDH from Wolbachia endosymbiont of Brugia malayi is used as a prime enzyme to execute evolutionary studies. The phylogenetic analysis was opted to classify 400 sequences of ASDH enzymes based on their structure and electrostatic surfaces. Analysis resulted in 37 monophyletic clades of diverse pathogenic and non-pathogenic organisms. The representative structures of 37 ASDHs from different clades were further deciphered to structural homologues. These enzymes exhibited presence of more positively charged surfaces than negatively charged surfaces in the active site pocket which restrains evolutionary significance. Docking studies of NADP+ with 37 enzymes reveals that site-specific residual variation in the active site pocket modulates the binding affinity (ranges of -13 to -9 kcal/mol). Type-I and Type-II divergence studies show, no significant functional divergence among ASDH, but residual changes were found among the enzyme that modulates the biochemical characteristics and catalytic efficiency. The present study not only explores residual alteration and catalytic variability, it also aids in the design of species-specific inhibitors. Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.}, }
@article {pmid33216144, year = {2020}, author = {Cormier, A and Chebbi, MA and Giraud, I and Wattier, R and Teixeira, M and Gilbert, C and Rigaud, T and Cordaux, R}, title = {Comparative genomics of strictly vertically transmitted, feminizing microsporidia endosymbionts of amphipod crustaceans.}, journal = {Genome biology and evolution}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, pmid = {33216144}, issn = {1759-6653}, abstract = {Microsporidia are obligate intracellular eukaryotic parasites of vertebrates and invertebrates. Microsporidia are usually pathogenic and undergo horizontal transmission or a mix of horizontal and vertical transmission. However, cases of non-pathogenic microsporidia, strictly vertically transmitted from mother to offspring, have been reported in amphipod crustaceans. Some of them further evolved the ability to feminize their non-transmitting male hosts into transmitting females. However, our understanding of the evolution of feminization in microsporidia is hindered by a lack of genomic resources. We report the sequencing and analysis of three strictly vertically-transmitted microsporidia species for which feminization induction has been demonstrated (Nosema granulosis) or is strongly suspected (Dictyocoela muelleri and Dictyocoela roeselum), along with a draft genome assembly of their host Gammarus roeselii. Contrary to horizontally transmitted microsporidia that form environmental spores that can be purified, feminizing microsporidia cannot be easily isolated from their host cells. Therefore, we co-sequenced symbiont and host genomic DNA and devised a computational strategy to obtain genome assemblies for the different partners. Genomic comparison with feminizing Wolbachia bacterial endosymbionts of isopod crustaceans indicated independent evolution of feminization in microsporidia and Wolbachia at the molecular genetic level. Feminization thus represents a remarkable evolutionary convergence of eukaryotic and prokaryotic microorganisms. Furthermore, a comparative genomics analysis of microsporidia allowed us to identify several candidate genes for feminization, involving functions such as DNA binding and membrane fusion. The genomic resources we generated contribute to establish G. roeselii and its microsporidia symbionts as a new model to study the evolution of symbiont-mediated feminization.}, }
@article {pmid33198811, year = {2020}, author = {Tongkrajang, N and Ruenchit, P and Tananchai, C and Chareonviriyaphap, T and Kulkeaw, K}, title = {Molecular identification of native Wolbachia pipientis in Anopheles minimus in a low-malaria transmission area of Umphang Valley along the Thailand-Myanmar border.}, journal = {Parasites &amp; vectors}, volume = {13}, number = {1}, pages = {579}, pmid = {33198811}, issn = {1756-3305}, support = {RSA6280102//Research Career Development Grant from Thailand Science Research and Innovation/ ; R016233004//Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University (TH)/ ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Wolbachia, obligate intracellular bacteria, infect the majority of arthropods, including many mosquito species of medical importance. Some Wolbachia strains interfere with the development of Plasmodium parasites in female Anopheles, a major vector of malaria. The use of Wolbachia as a means to block malaria transmission is an emerging vector control strategy in highly endemic areas. Hence, identification of native Wolbachia strains in areas where malaria transmission is low may uncover a particular Wolbachia strain capable of Plasmodium interference. This study aims to identify native Wolbachia strains in female Anopheles spp. that are predominant in a low-malaria transmission area in mainland Southeast Asia.<br><br>METHODS: Following a 2-year survey of malaria vectors in Umphang Valley of Tak Province, Thailand, DNA extracts of female An. minimus, An. peditaeniatus, and An. maculatus were subjected to amplification of the conserved region of the 16S rRNA-encoding gene. The DNA sequences of the amplicons were phylogenetically compared with those of known Wolbachia strains.<br><br>RESULTS: Among three Anopheles spp., amplification was detected in only the DNA samples from An. minimus. The DNA sequencing of amplicons revealed 100% similarity to Wolbachia pipientis, confirming the specificity of amplification. The Wolbachia-positive An. minimus samples were devoid of Plasmodium 18S rRNA amplification. The phylogenetic trees indicate a close relationship with Wolbachia strains in subgroup B.<br><br>CONCLUSION: To the best of our knowledge, the data presented herein provide the first molecular evidence of a Wolbachia strain in An. minimus, hereinafter named wAnmi, in a low-malaria transmission area in the Umphang Valley of western Thailand. Further biological characterization is required to examine its potential for malaria transmission control in the field.}, }
@article {pmid33196908, year = {2021}, author = {Chao, LL and Castillo, CT and Shih, CM}, title = {Molecular detection and genetic identification of Wolbachia endosymbiont in Rhipicephalus sanguineus (Acari: Ixodidae) ticks of Taiwan.}, journal = {Experimental &amp; applied acarology}, volume = {83}, number = {1}, pages = {115-130}, pmid = {33196908}, issn = {1572-9702}, support = {MOST 108-2314-B-037-063//Ministry of Science and Technology, Taiwan/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; Female ; *Ixodidae ; Male ; Phylogeny ; *Rhipicephalus sanguineus ; Taiwan ; *Wolbachia/genetics ; }, abstract = {The genetic identity of Wolbachia endosymbiont in Rhipicephalus sanguineus ticks was determined for the first time in Taiwan. In total 1004 Rh. sanguineus ticks were examined for Wolbachia by polymerase chain reaction assay targeting the Wolbachia surface protein (wsp) gene. The prevalence of Wolbachia infection was detected in nymphs, females, and males with an infection rate of 55.8, 39.8, and 44%, respectively. The phylogenetic relationships were analyzed by comparing the sequences of wsp gene obtained from 60 strains of Wolbachia representing 11 strains of supergroup A and 10 strains of supergroup B. In general, seven major clades of supergroup A and six major clades of supergroup B can be easily distinguished by neighbour-joining analysis and were congruent by maximum likelihood method. All these Wolbachia strains of Taiwan were genetically affiliated to supergroups A and B with high sequence similarity of 98.3-100% and 98.6-100%, respectively. Intra- and inter-group analysis based on the genetic distance (GD) values indicated a lower level (GD < 0.017) within the group A strains of Taiwan compared with the group B (GD > 0.576) of other Wolbachia strains, as well as a lower level (GD < 0.062) within the group B strains of Taiwan compared with the group A (GD > 0.246) of other Wolbachia strains. Our results provide the first genetic identification of Wolbachia endosymbiont in Rh. sanguineus ticks collected from Taiwan, and detection of Wolbachia in male and nymphal ticks may imply the possible mechanism of transstadial transmission in Rh. sanguineus ticks.}, }
@article {pmid33193166, year = {2020}, author = {Salgueiro, J and Pimper, LE and Segura, DF and Milla, FH and Russo, RM and Asimakis, E and Stathopoulou, P and Bourtzis, K and Cladera, JL and Tsiamis, G and Lanzavecchia, SB}, title = {Gut Bacteriome Analysis of Anastrepha fraterculus sp. 1 During the Early Steps of Laboratory Colonization.}, journal = {Frontiers in microbiology}, volume = {11}, number = {}, pages = {570960}, pmid = {33193166}, issn = {1664-302X}, abstract = {Microbial communities associated to insect species are involved in essential biological functions such as host nutrition, reproduction and survivability. Main factors have been described as modulators of gut bacterial community, such as diet, habit, developmental stage and taxonomy of the host. The present work focuses on the complex changes that gut microbial communities go through when wild insects are introduced to artificial rearing conditions. Specifically, we analyzed the effect of the laboratory colonization on the richness and diversity of the gut bacteriome hosted by the fruit fly pest Anastrepha fraterculus sp. 1. Bacterial profiles were studied by amplicon sequencing of the 16S rRNA V3-V4 hypervariable region in gut samples of males and females, in teneral (1-day-old, unfed) and post-teneral (15-day-old, fed) flies. A total of 3,147,665 sequence reads were obtained and 32 bacterial operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were identified. Proteobacteria was the most abundant phylum (93.3% of the total reads) and, Wolbachia and Enterobacter were the most represented taxa at the genus level (29.9% and 27.7%, respectively, of the total read counts). Wild and laboratory flies showed highly significant differences in the relative abundances of bacteria. The analysis of the core bacteriome showed the presence of five OTUs in all samples grouped by origin, while nine and five OTUs were exclusively detected in laboratory and wild flies, respectively. Irrespective of fly origin or sex, a dominant presence of Wolbachia was observed in teneral flies, whereas Enterobacter was highly abundant in post-teneral individuals. We evidenced significant differences in bacterial richness and diversity among generations under laboratory colonization (F0, F1, F3 and F6) and compared to laboratory and wild flies, displaying also differential patterns between teneral and post-teneral flies. Laboratory and wild A. fraterculus sp. 1 harbor different gut bacterial communities. Laboratory colonization has an important effect on the microbiota, most likely associated to the combined effects of insect physiology and environmental conditions (e.g., diet and colony management).}, }
@article {pmid33185065, year = {2020}, author = {Wang, YF and He, K and Guo, W and Wang, HF and Zhang, DH and Gong, MQ and Ji, MJ and Chen, L}, title = {[Genes associated with Wolbachia-induced cytoplasmic incompatibility in natural populations of Culex pipiens pallens: a preliminary study].}, journal = {Zhongguo xue xi chong bing fang zhi za zhi = Chinese journal of schistosomiasis control}, volume = {32}, number = {5}, pages = {517-521}, doi = {10.16250/j.32.1374.2019197}, pmid = {33185065}, issn = {1005-6661}, mesh = {Animals ; China ; Culex/*genetics/microbiology ; Cytoplasm/genetics/*microbiology ; *Genes, Insect ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; *Wolbachia ; }, abstract = {OBJECTIVE: To investigate the genes involved in Wolbachia-induced cytoplasmic incompatibility among three natural populations of Culex pipiens pallens in eastern China, so as to provide insights into the development of preventive and control measures for mosquito-borne diseases based on Wolbachia.<br><br>METHODS: The cytoplasmic incompatibility was tested among three natural populations of C. pipiens pallens collected from Nanjing and Wuxi of Jiangsu Province and Tangkou of Shandong Province using reciprocal crosses. Wolbachia infection was detected in C. pipiens pallens using a PCR assay, and the expression of Wolbachia wsp and WD0513 genes was quantified using a fluorescent quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) assay.<br><br>RESULTS: Bidirectional compatibility was found between the natural populations of C. pipiens pallens collected from Nanjing and Wuxi of Jiangsu Province (t = 0.57 and 0.15, both P values > 0.05), while bidirectional incompatibility was seen between the natural populations of C. pipiens pallens collected from Tangkou of Shandong Province and Wuxi of Jiangsu Province (t = 63.81 and 43.51, both P values < 0.01), and between the natural populations of C. pipiens pallens collected from Nanjing of Jiangsu Province and Tangkou of Shandong Province (t = 39.62 and 43.12, both P values < 0.01). Wolbachia wsp gene was amplified in all three natural populations of C. pipiens pallens, and qPCR assay detected no significant difference in the Wolbachia wsp gene expression among the three natural populations of C. pipiens pallens (F = 2.15, P > 0.05). In addition, there was no significant difference in the WD0513 gene expression between the natural populations of C. pipiens pallens collected from Tangkou of Shandong Province and Nanjing of Jiangsu Province (q = 8.42, P < 0.05) or between the natural populations of C. pipiens pallens collected from Tangkou of Shandong Province and Wuxi of Jiangsu Province (q = 7.84, P < 0.05); however, there was a significant difference detected in the WD0513 gene expression between the natural populations of C. pipiens pallens collected from Nanjing and Wuxi of Jiangsu Province (q = 0.40, P > 0.05).<br><br>CONCLUSIONS: Different Wolbachia numbers are detected in natural populations of C. pipiens pallens collected from Nanjing and Wuxi of Jiangsu Province and Tangkou of Shandong Province, and WD0513 gene may be involved in the Wolbachia-induced cytoplasmic incompatibility among three natural populations of C. pipiens pallens.}, }
@article {pmid33180772, year = {2020}, author = {Arias-Giraldo, LM and Muñoz, M and Hernández, C and Herrera, G and Velásquez-Ortiz, N and Cantillo-Barraza, O and Urbano, P and Ramírez, JD}, title = {Species-dependent variation of the gut bacterial communities across Trypanosoma cruzi insect vectors.}, journal = {PloS one}, volume = {15}, number = {11}, pages = {e0240916}, pmid = {33180772}, issn = {1932-6203}, mesh = {Animals ; Biodiversity ; Chagas Disease/transmission ; Colombia ; DNA, Bacterial/genetics ; DNA, Protozoan/genetics ; *Gastrointestinal Microbiome/genetics ; Genotype ; Host Specificity ; Humans ; Insect Vectors/classification/*microbiology/*parasitology ; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S/genetics ; Triatominae/classification/*microbiology/*parasitology ; Trypanosoma cruzi/classification/genetics/*pathogenicity ; }, abstract = {Triatomines (Hemiptera: Reduviidae) are the insect vectors of Trypanosoma cruzi, the causative agent of Chagas disease. The gut bacterial communities affect the development of T. cruzi inside the vector, making the characterization of its composition important in the understanding of infection development. We collected 54 triatomine bugs corresponding to four genera in different departments of Colombia. DNA extraction and PCR were performed to evaluate T. cruzi presence and to determine the discrete typing unit (DTU) of the parasite. PCR products of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene were pooled and sequenced. Resulting reads were denoised and QIIME 2 was used for the identification of amplicon sequence variants (ASVs). Diversity (alpha and beta diversity) and richness analyses, Circos plots, and principal component analysis (PCA) were also performed. The overall T. cruzi infection frequency was 75.9%, with TcI being the predominant DTU. Approximately 500,000 sequences were analyzed and 27 bacterial phyla were identified. The most abundant phyla were Proteobacteria (33.9%), Actinobacteria (32.4%), Firmicutes (19.6%), and Bacteroidetes (7.6%), which together accounted for over 90% of the gut communities identified in this study. Genera were identified for these main bacterial phyla, revealing the presence of important bacteria such as Rhodococcus, Serratia, and Wolbachia. The composition of bacterial phyla in the gut of the insects was significantly different between triatomine species, whereas no significant difference was seen between the state of T. cruzi infection. We suggest further investigation with the evaluation of additional variables and a larger sample size. To our knowledge, this study is the first characterization of the gut bacterial structure of the main triatomine genera in Colombia.}, }
@article {pmid33170730, year = {2020}, author = {Onah, IE and Sumner, S}, title = {DNA barcodes and new primers for nature's pest controllers: the social wasps.}, journal = {Genome}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1139/gen-2019-0193}, pmid = {33170730}, issn = {1480-3321}, abstract = {Globally, biodiversity is declining as a result of anthropogenic pressures, and this could lead to extinction of some species before they are discovered. The loss of insect taxa is of prime concern, given recent reports of significant declines in the populations of many taxa across the globe. Efforts to document biodiversity have met with several challenges, amongst which are the difficulties in using morphological features to discriminate species, especially in insects. DNA barcoding is a rapid and reliable method for species identification and discovery, but choosing appropriate primers to amplify the barcode region without coamplifying contaminants remains a key challenge. We developed and tested a set of primers for PCR amplification of the DNA barcode region of the COI gene in polistine wasps. We tested their efficacy in 36 species of vespid wasps, and the solitary wasp Zethus miniatus Saussure. Samples were obtained from Africa, Americas, Asia and Europe. The polistine-specific primers successfully amplified the barcode region for all polistines tested, without amplifying any Wolbachia present; they also worked with many species from the other Vespidae wasp subfamilies. The new primers are valuable for the discovery and accurate documentation of polistine wasps in the four continents.}, }
@article {pmid33168082, year = {2020}, author = {Torres, R and Hernandez, E and Flores, V and Ramirez, JL and Joyce, AL}, title = {Wolbachia in mosquitoes from the Central Valley of California, USA.}, journal = {Parasites &amp; vectors}, volume = {13}, number = {1}, pages = {558}, pmid = {33168082}, issn = {1756-3305}, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Wolbachia bacteria are widely distributed throughout terrestrial arthropod species. These bacteria can manipulate reproduction and influence the vector competence of their hosts. Recently, Wolbachia have been integrated into vector control programmes for mosquito management. A number of supergroups and strains exist for Wolbachia, and they have yet to be characterized for many mosquito species. In this study, we examined Wolbachia prevalence and their phylogenetic relationship to other Wolbachia, using mosquitoes collected in Merced County in the Central Valley of California.<br><br>METHODS: Adult mosquitoes were collected from 85 sites in Merced County, California in 2017 and 2018. Traditional and quantitative PCR were used to investigate the presence or absence and the density of Wolbachia, using Wolbachia-specific 16S rRNA and Wolbachia-surface protein (wsp) genes. The supergroup of Wolbachia was determined, and Multilocus Sequence Typing (MLST) by sequencing five housekeeping genes (coxA, gatB, ftsZ, hcpA and fbpA) was also used to determine Wolbachia supergroup as well as strain.<br><br>RESULTS: Over 7100 mosquitoes of 12 species were collected: Aedes melanimon, Ae. nigromaculis, Ae. vexans, Ae. aegypti, Culex pipiens, Cx. stigmatosoma, Cx. tarsalis, Anopheles franciscanus, An. freeborni, An. punctipennis, Culiseta incidens and Cs. inornata. Eight showed evidence of Wolbachia. To our knowledge, this study is the first to report detection of Wolbachia in five of these species (Ae. melanimon, Cx. stigmatosoma, Cx. tarsalis, Cs. incidens and Cs. inornata). Culex pipiens and Cx. stigmatosoma had a high frequency and density of Wolbachia infection, which grouped into supergroup B; Cs. inornata clustered with supergroup A. MLST comparisons identified Cx. pipiens and Cx. stigmatosoma as wPip strain type 9 supergroup B. Six species had moderate to low (< 14%) frequencies of Wolbachia. Four species were negative, Ae. nigromaculis, An. franciscanus, An. freeborni and Ae. aegypti.<br><br>CONCLUSIONS: New records of Wolbachia detection were found in mosquitoes from Merced County, California. Culex stigmatosoma and Cs. inornata were new records for Wolbachia supergroup B and A, respectively. Other species with Wolbachia occurred with low frequency and low density. Detection of Wolbachia in mosquitoes can be used to inform potential vector control applications. Future study of Wolbachia within Cx. stigmatosoma and Cs. inornata in California and through the range of these species could further explore Wolbachia infection in these two species.}, }
@article {pmid33160070, year = {2020}, author = {Varotto-Boccazzi, I and Epis, S and Arnoldi, I and Corbett, Y and Gabrieli, P and Paroni, M and Nodari, R and Basilico, N and Sacchi, L and Gramiccia, M and Gradoni, L and Tranquillo, V and Bandi, C}, title = {Boosting immunity to treat parasitic infections: Asaia bacteria expressing a protein from Wolbachia determine M1 macrophage activation and killing of Leishmania protozoans.}, journal = {Pharmacological research}, volume = {161}, number = {}, pages = {105288}, doi = {10.1016/j.phrs.2020.105288}, pmid = {33160070}, issn = {1096-1186}, abstract = {Leishmaniases are severe vector-borne diseases affecting humans and animals, caused by Leishmania protozoans. Over one billion people and millions of dogs live in endemic areas for leishmaniases and are at risk of infection. Immune polarization plays a major role in determining the outcome of Leishmania infections: hosts displaying M1-polarized macrophages are protected, while those biased on the M2 side acquire a chronic infection that could develop into a deadly disease. The identification of the factors involved in M1 polarization is essential for the design of therapeutic and prophylactic interventions, including vaccines. Infection by the filarial nematode Dirofilaria immitis could be one of the factors that interfere with leishmaniasis in dogs. Indeed, filarial nematodes induce a partial skew of the immune response towards M1, likely caused by their bacterial endosymbionts, Wolbachia. Here we have examined the potential of AsaiaWSP, a bacterium engineered for the expression of the Wolbachia surface protein (WSP), as an inductor of M1 macrophage activation and Leishmania killing. Macrophages stimulated with AsaiaWSP displayed a strong leishmanicidal activity, comparable to that determined by the choice-drug amphotericin B. Additionally, AsaiaWSP determined the expression of markers of classical macrophage activation, including M1 cytokines, ROS and NO, and an increase in phagocytosis activity. Asaia not expressing WSP also induced macrophage activation, although at a lower extent compared to AsaiaWSP. In summary, the results of the present study confirm the immunostimulating properties of WSP highlighting a potential therapeutic efficacy against Leishmania parasites. Furthermore, Asaia was designed as a delivery system for WSP, thus developing a novel type of immunomodulating agent, worthy of being investigated for immuno-prophylaxis and -therapy of leishmaniases and other diseases that could be subverted by M1 macrophage activation.}, }
@article {pmid33158442, year = {2020}, author = {Pagendam, DE and Trewin, BJ and Snoad, N and Ritchie, SA and Hoffmann, AA and Staunton, KM and Paton, C and Beebe, N}, title = {Modelling the Wolbachia incompatible insect technique: strategies for effective mosquito population elimination.}, journal = {BMC biology}, volume = {18}, number = {1}, pages = {161}, pmid = {33158442}, issn = {1741-7007}, support = {1082127//National Health and Medical Research Council/International ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: The Wolbachia incompatible insect technique (IIT) shows promise as a method for eliminating populations of invasive mosquitoes such as Aedes aegypti (Linnaeus) (Diptera: Culicidae) and reducing the incidence of vector-borne diseases such as dengue, chikungunya and Zika. Successful implementation of this biological control strategy relies on high-fidelity separation of male from female insects in mass production systems for inundative release into landscapes. Processes for sex-separating mosquitoes are typically error-prone and laborious, and IIT programmes run the risk of releasing Wolbachia-infected females and replacing wild mosquito populations.<br><br>RESULTS: We introduce a simple Markov population process model for studying mosquito populations subjected to a Wolbachia-IIT programme which exhibit an unstable equilibrium threshold. The model is used to study, in silico, scenarios that are likely to yield a successful elimination result. Our results suggest that elimination is best achieved by releasing males at rates that adapt to the ever-decreasing wild population, thus reducing the risk of releasing Wolbachia-infected females while reducing costs.<br><br>CONCLUSIONS: While very high-fidelity sex separation is required to avoid establishment, release programmes tend to be robust to the release of a small number of Wolbachia-infected females. These findings will inform and enhance the next generation of Wolbachia-IIT population control strategies that are already showing great promise in field trials.}, }
@article {pmid33146464, year = {2020}, author = {Mugerwa, H and Wang, HL and Sseruwagi, P and Seal, S and Colvin, J}, title = {Whole-genome single nucleotide polymorphism and mating compatibility studies reveal the presence of distinct species in sub-Saharan Africa Bemisia tabaci whiteflies.}, journal = {Insect science}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1111/1744-7917.12881}, pmid = {33146464}, issn = {1744-7917}, support = {/GATES/Bill &amp; Melinda Gates Foundation/United States ; Project/OPP1058938//African Cassava Whitefly/ ; OPP1080766//Enabling Research Tools for Cassava Virologists and Breeders/ ; }, abstract = {In sub-Saharan Africa cassava growing areas, two members of the Bemisia tabaci species complex termed sub-Saharan Africa 1 (SSA1) and SSA2 have been reported as the prevalent whiteflies associated with the spread of viruses that cause cassava mosaic disease (CMD) and cassava brown streak disease (CBSD) pandemics. At the peak of CMD pandemic in the late 1990s, SSA2 was the prevalent whitefly, although its numbers have diminished over the last two decades with the resurgence of SSA1 whiteflies. Three SSA1 subgroups (SG1 to SG3) are the predominant whiteflies in East Africa and vary in distribution and biological properties. Mating compatibility between SSA1 subgroups and SSA2 whiteflies was reported as the possible driver for the resurgence of SSA1 whiteflies. In this study, a combination of both phylogenomic methods and reciprocal crossing experiments were applied to determine species status of SSA1 subgroups and SSA2 whitefly populations. Phylogenomic analyses conducted with 26 548 205 bp whole genome single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and the full mitogenomes clustered SSA1 subgroups together and separate from SSA2 species. Mating incompatibility between SSA1 subgroups and SSA2 further demonstrated their distinctiveness from each other. Phylogenomic analyses conducted with SNPs and mitogenomes also revealed different genetic relationships among SSA1 subgroups. The former clustered SSA1-SG1 and SSA1-SG2 together but separate from SSA1-SG3, while the latter clustered SSA1-SG2 and SSA1-SG3 together but separate from SSA1-SG1. Mating compatibility was observed between SSA1-SG1 and SSA1-SG2, while incompatibility occurred between SSA1-SG1 and SSA1-SG3, and SSA1-SG2 and SSA1-SG3. Mating results among SSA1 subgroups were coherent with phylogenomics results based on SNPs but not the full mitogenomes. Furthermore, this study revealed that the secondary endosymbiont-Wolbachia-did not mediate reproductive success in the crossing assays carried out. Overall, using genome wide SNPs together with reciprocal crossings assays, this study established accurate genetic relationships among cassava-colonizing populations, illustrating that SSA1 and SSA2 are distinct species while at least two species occur within SSA1 species.}, }
@article {pmid33146105, year = {2020}, author = {Diarra, AZ and Kone, AK and Doumbo Niare, S and Laroche, M and Diatta, G and Atteynine, SA and Coulibaly, M and Sangare, AK and Kouriba, B and Djimde, A and Dabo, A and Sagara, I and Davoust, B and Ranque, S and Thera, MA and Raoult, D and Doumbo, OK and Parola, P}, title = {Molecular Detection of Microorganisms Associated with Small Mammals and Their Ectoparasites in Mali.}, journal = {The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene}, volume = {103}, number = {6}, pages = {2542-2551}, pmid = {33146105}, issn = {1476-1645}, mesh = {Animals ; Bacteria/isolation &amp; purification ; Disease Reservoirs ; Ectoparasitic Infestations/epidemiology/parasitology/*veterinary ; Mali/epidemiology ; Mites/microbiology ; Phylogeny ; Rodent Diseases/epidemiology/*parasitology ; Rodentia ; Siphonaptera/microbiology ; Ticks/microbiology ; Zoonoses ; }, abstract = {Small mammals are the natural reservoirs for many zoonotic pathogens. Using molecular tools, we assessed the prevalence of bacteria and protozoans in small mammals and their ectoparasites in Faladjè, Bougouni, and Bamoko, Mali. A total of 130 small mammals belonging to 10 different species were captured, of which 74 (56.9%) were infested by ectoparasites, including Laelaps echidnina, Xenopsylla cheopis, Amblyomma variegatum, Rhipicephalus sanguineus sensu lato, and Haemaphysalis spp. nymphs. DNA of Bartonella was found in 14/75 (18.7%), 6/48 (12.5%), and 3/7 (42.8%) small mammals from Faladjè, Bougouni, and Bamako, respectively. In Faladjè, Bartonella DNA was detected in 31/68 (45.6%) of L. echidnina and 14/22 (63.6%) of X. cheopis. In Bougouni, it was found in 2/26 (7.7%) of L. echidnina and 10/42 (23.8%) of X. cheopis. The sequences of Bartonella obtained from small mammals were close to those of Bartonella mastomydis, Bartonella elizabethae, and uncultured Bartonella spp. In Faladjè, Coxiella burnetii DNA was detected in 64.4% (29/45) of Haemaphysalis spp. ticks, 4.5% (2/44) of Mastomys erythroleucus, 12.5% (1/8) of Praomys daltoni, and 1.5% (1/68) of L. echidnina. We found DNA of Wolbachia in X. cheopis from Faladjè and DNA of Rickettsia africae and Ehrlichia ruminantium in Am. variegatum from Bougouni. The results of our study show that several small mammal species harbor and may serve as potential reservoirs of Bartonella spp., likely to play a major role in the maintenance, circulation, and potential transmission of bacteria in Mali. The pathogenicity of these bacteria for humans or animals remains to be demonstrated.}, }
@article {pmid33144950, year = {2020}, author = {DeVries, ZC and Santangelo, RG and Booth, W and Lawrence, CG and Balvín, O and Bartonička, T and Schal, C}, title = {Reproductive compatibility among populations and host-associated lineages of the common bed bug (Cimex lectularius L.).}, journal = {Ecology and evolution}, volume = {10}, number = {20}, pages = {11090-11099}, pmid = {33144950}, issn = {2045-7758}, support = {P30 ES025128/ES/NIEHS NIH HHS/United States ; }, abstract = {As populations differentiate across geographic or host-association barriers, interpopulation fertility is often a measure of the extent of incipient speciation. The bed bug, Cimex lectularius L., was recently found to form two host-associated lineages within Europe: one found with humans (human-associated, HA) and the other found with bats (bat-associated, BA). No unequivocal evidence of contemporary gene flow between these lineages has been found; however, it is unclear whether this is due to an inability to produce viable &quot;hybrid&quot; offspring. To address this question and determine the extent of compatibility between host-associated lineages, we set up mating crosses among populations of bed bugs based on both their host association (human-HA vs. bat-BA) and geographic origin (North America vs. Europe). Within-population fecundity was significantly higher for all HA populations (>1.7 eggs/day) than for BA populations (<1 egg/day). However, all within-population crosses, regardless of host association, had >92% egg hatch rates. Contrary to previous reports, in all interlineage crosses, successful matings occurred, fertile eggs were oviposited, and the F1 &quot;hybrid&quot; generation was found to be reproductively viable. In addition, we evaluated interpopulation genetic variation in Wolbachia among host-associated lineages. We did not find any clear patterns related to host association, nor did we observe a homogenization of Wolbachia lineages across populations that might explain a breakdown of reproductive incompatibility. These results indicate that while the HA and BA populations of C. lectularius represent genetically differentiated host-associated lineages, possibly undergoing sympatric speciation, this is in its incipient stage as they remain reproductively compatible. Other behavioral, physiological, and/or ecological factors likely maintain host-associated differentiation.}, }
@article {pmid33138055, year = {2020}, author = {Laidoudi, Y and Levasseur, A and Medkour, H and Maaloum, M and Ben Khedher, M and Sambou, M and Bassene, H and Davoust, B and Fenollar, F and Raoult, D and Mediannikov, O}, title = {An Earliest Endosymbiont, Wolbachia massiliensis sp. nov., Strain PL13 from the Bed Bug (Cimex hemipterus), Type Strain of a New Supergroup T.}, journal = {International journal of molecular sciences}, volume = {21}, number = {21}, pages = {}, pmid = {33138055}, issn = {1422-0067}, abstract = {The symbiotic Wolbachia are the most sophisticated mutualistic bacterium among all insect-associated microbiota. Wolbachia-insect relationship fluctuates from the simple facultative/parasitic to an obligate nutritional-mutualistic association as it was the case of the bedbug-Wolbachia from Cimexlectularius. Understanding this association may help in the control of associated arthropods. Genomic data have proven to be reliable tools in resolving some aspects of these symbiotic associations. Although, Wolbachia appear to be fastidious or uncultivated bacteria which strongly limited their study. Here we proposed Drosophila S2 cell line for the isolation and culture model to study Wolbachia strains. We therefore isolated and characterized a novel Wolbachia strain associated with the bedbug Cimexhemipterus, designated as wChem strain PL13, and proposed Wolbachiamassiliensis sp. nov. strain wChem-PL13 a type strain of this new species from new supergroup T. Phylogenetically, T-supergroup was close to F and S-supergroups from insects and D-supergroup from filarial nematodes. We determined the 1,291,339-bp genome of wChem-PL13, which was the smallest insect-associated Wolbachia genomes. Overall, the wChem genome shared 50% of protein coding genes with the other insect-associated facultative Wolbachia strains. These findings highlight the diversity of Wolbachia genotypes as well as the Wolbachia-host relationship among Cimicinae subfamily. The wChem provides folate and riboflavin vitamins on which the host depends, while the bacteria had a limited translation mechanism suggesting its strong dependence to its hosts. However, the clear-cut distinction between mutualism and parasitism of the wChem in C. hemipterus cannot be yet ruled out.}, }
@article {pmid33134332, year = {2020}, author = {Savić, S and Stosic, MZ and Marcic, D and Hernández, I and Potkonjak, A and Otasevic, S and Ruzic, M and Morchón, R}, title = {Seroepidemiological Study of Canine and Human Dirofilariasis in the Endemic Region of Northern Serbia.}, journal = {Frontiers in veterinary science}, volume = {7}, number = {}, pages = {571}, pmid = {33134332}, issn = {2297-1769}, abstract = {Dirofilariasis is a vector-borne zoonotic disease caused mainly by Dirofilaria immitis and Dirofilaria repens that affect dogs and humans all over the world. Serbia is considered an endemic country to both forms of dirofilariasis, although most of the population is concentrated in the north of the country. The aims of this study were to show the prevalence of D. immitis and D. repens in dogs and the seroprevalence in humans compared to previous studies in Northern Serbia. In total, 346 dog sera samples and 265 human samples were analyzed. Dog blood samples were analyzed using the modified Knott's method to check whether there were Dirofilaria spp. microfilariae and serum samples were checked by a commercial D. immitis antigen test. Human serum samples were analyzed with a non-commercial ELISA for detection of specific anti-D. immitis, anti-D. repens, and anti-Wolbachia IgG antibodies, and confirmed by western blotting. The overall prevalence for Dirofilaria spp. in dogs was 29.19%. The overall prevalence for D. immitis was 26.30%. The percentages of D. immitis and D. repens microfilaremia in dogs were 25.72 and 1.45%, respectively, while D. immitis./D. repens microfilaremia co-infections were also 1.45%. The overall seroprevalence for Dirofilaria spp. in humans was 3.77%. The overall seroprevalence for D. immitis was 1.51, 1.13% for D. repens, and for D. immitis/D. repens co-infections was 1.13%. The results indicate that D. immitis and D. repens are present in dogs and humans in the province of Vojvodina, in the northern part of Serbia. It is most likely associated with the presence of many rivers, the climate, and presence of mosquitoes in the area, so there could be a real public health risk.}, }
@article {pmid33133140, year = {2020}, author = {Dacey, DP and Chain, FJJ}, title = {The Challenges of Microbial Control of Mosquito-Borne Diseases Due to the Gut Microbiome.}, journal = {Frontiers in genetics}, volume = {11}, number = {}, pages = {504354}, pmid = {33133140}, issn = {1664-8021}, abstract = {Mosquitoes are one of the deadliest animals on earth because of their ability to transmit a wide range of human pathogens. Traditional mosquito control methods use chemical insecticides, but with dwindling long-term effectiveness and negative effects on the environment, microbial forms of control have become common alternatives. The insecticide Bacillus thuringiensis subspecies israelensis (Bti) is the most popular of these alternatives, although it can also have direct effects on lowering environmental biodiversity and indirect effects on food-web relationships in the ecosystems where it is deployed. In addition, microbial control agents that impede pathogen development or transmission from mosquito to human are under investigation, including Wolbachia and Asaia, but unexpected interactions with mosquito gut bacteria can hinder their effectiveness. Improved characterization of mosquito gut bacterial communities is needed to determine the taxa that interfere with microbial controls and their effectiveness in wild populations. This mini-review briefly discusses relationships between mosquito gut bacteria and microbial forms of control, and the challenges in ensuring their success.}, }
@article {pmid33128345, year = {2020}, author = {Sanaei, E and Charlat, S and Engelstädter, J}, title = {Wolbachia host shifts: routes, mechanisms, constraints and evolutionary consequences.}, journal = {Biological reviews of the Cambridge Philosophical Society}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1111/brv.12663}, pmid = {33128345}, issn = {1469-185X}, abstract = {Wolbachia is one of the most abundant endosymbionts on earth, with a wide distribution especially in arthropods. Effective maternal transmission and the induction of various phenotypes in their hosts are two key features of this bacterium. Here, we review our current understanding of another central aspect of Wolbachia's success: their ability to switch from one host species to another. We build on the proposal that Wolbachia host shifts occur in four main steps: (i) physical transfer to a new species; (ii) proliferation within that host; (iii) successful maternal transmission; and (iv) spread within the host species. Host shift can fail at each of these steps, and the likelihood of ultimate success is influenced by many factors. Some stem from traits of Wolbachia (different strains have different abilities for host switching), others on host features such as genetic resemblance (e.g. host shifting is likely to be easier between closely related species), ecological connections (the donor and recipient host need to interact), or the resident microbiota. Host shifts have enabled Wolbachia to reach its enormous current incidence and global distribution among arthropods in an epidemiological process shaped by loss and acquisition events across host species. The ability of Wolbachia to transfer between species also forms the basis of ongoing endeavours to control pests and disease vectors, following artificial introduction into uninfected hosts such as mosquitoes. Throughout, we emphasise the many knowledge gaps in our understanding of Wolbachia host shifts, and question the effectiveness of current methodology to detect these events. We conclude by discussing an apparent paradox: how can Wolbachia maintain its ability to undergo host shifts given that its biology seems dominated by vertical transmission?}, }
@article {pmid33123758, year = {2020}, author = {Tzuri, N and Caspi-Fluger, A and Betelman, K and Rohkin Shalom, S and Chiel, E}, title = {Horizontal Transmission of Microbial Symbionts Within a Guild of Fly Parasitoids.}, journal = {Microbial ecology}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1007/s00248-020-01618-2}, pmid = {33123758}, issn = {1432-184X}, support = {435/2018//Israel science Foundation/ ; }, abstract = {Many insects harbor facultative microbial symbionts which affect the ecology of their hosts in diverse ways. Most symbionts are transmitted vertically with high fidelity, whereas horizontal transmission occurs rarely. Parasitoid larvae feed on a single host and are in close physical contact with it, providing an ecological opportunity for symbionts' horizontal transmission, but there is little empirical evidence documenting this. Here we studied horizontal transmission of three bacterial symbionts-Rickettsia, Sodalis, and Wolbachia-between three fly pupal ectoparasitoid species: Spalangia cameroni, S. endius, and Muscidifurax raptor. Muscidifurax raptor readily parasitized and successfully developed on the Spalangia spp., while the inverse did not happen. The two Spalangia spp. attacked each other and conspecifics in very low rates. Symbiont horizontal transmissions followed by stable vertical transmission in the recipient species were achieved, in low percentages, only between conspecifics: Wolbachia from infected to uninfected M. raptor, Rickettsia in S. endius, and Sodalis in S. cameroni. Low frequency of horizontal transmissions occurred in the interspecific combinations, but none of them persisted in the recipient species beyond F4, at most. Our study is one of few to demonstrate symbionts' horizontal transmission between hosts within the same trophic level and guild and highlights the rarity of such events.}, }
@article {pmid33122700, year = {2020}, author = {Chakraborty, A and Ashraf, MZ and Modlinger, R and Synek, J and Schlyter, F and Roy, A}, title = {Unravelling the gut bacteriome of Ips (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae): identifying core bacterial assemblage and their ecological relevance.}, journal = {Scientific reports}, volume = {10}, number = {1}, pages = {18572}, pmid = {33122700}, issn = {2045-2322}, abstract = {Bark beetles often serve as forest damaging agents, causing landscape-level mortality. Understanding the biology and ecology of beetles are important for both, gathering knowledge about important forest insects and forest protection. Knowledge about the bark beetle gut-associated bacteria is one of the crucial yet surprisingly neglected areas of research with European tree-killing bark beetles. Hence, in this study, we survey the gut bacteriome from five Ips and one non-Ips bark beetles from Scolytinae. Results reveal 69 core bacterial genera among five Ips beetles that may perform conserved functions within the bark beetle holobiont. The most abundant bacterial genera from different bark beetle gut include Erwinia, Sodalis, Serratia, Tyzzerella, Raoultella, Rahnella, Wolbachia, Spiroplasma, Vibrio, and Pseudoxanthomonas. Notable differences in gut-associated bacterial community richness and diversity among the beetle species are observed. Furthermore, the impact of sampling location on the overall bark beetle gut bacterial community assemblage is also documented, which warrants further investigations. Nevertheless, our data expanded the current knowledge about core gut bacterial communities in Ips bark beetles and their putative function such as cellulose degradation, nitrogen fixation, detoxification of defensive plant compounds, and inhibition of pathogens, which could serve as a basis for further metatranscriptomics and metaproteomics investigations.}, }
@article {pmid33120915, year = {2020}, author = {Allman, MJ and Fraser, JE and Ritchie, SA and Joubert, DA and Simmons, CP and Flores, HA}, title = {Wolbachia's Deleterious Impact on Aedes aegypti Egg Development: The Potential Role of Nutritional Parasitism.}, journal = {Insects}, volume = {11}, number = {11}, pages = {}, pmid = {33120915}, issn = {2075-4450}, support = {Research Training Program (RTP)//Department of Education, Skills and Employment, Australian Government/ ; }, abstract = {The artificial introduction of the endosymbiotic bacterium, Wolbachia pipientis, into Aedes (Ae.) aegypti mosquitoes reduces the ability of mosquitoes to transmit human pathogenic viruses and is now being developed as a biocontrol tool. Successful introgression of Wolbachia-carrying Ae. aegypti into native mosquito populations at field sites in Australia, Indonesia and Malaysia has been associated with reduced disease prevalence in the treated community. In separate field programs, Wolbachia is also being used as a mosquito population suppression tool, where the release of male only Wolbachia-infected Ae. aegypti prevents the native mosquito population from producing viable eggs, subsequently suppressing the wild population. While these technologies show great promise, they require mass rearing of mosquitoes for implementation on a scale that has not previously been done. In addition, Wolbachia induces some negative fitness effects on Ae. aegypti. While these fitness effects differ depending on the Wolbachia strain present, one of the most consistent and significant impacts is the shortened longevity and viability of eggs. This review examines the body of evidence behind Wolbachia's negative effect on eggs, assesses nutritional parasitism as a key cause and considers how these impacts could be overcome to achieve efficient large-scale rearing of these mosquitoes.}, }
@article {pmid33108676, year = {2020}, author = {Prigot-Maurice, C and de Cerqueira De Araujo, A and Beltran-Bech, S and Braquart-Varnier, C}, title = {Immune priming depends on age, sex and Wolbachia in the interaction between Armadillidium vulgare and Salmonella.}, journal = {Journal of evolutionary biology}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1111/jeb.13721}, pmid = {33108676}, issn = {1420-9101}, support = {//Ministère de l'Enseignement Supérieur et de la Recherche Scientifique/ ; //Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique/ ; //Université de Poitiers/ ; //State-Region Planning Contracts/ ; //European Regional Development Fund/ ; }, abstract = {The protection conferred by a first infection upon a second pathogenic exposure (i.e. immune priming) is an emergent research topic in the field of invertebrate immunity. Immune priming has been demonstrated in various species, but little is known about the intrinsic factors that may influence this immune process. In this study, we tested whether age, gender and the symbiotic bacterium Wolbachia affect the protection resulting from immune priming in A. vulgare against S. enterica. We firstly primed young and old, symbiotic and asymbiotic males and females, either with a non-lethal low dose of S. enterica, LB broth or without injection (control). Seven days post-injection, we performed a LD50 injection of S. enterica in all individuals and we monitored their survival rates. We demonstrated that survival capacities depend on these three factors: young and old asymbiotic individuals (males and females) expressed immune priming (S. enterica-primed individuals survived better than LB-primed and non-primed), with a general decline in the strength of protection in old females, but not in old males, compared to young. When Wolbachia is present, the immune priming protection was observed in old, but not in young symbiotic individuals, even if the Wolbachia load on entire individuals is equivalent regardless to age. Our overall results showed that the immune priming protection in A. vulgare depends on individuals' states, highlighting the need to consider these factors both in mechanistical and evolutionary studies focusing on invertebrate's immunity.}, }
@article {pmid33103066, year = {2020}, author = {Costa, GB and Smithyman, R and O'Neill, SL and Moreira, LA}, title = {How to engage communities on a large scale? Lessons from World Mosquito Program in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.}, journal = {Gates open research}, volume = {4}, number = {}, pages = {109}, pmid = {33103066}, issn = {2572-4754}, abstract = {One of the pillars of the World Health Organization's (WHO) Global Vector Control Response 2017-2030 strategy is the engagement of communities. Among the priority activities, defined by 2022 by the WHO, is the development of plans for the effective engagement and mobilisation of communities in vector control. Novel technologies for arboviruses control are being developed, such as the Wolbachia method, implemented by the World Mosquito Program (WMP). Here we discuss and analyse the framework for community engagement implemented by the WMP in Brazil, during the large-scale deployment of the method in the municipalities of Niterói and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Our experience indicates that the community engagement work for arboviruses control should be understood as an opportunity for local development. It is necessary, based on an integrated analysis of the territory, to understand that the actions for arboviruses control could be a catalyst for the necessary socioenvironmental, cultural and public health changes. Furthermore, it is essential to understand that community engagement goes beyond informing or asking for population consent, but it constitutes a possibility for dialogue and exchange between the various stakeholders present in the territories, to build on cooperation for mosquito-borne disease control.}, }
@article {pmid33099649, year = {2020}, author = {Sandri, TL and Kreidenweiss, A and Cavallo, S and Weber, D and Juhas, S and Rodi, M and Woldearegai, TG and Gmeiner, M and Veletzky, L and Ramharter, M and Tazemda-Kuitsouc, GB and Matsiegui, PB and Mordmüller, B and Held, J}, title = {Molecular epidemiology of Mansonella species in Gabon.}, journal = {The Journal of infectious diseases}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1093/infdis/jiaa670}, pmid = {33099649}, issn = {1537-6613}, abstract = {Mansonella perstans, a filarial nematode, infects large populations in Africa and Latin America. Recently, a potential new species Mansonella sp. &quot;DEUX&quot; was reported. Carriage of endosymbiotic Wolbachia opens treatment options for Mansonella infections. Within a cross-sectional study, we assessed the prevalence of filarial infections in 834 Gabonese individuals and the presence of the endosymbiont Wolbachia. Almost half of the participants (400/834, 48%) were infected with filarial nematodes, with Mansonella sp. &quot;DEUX&quot; being the most frequent (295/400, 74%), followed by Loa loa (273/400, 68%), and M. perstans (82/400, 21%). Being adult/elderly, male, and living in rural areas was associated with a higher risk of infection. Wolbachia carriage was confirmed in M. perstans and Mansonella sp. &quot;DEUX&quot;. In silico analysis revealed that Mansonella sp. &quot;DEUX&quot; is not detected with currently published M. perstans specific assays. Mansonella infections are highly prevalent in Gabon and might have been underreported, likely also beyond Gabon.}, }
@article {pmid33095791, year = {2020}, author = {Knerer, G and Currie, CSM and Brailsford, SC}, title = {The economic impact and cost-effectiveness of combined vector-control and dengue vaccination strategies in Thailand: results from a dynamic transmission model.}, journal = {PLoS neglected tropical diseases}, volume = {14}, number = {10}, pages = {e0008805}, pmid = {33095791}, issn = {1935-2735}, mesh = {Aedes/microbiology/physiology/virology ; Animals ; Cost-Benefit Analysis ; Dengue/*economics/epidemiology/prevention &amp; control/transmission ; Humans ; Mosquito Control/*economics/*legislation &amp; jurisprudence ; Mosquito Vectors/microbiology/physiology/virology ; Thailand/epidemiology ; Vaccination/*economics ; Wolbachia/physiology ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Dengue fever is a major public health problem in tropical/subtropical regions. Prior economic analyses have predominantly evaluated either vaccination or vector-control programmes in isolation and do not really consider the incremental benefits and cost-effectiveness of mixed strategies and combination control. We estimated the cost-effectiveness of single and combined approaches in Thailand.<br><br>METHODS: The impacts of different control interventions were analysed using a previously published mathematical model of dengue epidemiology and control incorporating seasonality, age structure, consecutive infection, cross protection, immune enhancement and combined vector-host transmission. An economic model was applied to simulation results to estimate the cost-effectiveness of 4 interventions and their various combinations (6 strategies): i) routine vaccination of 1-year olds; ii) chemical vector control strategies targeting adult and larval stages separately; iii) environmental management/ public health education and awareness [EM/ PHEA]). Payer and societal perspectives were considered. The health burden of dengue fever was assessed using disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) lost. Costs and effects were assessed for 10 years. Costs were discounted at 3% annually and updated to 2013 United States Dollars. Incremental cost-effectiveness analysis was carried out after strategies were rank-ordered by cost, with results presented in a table of incremental analysis. Sensitivity and scenario analyses were undertaken; and the impact and cost-effectiveness of Wolbachia was evaluated in exploratory scenario analyses.<br><br>RESULTS: From the payer and societal perspectives, 2 combination strategies were considered optimal, as all other control strategies were dominated. Vaccination plus adulticide plus EM/ PHEA was deemed cost-effective according to multiple cost-effectiveness criteria. From the societal perspective, incremental differences vs. adulticide and EM/ PHEA resulted in costs of $157.6 million and DALYs lost of 12,599, giving an expected ICER of $12,508 per DALY averted. Exploratory scenario analyses showed Wolbachia to be highly cost-effective ($343 per DALY averted) vs. other single control measures.<br><br>CONCLUSIONS: Our model shows that individual interventions can be cost-effective, but that important epidemiological reductions and economic impacts are demonstrated when interventions are combined as part of an integrated approach to combating dengue fever. Exploratory scenario analyses demonstrated the potential epidemiological and cost-effective impact of Wolbachia when deployed at scale on a nationwide basis. Our findings were robust in the face of sensitivity analyses.}, }
@article {pmid33083739, year = {2020}, author = {Huang, B and Yang, Q and Hoffmann, AA and Ritchie, SA and van den Hurk, AF and Warrilow, D}, title = {Wolbachia Genome Stability and mtDNA Variants in Aedes aegypti Field Populations Eight Years after Release.}, journal = {iScience}, volume = {23}, number = {10}, pages = {101572}, pmid = {33083739}, issn = {2589-0042}, abstract = {A dengue suppression strategy based on release of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes infected with the bacterium Wolbachia pipientis is being trialed in many countries. Wolbachia inhibits replication and transmission of dengue viruses. Questions remain regarding the long-term stability of virus-suppressive effects. We sequenced the Wolbachia genome and analyzed Ae. aegypti mitochondrial DNA markers isolated from mosquitoes sampled 2-8 years after releases in the greater Cairns region, Australia. Few changes were detected when Wolbachia genomes of field mosquitoes were compared with Wolbachia genomes of mosquitoes obtained soon after initial releases. Mitochondrial variants associated with the initial Wolbachia release stock are now the only variants found in release sites, highlighting maternal leakage as a possible explanation for rare Wolbachia-negative mosquitoes and not migration from non-release areas. There is no evidence of changes in the Wolbachia genome that indicate selection against its viral-suppressive effects or other phenotypes attributable to infection with the bacterium.}, }
@article {pmid33081703, year = {2020}, author = {Duplouy, A and Pranter, R and Warren-Gash, H and Tropek, R and Wahlberg, N}, title = {Towards unravelling Wolbachia global exchange: a contribution from the Bicyclus and Mylothris butterflies in the Afrotropics.}, journal = {BMC microbiology}, volume = {20}, number = {1}, pages = {319}, pmid = {33081703}, issn = {1471-2180}, support = {790531//H2020 Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions/ ; 1328944//Academy of Finland/ ; UNCE204069//Charles University/ ; PRIMUS/17/SCI/8//Charles University/ ; Waitt Grant W163-11//National Geographic Society/ ; 2015-04441//Swedish Research Council/ ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Phylogenetically closely related strains of maternally inherited endosymbiotic bacteria are often found in phylogenetically divergent, and geographically distant insect host species. The interspecies transfer of the symbiont Wolbachia has been thought to have occurred repeatedly, facilitating its observed global pandemic. Few ecological interactions have been proposed as potential routes for the horizontal transfer of Wolbachia within natural insect communities. These routes are however likely to act only at the local scale, but how they may support the global distribution of some Wolbachia strains remains unclear.<br><br>RESULTS: Here, we characterize the Wolbachia diversity in butterflies from the tropical forest regions of central Africa to discuss transfer at both local and global scales. We show that numerous species from both the Mylothris (family Pieridae) and Bicyclus (family Nymphalidae) butterfly genera are infected with similar Wolbachia strains, despite only minor interclade contacts across the life cycles of the species within their partially overlapping ecological niches. The phylogenetic distance and differences in resource use between these genera rule out the role of ancestry, hybridization, and shared host-plants in the interspecies transfer of the symbiont. Furthermore, we could not identify any shared ecological factors to explain the presence of the strains in other arthropod species from other habitats, or even ecoregions.<br><br>CONCLUSION: Only the systematic surveys of the Wolbachia strains from entire species communities may offer the material currently lacking for understanding how Wolbachia may transfer between highly different and unrelated hosts, as well as across environmental scales.}, }
@article {pmid33075316, year = {2020}, author = {Wangkeeree, J and Suwanchaisri, K and Roddee, J and Hanboonsong, Y}, title = {Effect of Wolbachia infection states on the life history and reproductive traits of the leafhopper Yamatotettix flavovittatus Matsumura.}, journal = {Journal of invertebrate pathology}, volume = {177}, number = {}, pages = {107490}, doi = {10.1016/j.jip.2020.107490}, pmid = {33075316}, issn = {1096-0805}, abstract = {Wolbachia is a maternally inherited bacterium of insects that can affect host reproduction and fitness. We examined the effect of Wolbachia infection on the life history and reproductive traits of the leafhopper Yamatotettix flavovittatus, which is a vector of the phytoplasma that causes white leaf disease in sugarcane. This investigation was performed using Wolbachia-infected and uninfected leafhopper lineages. Results revealed that Wolbachia infection did not significantly affect the survival of nymphal stages, male longevity, and sex ratio. However, Wolbachia-infected lineages had prolonged immature development periods and female longevity. In intrapopulation crosses, Wolbachia infection had no significant effects on occupation success, number of eggs laid, and female offspring, but the effect on egg-hatching varied. In interpopulation crosses, Wolbachia infection had no significant effect on occupation success and female offspring, but it did affect the number of eggs laid and egg-hatching rates. Assortative pairings regarding infection status resulted in normal egg deposition and hatching, whereas disassortative pairings resulted in lower egg deposition and no hatching. Wolbachia was thus shown to be highly vertically transmitted (>98% of the tested individuals). Our findings provide additional data on the interactions between Wolbachia in insect hosts. This evidence of perfect maternal transmission and strong reproductive incompatibility highlights the importance of further studies on the use of Wolbachia as a biological control agent for the leafhopper vector.}, }
@article {pmid33073851, year = {2020}, author = {Can-Vargas, X and Barboza, N and Fuchs, EJ and Hernández, EJ}, title = {Spatial Distribution of Whitefly Species (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) and Identification of Secondary Bacterial Endosymbionts in Tomato Fields in Costa Rica.}, journal = {Journal of economic entomology}, volume = {113}, number = {6}, pages = {2900-2910}, pmid = {33073851}, issn = {1938-291X}, abstract = {In Costa Rica, tomato (Solanum lycopersicum Linnaeus) Linnaeus (Solanales: Solanaceae) is one of the crops most severely affected by the whiteflies (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) Trialeurodes vaporariorum (Westwood) and the Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) species complex. The objective of this study was to monitor the spatial distribution and diversity of these species and to detect the presence of secondary bacterial endosymbionts in individuals collected in areas of intensive tomato production. In total, 628 whitefly individuals were identified to the species level using restriction analysis (PCR-RFLP) of a fragment of the mitochondrial cytochrome C oxidase I gene (mtCOI). Trialeurodes vaporariorum was the predominant species, followed by B. tabaci Mediterranean (MED). Bemisia tabaci New World (NW) and B. tabaci Middle East-Asia Minor 1 (MEAM1) were present in lower numbers. The mtCOI fragment was sequenced for 89 individuals and a single haplotype was found for each whitefly species. Using molecular markers, the 628 individuals were analyzed for the presence of four endosymbionts. Arsenophonus Gherna et al. (Enterobacterales: Morganellaceae) was most frequently associated with T. vaporariorum, whereas Wolbachia Hertig (Rickettsiales: Anaplasmataceae) and Rickettsia da Rocha-Lima (Rickettsiales: Rickettsiaceae) were associated with B. tabaci MED. This study confirmed that B. tabaci NW has not been completely displaced by the invasive species B. tabaci MED and B. tabaci MEAM1 present in the country. An association was found between whitefly species present in tomato and certain secondary endosymbionts, elevation was the most likely environmental factor to affect their frequency.}, }
@article {pmid33070738, year = {2020}, author = {Verspoor, RL and Price, TAR and Wedell, N}, title = {Selfish genetic elements and male fertility.}, journal = {Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences}, volume = {375}, number = {1813}, pages = {20200067}, pmid = {33070738}, issn = {1471-2970}, abstract = {Selfish genetic elements (SGEs) are diverse and near ubiquitous in Eukaryotes and can be potent drivers of evolution. Here, we discuss SGEs that specifically act on sperm to gain a transmission advantage to the next generation. The diverse SGEs that affect sperm often impose costs on carrier males, including damaging ejaculates, skewing offspring sex ratios and in particular reducing sperm-competitive success of SGE-carrying males. How males and females tolerate and mitigate against these costs is a dynamic and expanding area of research. The intense intra-genomic conflict that these selfish elements generate could also have implications for male fertility and spermatogenesis more widely. This article is part of the theme issue 'Fifty years of sperm competition'.}, }
@article {pmid33070212, year = {2020}, author = {Xu, S and Jiang, L and Qiao, G and Chen, J}, title = {Diversity of bacterial symbionts associated with Myzus persicae (Sulzer) (Hemiptera: Aphididae: Aphidinae) revealed by 16S rRNA Illumina sequencing.}, journal = {Microbial ecology}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1007/s00248-020-01622-6}, pmid = {33070212}, issn = {1432-184X}, support = {2016YFE0203100//National Key R &amp; D Program of China/ ; 31620103916//National Natural Science Foundation of China (CN)/ ; 31772492//National Natural Science Foundation of China/ ; XDA19050303//Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences/ ; 2020087//Youth Innovation Promotion Association of Chinese Academy of Sciences/ ; }, abstract = {Aphids are known to be associated with a variety of symbiotic bacteria. To improve our knowledge of the bacterial diversity of polyphagous aphids, in the present study, we investigated the microbiota of the cosmopolitan agricultural pest Myzus persicae (Sulzer). Ninety-two aphid samples collected from different host plants in various regions of China were examined using high-throughput amplicon sequencing. We comprehensively characterized the symbiont diversity of M. persicae and assessed the variations in aphid-associated symbiont communities. We detected a higher diversity of symbionts than has been previously observed. M. persicae hosted the primary endosymbiont Buchnera aphidicola and seven secondary symbionts, among which Wolbachia was the most prevalent and Rickettsia, Arsenophonus, and Spiroplasma were reported for the first time. Ordination analyses and statistical tests revealed that the symbiont flora associated with M. persicae did not change with respect to host plant or geography, which may be due to frequent migrations between different aphid populations. These findings will advance our knowledge of the microbiota of polyphagous insects and will enrich our understanding of assembly of host-microbiome systems.}, }
@article {pmid33067437, year = {2020}, author = {Scholz, M and Albanese, D and Tuohy, K and Donati, C and Segata, N and Rota-Stabelli, O}, title = {Large scale genome reconstructions illuminate Wolbachia evolution.}, journal = {Nature communications}, volume = {11}, number = {1}, pages = {5235}, pmid = {33067437}, issn = {2041-1723}, mesh = {Evolution, Molecular ; Gene Transfer, Horizontal ; *Genome, Bacterial ; Host Specificity ; Phylogeny ; Wolbachia/classification/*genetics/physiology ; }, abstract = {Wolbachia is an iconic example of a successful intracellular bacterium. Despite its importance as a manipulator of invertebrate biology, its evolutionary dynamics have been poorly studied from a genomic viewpoint. To expand the number of Wolbachia genomes, we screen over 30,000 publicly available shotgun DNA sequencing samples from 500 hosts. By assembling over 1000 Wolbachia genomes, we provide a substantial increase in host representation. Our phylogenies based on both core-genome and gene content provide a robust reference for future studies, support new strains in model organisms, and reveal recent horizontal transfers amongst distantly related hosts. We find various instances of gene function gains and losses in different super-groups and in cytoplasmic incompatibility inducing strains. Our Wolbachia-host co-phylogenies indicate that horizontal transmission is widespread at the host intraspecific level and that there is no support for a general Wolbachia-mitochondrial synchronous divergence.}, }
@article {pmid33066069, year = {2020}, author = {Pan, X and Wang, X and Zhang, F}, title = {New Insights into Cockroach Control: Using Functional Diversity of Blattella germanica Symbionts.}, journal = {Insects}, volume = {11}, number = {10}, pages = {}, pmid = {33066069}, issn = {2075-4450}, support = {81572027//National Natural Science Foundation of China/ ; 2017GSF221012//the Key Programs for Science and Technology Development of Shandong Province/ ; 2017ZX100303404//the National Critical Project for Science and Technology on Infectious Diseases of P. R. China/ ; }, abstract = {Insects have close symbiotic relationships with several microbes, which extends the limited metabolic networks of most insects. Using symbiotic microorganisms for the biological control of pests and insect-borne diseases has become a promising direction. Blattella germanica (L.) (Blattaria: Blattidae) is a public health pest worldwide, which is difficult to control because of its strong reproductive ability, adaptability, and resistance to insecticides. In this paper, the diverse biological functions (nutrition, reproductive regulation, insecticide resistance, defense, and behavior) of symbionts were reviewed, and new biological control strategies on the basis of insect-symbiont interaction were proposed. We highlight new directions in B. germanica control, such as suppressing cockroach population using Wolbachia or paratransgenes, and combining fungal insecticides with synergistic agents to enhance insecticidal efficacy.}, }
@article {pmid33053771, year = {2020}, author = {Lee, CC and Lin, CY and Tseng, SP and Matsuura, K and Yang, CS}, title = {Ongoing Coevolution of Wolbachia and a Widespread Invasive Ant, Anoplolepis gracilipes.}, journal = {Microorganisms}, volume = {8}, number = {10}, pages = {}, pmid = {33053771}, issn = {2076-2607}, abstract = {While Wolbachia are commonly found among arthropods, intraspecific infection rates can vary substantially across the geographic populations. Here we report nearly 100% prevalence of Wolbachia in the global populations of the yellow crazy ant, Anoplolepis gracilipes. To understand coevolutionary history between Wolbachia and A. gracilipes, we identified single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in Wolbachia from the ant across 12 geographical regions and compared the phylogeny of SNP-based Wolbachia to patterns of the ant's mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) variation. Our results revealed a strong concordance between phylogenies of Wolbachia and host mtDNA, providing immediate evidence of co-divergence. Among eight identified SNP loci separating the genetic clusters of Wolbachia, seven loci are located in potential protein-coding genes, three of which being non-synonymous SNPs that may influence gene functions. We found a Wolbachia hypothetical protein gene with signature of positive selection. These findings jointly allow us to characterize Wolbachia-ant coevolution and also raise a question about mechanism(s) underlying maintenance of high prevalence of Wolbachia during the colonization of this invasive ant.}, }
@article {pmid33050570, year = {2020}, author = {Montoya-Alonso, JA and Morchón, R and Matos, JI and Falcón-Cordón, Y and Costa-Rodriguez, N and Carretón, E}, title = {Dirofilaria immitis Could Be a Risk Factor for the Development of Allergic Diseases in Humans.}, journal = {Animals : an open access journal from MDPI}, volume = {10}, number = {10}, pages = {}, pmid = {33050570}, issn = {2076-2615}, support = {ProID2017010111//Agencia Canaria de Investigación, Innovación y Sociedad de la Información/ ; }, abstract = {The Canary Islands are hyperendemic for canine heartworm and the risk of zoonotic infection is high. Additionally, there is evidence of development of allergies due to nematode infections in animals and humans. Since the population of the Canary Islands presents high prevalence of allergic comorbidities, and previous studies have shown a possible relationship between allergies and seropositivity to heartworm, the aim was to evaluate whether exposure to heartworm may contribute to the development of allergies in the human population. First, an epidemiological study was conducted on 248 owners of dogs with/without heartworm infection in the Canary Islands. Secondly, a serological analysis of the presence of total IgE and specific IgE against heartworm was conducted in 66 samples of inhabitants of the Canary Islands. The survey showed that allergic owners had heartworm-positive dogs more frequently (p < 0.01). Of the analyzed human samples, 43.9% were seropositive to heartworm and Wolbachia. Total IgE concentrations were increased in 34.5% seropositive samples and 8.1% seronegative samples. Specific IgE against heartworm was only found in human seropositive samples (17.2%). Contact with heartworm may be a risk factor for the development of allergic diseases, although further studies to elucidate the relationship between heartworm and allergies should be carried out.}, }
@article {pmid33048997, year = {2020}, author = {Carneiro Dutra, HL and Deehan, MA and Frydman, H}, title = {Wolbachia and Sirtuin-4 interaction is associated with alterations in host glucose metabolism and bacterial titer.}, journal = {PLoS pathogens}, volume = {16}, number = {10}, pages = {e1008996}, pmid = {33048997}, issn = {1553-7374}, mesh = {Adenosine Triphosphate/genetics/metabolism ; Animals ; Carbohydrate Metabolism ; Drosophila Proteins/genetics/metabolism ; Drosophila melanogaster ; Gene Expression Regulation ; Glucose/*metabolism ; Glutamate Dehydrogenase/genetics/metabolism ; Host-Pathogen Interactions ; Longevity ; Reproduction ; Signal Transduction ; Sirtuins/*metabolism ; Symbiosis ; Wolbachia/metabolism/*physiology ; }, abstract = {Wolbachia is an intracellular bacterial symbiont of arthropods notorious for inducing many reproductive manipulations that foster its dissemination. Wolbachia affects many aspects of host biology, including metabolism, longevity and physiology, being described as a nutrient provisioning or metabolic parasite, depending on the host-microbe association. Sirtuins (SIRTs) are a family of NAD+-dependent post-translational regulatory enzymes known to affect many of the same processes altered by Wolbachia, including aging and metabolism, among others. Despite a clear overlap in control of host-derived pathways and physiology, no work has demonstrated a link between these two regulators. We used genetically tractable Drosophila melanogaster to explore the role of sirtuins in shaping signaling pathways in the context of a host-symbiont model. By using transcriptional profiling and metabolic assays in the context of genetic knockouts/over-expressions, we examined the effect of several Wolbachia strains on host sirtuin expression across distinct tissues and timepoints. We also quantified the downstream effects of the sirtuin x Wolbachia interaction on host glucose metabolism, and in turn, how it impacted Wolbachia titer. Our results indicate that the presence of Wolbachia is associated with (1) reduced sirt-4 expression in a strain-specific manner, and (2) alterations in host glutamate dehydrogenase expression and ATP levels, key components of glucose metabolism. We detected high glucose levels in Wolbachia-infected flies, which further increased when sirt-4 was over-expressed. However, under sirt-4 knockout, flies displayed a hypoglycemic state not rescued to normal levels in the presence of Wolbachia. Finally, whole body sirt-4 over-expression resulted in reduced Wolbachia ovarian titer. Our results expand knowledge of Wolbachia-host associations in the context of a yet unexplored class of host post-translational regulatory enzymes with implications for conserved host signaling pathways and bacterial titer, factors known to impact host biology and the symbiont's ability to spread through populations.}, }
@article {pmid33035486, year = {2020}, author = {Gong, JT and Li, Y and Li, TP and Liang, Y and Hu, L and Zhang, D and Zhou, CY and Yang, C and Zhang, X and Zha, SS and Duan, XZ and Baton, LA and Hong, XY and Hoffmann, AA and Xi, Z}, title = {Stable Introduction of Plant-Virus-Inhibiting Wolbachia into Planthoppers for Rice Protection.}, journal = {Current biology : CB}, volume = {30}, number = {24}, pages = {4837-4845.e5}, doi = {10.1016/j.cub.2020.09.033}, pmid = {33035486}, issn = {1879-0445}, abstract = {Progress has been made in developing the maternally inherited endosymbiotic bacterium Wolbachia as a tool for protecting humans from mosquito-borne diseases. In contrast, Wolbachia-based approaches have not yet been developed for the protection of plants from insect pests and their associated diseases, with a major challenge being the establishment of artificial Wolbachia infections expressing desired characteristics in the hemipterans that transmit the majority of plant viruses. Here, we report stable introduction of Wolbachia into the brown planthopper, Nilaparvata lugens, the most destructive rice pest that annually destroys millions of hectares of staple crops. The Wolbachia strain wStri from the small brown planthopper, Laodelphax striatellus, was transferred to this new host, where it showed high levels of cytoplasmic incompatibility, enabling rapid invasion of laboratory populations. Furthermore, wStri inhibited infection and transmission of Rice ragged stunt virus and mitigated virus-induced symptoms in rice plants, opening up the development of Wolbachia-based strategies against major agricultural pests and their transmitted pathogens. VIDEO ABSTRACT.}, }
@article {pmid33034342, year = {2020}, author = {Puerta-Guardo, H and Contreras-Perera, Y and Perez-Carrillo, S and Che-Mendoza, A and Ayora-Talavera, G and Vazquez-Prokopec, G and Martin-Park, A and Zhang, D and Manrique-Saide, P and , }, title = {Wolbachia in Native Populations of Aedes albopictus (Diptera: Culicidae) From Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico.}, journal = {Journal of insect science (Online)}, volume = {20}, number = {5}, pages = {}, pmid = {33034342}, issn = {1536-2442}, mesh = {Aedes/*microbiology ; Animals ; Mexico ; Mosquito Vectors/microbiology ; Pathology, Molecular ; Wolbachia/*isolation &amp; purification ; }, abstract = {This study reports the results of a molecular screening for Wolbachia (Wb) infection in Aedes albopictus (Skuse) populations recently established in the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico. To do so, collections of free-flying adults with BG traps and emerged adults from eggs after ovitrap field collections were performed in three suburban localities of the city of Merida, Yucatan. Overall, local populations of Ae. albopictus present a natural Wb infection rate of ~40% (18 of 45). Wb infection was detected in both field-collected adults (76.5%, 13 of 17) and eggs reared (17.8%, 5 of 28) and in 37.9% (11/29) of females and 43.7% (7/16) of male Ae. albopictus mosquitoes. An initial screening for Wolbachia strain typing showed that native Ae. albopictus were naturally coinfected with both wAlbA and wAlbB strains. The knowledge of the prevalence and diversity of Wolbachia strains in local populations of Aedes mosquitoes is part of the baseline information required for current and future Wolbachia-based vector control approaches to be conducted in Mexico.}, }
@article {pmid33033285, year = {2020}, author = {Ogunlade, ST and Adekunle, AI and Meehan, MT and Rojas, DP and McBryde, ES}, title = {Modeling the potential of wAu-Wolbachia strain invasion in mosquitoes to control Aedes-borne arboviral infections.}, journal = {Scientific reports}, volume = {10}, number = {1}, pages = {16812}, pmid = {33033285}, issn = {2045-2322}, mesh = {Aedes/microbiology/physiology/*virology ; Animals ; Arbovirus Infections/*prevention &amp; control ; Female ; Male ; Models, Biological ; Pest Control, Biological/*methods ; Reproduction ; *Wolbachia ; }, abstract = {Arboviral infections such as dengue, Zika and chikungunya are fast spreading diseases that pose significant health problems globally. In order to control these infections, an intracellular bacterium called Wolbachia has been introduced into wild-type mosquito populations in the hopes of replacing the vector transmitting agent, Aedes aegypti with one that is incapable of transmission. In this study, we developed a Wolbachia transmission model for the novel wAu strain which possesses several favourable traits (e.g., enhanced viral blockage and maintenance at higher temperature) but not cyctoplasmic incompatibility (CI)-when a Wolbachia-infected male mosquito mates with an uninfected female mosquito, producing no viable offspring. This model describes the competitive dynamics between wAu-Wolbachia-infected and uninfected mosquitoes and the role of imperfect maternal transmission. By analysing the system via computing the basic reproduction number(s) and stability properties, the potential of the wAu strain as a viable strategy to control arboviral infections is established. The results of this work show that enhanced maintenance of Wolbachia infection at higher temperatures can overcome the lack of CI induction to support wAu-Wolbachia infected mosquito invasion. This study will support future arboviral control programs, that rely on the introduction of new Wolbachia variants.}, }
@article {pmid33032591, year = {2020}, author = {Nguyen, AHL and Tiawsirisup, S and Kaewthamasorn, M}, title = {Molecular detection and genetic characterization of Anaplasma marginale and Anaplasma platys-like (Rickettsiales: Anaplasmataceae) in water buffalo from eight provinces of Thailand.}, journal = {BMC veterinary research}, volume = {16}, number = {1}, pages = {380}, pmid = {33032591}, issn = {1746-6148}, support = {STF6101331002-1//Chulalongkorn University/ ; Second Century Fund//Chulalongkorn University/ ; GRU 6203331007-1//Chulalongkorn University/ ; Mid-Career Research Grant 2020//National Research Council of Thailand/ ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Anaplasmosis, an animal disease caused by rickettsial bacteria in the genus Anaplasma, is of considerable economic importance in livestock animals in many countries worldwide. The objectives of this study were to determine the identity, prevalence, and geographic distribution of Ehrlichia and Anaplasma in naturally infected water buffalo in Thailand using PCR amplification and sequencing of the 16S ribosomal RNA and heat shock protein groEL genes. A total of 456 buffalo blood samples from Thailand were investigated. Species identification and genetic differentiation of intra-population and inter-population with the global isolates were conducted based on nucleotide sequences. Interplay between the infection and host factors was also assessed.<br><br>RESULTS: Overall, 41% of water buffalo were found to be infected with rickettsial organisms in the family Anaplasmataceae, but Ehrlichia spp., Neorickettsia spp., and Wolbachia spp. were not found in any of the sequenced samples in this study. Female buffalo were more frequently infected with bacteria in the family Anaplasmataceae than males [71 out of 176 females (40.3%) versus 11 out of 47 males (23.4%)]. The Odds Ratio value indicated that the risk of infection for female buffalo was 2.2-fold higher than that for males (p < 0.05). We detected three haplotypes of A. marginale 16S rRNA gene and they were placed in a clade that was closely related to the A. marginale in buffalo in China; and cattle in Thailand, Uganda, and China. Homology searching of groEL sequences against the GenBank™ database using the BLASTn algorithm revealed that the obtained sequences had a high percentage similarity (98.36-99.62%) to A. platys sequences. The groEL sequences of three A. platys-like isolates were clustered in the same clade as the A. platys from the tick Rhipicephalus microplus in China.<br><br>CONCLUSIONS: Our data showed that the apparently healthy buffalo were naturally infected by bacteria in the family Anaplasmataceae at a relatively high prevalence. We also report the finding of A. platys-like infections in water buffalo in Thailand for the first time. Water buffalo serving as the reservoir host of anaplasmosis is of concern for managing the disease control and prevention in ruminants.}, }
@article {pmid33027888, year = {2020}, author = {Bakovic, V and Schebeck, M and Stauffer, C and Schuler, H}, title = {Wolbachia-Mitochondrial DNA Associations in Transitional Populations of Rhagoletis cerasi.}, journal = {Insects}, volume = {11}, number = {10}, pages = {}, pmid = {33027888}, issn = {2075-4450}, support = {FWF I2604-B25//Austrian Science Fund/ ; P31441//Austrian Science Fund/ ; }, abstract = {The endosymbiont Wolbachia can manipulate arthropod host reproduction by inducing cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI), which results in embryonic mortality when infected males mate with uninfected females. A CI-driven invasion of Wolbachia can result in a selective sweep of associated mitochondrial haplotype. The co-inheritance of Wolbachia and host mitochondrial DNA can therefore provide significant information on the dynamics of an ongoing Wolbachia invasion. Therefore, transition zones (i.e., regions where a Wolbachia strain is currently spreading from infected to uninfected populations) represent an ideal area to investigate the relationship between Wolbachia and host mitochondrial haplotype. Here, we studied Wolbachia-mitochondrial haplotype associations in the European cherry fruit fly, Rhagoletis cerasi, in two transition zones in the Czech Republic and Hungary, where the CI-inducing strain wCer2 is currently spreading. The wCer2-infection status of 881 individuals was compared with the two known R. cerasi mitochondrial haplotypes, HT1 and HT2. In accordance with previous studies, wCer2-uninfected individuals were associated with HT1, and wCer2-infected individuals were mainly associated with HT2. We found misassociations only within the transition zones, where HT2 flies were wCer2-uninfected, suggesting the occurrence of imperfect maternal transmission. We did not find any HT1 flies that were wCer2-infected, suggesting that Wolbachia was not acquired horizontally. Our study provides new insights into the dynamics of the early phase of a Wolbachia invasion.}, }
@article {pmid33024036, year = {2020}, author = {Hague, MTJ and Caldwell, CN and Cooper, BS}, title = {Pervasive Effects of Wolbachia on Host Temperature Preference.}, journal = {mBio}, volume = {11}, number = {5}, pages = {}, pmid = {33024036}, issn = {2150-7511}, support = {R35 GM124701/GM/NIGMS NIH HHS/United States ; }, abstract = {Heritable symbionts can modify a range of ecologically important host traits, including behavior. About half of all insect species are infected with maternally transmitted Wolbachia, a bacterial endosymbiont known to alter host reproduction, nutrient acquisition, and virus susceptibility. Here, we broadly test the hypothesis that Wolbachia modifies host behavior by assessing the effects of eight different Wolbachia strains on the temperature preference of six Drosophila melanogaster subgroup species. Four of the seven host genotypes infected with A-group Wolbachia strains (wRi in Drosophila simulans, wHa in D. simulans, wSh in Drosophila sechellia, and wTei in Drosophila teissieri) prefer significantly cooler temperatures relative to uninfected genotypes. Contrastingly, when infected with divergent B-group wMau, Drosophila mauritiana prefers a warmer temperature. For most strains, changes to host temperature preference do not alter Wolbachia titer. However, males infected with wSh and wTei tend to experience an increase in titer when shifted to a cooler temperature for 24 h, suggesting that Wolbachia-induced changes to host behavior may promote bacterial replication. Our results indicate that Wolbachia modifications to host temperature preference are likely widespread, which has important implications for insect thermoregulation and physiology. Understanding the fitness consequences of these Wolbachia effects is crucial for predicting evolutionary outcomes of host-symbiont interactions, including how Wolbachia spreads to become common.IMPORTANCE Microbes infect a diversity of species, influencing the performance and fitness of their hosts. Maternally transmitted Wolbachia bacteria infect most insects and other arthropods, making these bacteria some of the most common endosymbionts in nature. Despite their global prevalence, it remains mostly unknown how Wolbachia influence host physiology and behavior to proliferate. We demonstrate pervasive effects of Wolbachia on Drosophila temperature preference. Most hosts infected with A-group Wolbachia prefer cooler temperatures, whereas the one host species infected with divergent B-group Wolbachia prefers warmer temperatures, relative to uninfected genotypes. Changes to host temperature preference generally do not alter Wolbachia abundance in host tissues, but for some A-group strains, adult males have increased Wolbachia titer when shifted to a cooler temperature. This suggests that Wolbachia-induced changes to host behavior may promote bacterial replication. Our results help elucidate the impact of endosymbionts on their hosts amid the global Wolbachia pandemic.}, }
@article {pmid33023928, year = {2020}, author = {Lemon, A and Bordenstein, SR and Bordenstein, SR}, title = {Discover the Microbes Within! The Wolbachia Project: Citizen Science and Student-Based Discoveries for 15 Years and Counting.}, journal = {Genetics}, volume = {216}, number = {2}, pages = {263-268}, pmid = {33023928}, issn = {1943-2631}, abstract = {The Elizabeth W. Jones Award for Excellence in Education recognizes an individual who has had a significant impact on genetics education at any education level. Seth R. Bordenstein, Ph.D., Centennial Professor of Biological Sciences at Vanderbilt University and Founding Director of the Vanderbilt Microbiome Initiative, is the 2020 recipient in recognition of his cofounding, developing, and expanding Discover the Microbes Within! The Wolbachia Project.}, }
@article {pmid33022249, year = {2020}, author = {Hoffmann, A}, title = {Wolbachia.}, journal = {Current biology : CB}, volume = {30}, number = {19}, pages = {R1113-R1114}, doi = {10.1016/j.cub.2020.08.039}, pmid = {33022249}, issn = {1879-0445}, abstract = {Ary Hoffman introduces Wolbachia.}, }
@article {pmid33016318, year = {2020}, author = {Moussa, A and Passera, A and Sanna, F and Faccincani, M and Casati, P and Bianco, PA and Mori, N and Quaglino, F}, title = {Bacterial microbiota associated with insect vectors of grapevine Bois noir disease in relation to phytoplasma infection.}, journal = {FEMS microbiology ecology}, volume = {96}, number = {11}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1093/femsec/fiaa203}, pmid = {33016318}, issn = {1574-6941}, abstract = {Bois noir is a grapevine disease causing severe yield loss in vineyards worldwide. It is associated with 'Candidatus Phytoplasma solani', a phloem-limited bacterium transmitted by polyphagous insects. Due to its complex epidemiology, it is difficult to organize effective containment measures. This study aimed to describe the bacterial microbiota associated with 'Candidatus Phytoplasma solani' infected and non-infected insect hosts and vectors to investigate if phytoplasma presence can shape the microbiota. Alpha-diversity analysis showed a low microbiota diversity in these insects, in which few genera were highly abundant. Beta-diversity analysis revealed that the xylem- and phloem-feeding behavior influences the microbiota structure. Moreover, it highlighted that phytoplasma infection is associated with a restructuring of microbiota exclusively in Deltocephalinae insect vectors. Obtained data showed that 'Candidatus Phytoplasma solani' may have adverse effects on the endosymbionts Sulcia and Wolbachia, suggesting a possible fitness modification in the insects. The phytoplasma-antagonistic Dyella was not found in any of the examined insect species. The results indicate an interesting perspective regarding the microbial signatures associated with xylem- and phloem-feeding insects, and determinants that could be relevant to establish whether an insect species can be a vector or not, opening up new avenues for developing microbial resource management-based approaches.}, }
@article {pmid33004433, year = {2020}, author = {Mathers, TC and Mugford, ST and Hogenhout, SA and Tripathi, L}, title = {Genome Sequence of the Banana Aphid, Pentalonia nigronervosa Coquerel (Hemiptera: Aphididae) and Its Symbionts.}, journal = {G3 (Bethesda, Md.)}, volume = {10}, number = {12}, pages = {4315-4321}, pmid = {33004433}, issn = {2160-1836}, abstract = {The banana aphid, Pentalonia nigronervosa Coquerel (Hemiptera: Aphididae), is a major pest of cultivated bananas (Musa spp., order Zingiberales), primarily due to its role as a vector of Banana bunchy top virus (BBTV), the most severe viral disease of banana worldwide. Here, we generated a highly complete genome assembly of P. nigronervosa using a single PCR-free Illumina sequencing library. Using the same sequence data, we also generated complete genome assemblies of the P. nigronervosa symbiotic bacteria Buchnera aphidicola and Wolbachia To improve our initial assembly of P. nigronervosa we developed a k-mer based deduplication pipeline to remove genomic scaffolds derived from the assembly of haplotigs (allelic variants assembled as separate scaffolds). To demonstrate the usefulness of this pipeline, we applied it to the recently generated assembly of the aphid Myzus cerasi, reducing the duplication of conserved BUSCO genes by 25%. Phylogenomic analysis of P. nigronervosa, our improved M. cerasi assembly, and seven previously published aphid genomes, spanning three aphid tribes and two subfamilies, reveals that P. nigronervosa falls within the tribe Macrosiphini, but is an outgroup to other Macrosiphini sequenced so far. As such, the genomic resources reported here will be useful for understanding both the evolution of Macrosphini and for the study of P. nigronervosa. Furthermore, our approach using low cost, high-quality, Illumina short-reads to generate complete genome assemblies of understudied aphid species will help to fill in genomic black spots in the diverse aphid tree of life.}, }
@article {pmid33002324, year = {2021}, author = {Izraeli, Y and Lalzar, M and Netanel, N and Mozes-Daube, N and Steinberg, S and Chiel, E and Zchori-Fein, E}, title = {Wolbachia influence on the fitness of Anagyrus vladimiri (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae), a bio-control agent of mealybugs.}, journal = {Pest management science}, volume = {77}, number = {2}, pages = {1023-1034}, doi = {10.1002/ps.6117}, pmid = {33002324}, issn = {1526-4998}, support = {20-02-0092//Chief Scientist of Agriculture, Israel/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; Female ; *Hymenoptera ; Multilocus Sequence Typing ; Reproduction ; Symbiosis ; *Wasps ; *Wolbachia/genetics ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Like numerous other animals, biocontrol agents (BCAs) of arthropod pests carry various microorganisms that may have diverse effects on the biology of their eukaryote hosts. We postulated that it is possible to improve the efficacy of BCAs by manipulating the composition of their associated microbiota. The parasitoid wasp Anagyrus vladimiri (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) from a mass-rearing facility was chosen for testing this hypothesis.<br><br>RESULTS: High-throughput sequencing analysis indicated that fungal abundance in A. vladimiri was low and variable, whereas the bacterial community was dominated by the endosymbiont Wolbachia. Wolbachia was fixed in the mass-rearing population, whereas in field-collected A. vladimiri Wolbachia's prevalence was only approximately 20%. Identification of Wolbachia strains from the two populations by Multi Locus Sequence Typing, revealed two closely related but unique strains. A series of bioassays with the mass-rearing Wolbachia-fixed (W+) and a derived antibiotic-treated Wolbachia-free (W-) lines revealed that: (i) Wolbachia does not induce reproductive manipulations; (ii) W- females have higher fecundity when reared individually, but not when reared with conspecifics; (iii) W+ females outcompete W- when they share hosts for oviposition; (iv) longevity and developmental time were similar in both lines.<br><br>CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that W+ A. vladimiri have no clear fitness benefit under mass-rearing conditions and may be disadvantageous under lab-controlled conditions. In a broader view, the results suggest that augmentative biological control can benefit from manipulation of the microbiome of natural enemies.}, }
@article {pmid32975515, year = {2020}, author = {Shropshire, JD and Leigh, B and Bordenstein, SR}, title = {Symbiont-mediated cytoplasmic incompatibility: what have we learned in 50 years?.}, journal = {eLife}, volume = {9}, number = {}, pages = {}, pmid = {32975515}, issn = {2050-084X}, support = {R01 AI143725/AI/NIAID NIH HHS/United States ; R01 AI132581/AI/NIAID NIH HHS/United States ; F32 AI140694/AI/NIAID NIH HHS/United States ; IOS1456778//National Science Foundation/International ; DGE144519//National Science Foundation/International ; }, abstract = {Cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI) is the most common symbiont-induced reproductive manipulation. Specifically, symbiont-induced sperm modifications cause catastrophic mitotic defects in the fertilized embryo and ensuing lethality in crosses between symbiotic males and either aposymbiotic females or females harboring a different symbiont strain. However, if the female carries the same symbiont strain, then embryos develop properly, thereby imparting a relative fitness benefit to symbiont-transmitting mothers. Thus, CI drives maternally-transmitted bacteria to high frequencies in arthropods worldwide. In the past two decades, CI experienced a boom in interest due to its (i) deployment in worldwide efforts to curb mosquito-borne diseases, (ii) causation by bacteriophage genes, cifA and cifB, that modify sexual reproduction, and (iii) important impacts on arthropod speciation. This review serves as a gateway to experimental, conceptual, and quantitative themes of CI and outlines significant gaps in understanding CI's mechanism that are ripe for investigation from diverse subdisciplines in the life sciences.}, }
@article {pmid32969551, year = {2020}, author = {Price, TAR and Windbichler, N and Unckless, RL and Sutter, A and Runge, JN and Ross, PA and Pomiankowski, A and Nuckolls, NL and Montchamp-Moreau, C and Mideo, N and Martin, OY and Manser, A and Legros, M and Larracuente, AM and Holman, L and Godwin, J and Gemmell, N and Courret, C and Buchman, A and Barrett, LG and Lindholm, AK}, title = {Resistance to natural and synthetic gene drive systems.}, journal = {Journal of evolutionary biology}, volume = {33}, number = {10}, pages = {1345-1360}, pmid = {32969551}, issn = {1420-9101}, support = {NIH R35GM119515/NH/NIH HHS/United States ; P300PA_177906/SNSF_/Swiss National Science Foundation/Switzerland ; P300PA_177830/SNSF_/Swiss National Science Foundation/Switzerland ; ZSEZ0_180460/SNSF_/Swiss National Science Foundation/Switzerland ; 31003A_160328//Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung/ ; R35 GM119515/GM/NIGMS NIH HHS/United States ; }, abstract = {Scientists are rapidly developing synthetic gene drive elements intended for release into natural populations. These are intended to control or eradicate disease vectors and pests, or to spread useful traits through wild populations for disease control or conservation purposes. However, a crucial problem for gene drives is the evolution of resistance against them, preventing their spread. Understanding the mechanisms by which populations might evolve resistance is essential for engineering effective gene drive systems. This review summarizes our current knowledge of drive resistance in both natural and synthetic gene drives. We explore how insights from naturally occurring and synthetic drive systems can be integrated to improve the design of gene drives, better predict the outcome of releases and understand genomic conflict in general.}, }
@article {pmid32966874, year = {2020}, author = {Guo, Y and Khan, J and Zheng, XY and Wu, Y}, title = {Wolbachia increase germ cell mitosis to enhance the fecundity of Laodelphax striatellus.}, journal = {Insect biochemistry and molecular biology}, volume = {127}, number = {}, pages = {103471}, doi = {10.1016/j.ibmb.2020.103471}, pmid = {32966874}, issn = {1879-0240}, abstract = {Wolbachia are intracellular bacteria that infect a wide range of invertebrates and have evolved various strategies to alter host reproduction for their own survival and dissemination. In small brown planthopper Laodelphax striatellus, Wolbachia-infected females lay more eggs than uninfected females. Our previous study has shown that Wolbachia are abundant in ovarian cells of L. striatellus and change the number of apoptotic nurse cells in a caspase-dependent manner to provide nutrition for oogenesis. The cellular and molecular bases of the Wolbachia-mediated alterations in L. striatellus oogenesis remain largely unknown. Here, we investigated whether germ cell mitosis, which has been implicated in determination of egg production rates, influences the interaction between fecundity and Wolbachia in L.striatellus. We used an anti-phospho-histone 3 (pH3) antibody to label and visualize mitotic cells. Microscopic observations indicated that the Wolbachia strain wStri increased the number of ovarioles that contained mitotic germ cells. The increased fecundity of Wolbachia-infected females was a result of mitosis of germ cells; the frequency of germ cell mitosis was much higher in infected females than in uninfected females. In addition, mitosis inhibition by Cdc20, CDK1, and CycB messenger RNA interference in Wolbachia-infected L. striatellus markedly decreased egg numbers. Live Wolbachia recolonization enhanced the egg production of uninfected L. striatellus by directly affecting mitosis regulators. Together, these data suggest that wStri might increase germ cell mitosis to enhance the fecundity of L. striatellus in a mitosis-regulating manner. Our findings establish a link between Wolbachia-induced mitosis and Wolbachia-mediated egg production effects.}, }
@article {pmid32948809, year = {2020}, author = {Koh, C and Islam, MN and Ye, YH and Chotiwan, N and Graham, B and Belisle, JT and Kouremenos, KA and Dayalan, S and Tull, DL and Klatt, S and Perera, R and McGraw, EA}, title = {Dengue virus dominates lipid metabolism modulations in Wolbachia-coinfected Aedes aegypti.}, journal = {Communications biology}, volume = {3}, number = {1}, pages = {518}, pmid = {32948809}, issn = {2399-3642}, support = {R01 AI151166/AI/NIAID NIH HHS/United States ; NA//Boettcher Foundation/ ; }, abstract = {Competition between viruses and Wolbachia for host lipids is a proposed mechanism of Wolbachia-mediated virus blocking in insects. Yet, the metabolomic interaction between virus and symbiont within the mosquito has not been clearly defined. We compare the lipid profiles of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes bearing mono- or dual-infections of the Wolbachia wMel strain and dengue virus serotype 3 (DENV3). We found metabolic signatures of infection-induced intracellular events but little evidence to support direct competition between Wolbachia and virus for host lipids. Lipid profiles of dual-infected mosquitoes resemble those of DENV3 mono-infected mosquitoes, suggesting virus-driven modulation dominates over that of Wolbachia. Interestingly, knockdown of key metabolic enzymes suggests cardiolipins are host factors for DENV3 and Wolbachia replication. These findings define the Wolbachia-DENV3 metabolic interaction as indirectly antagonistic, rather than directly competitive, and reveal new research avenues with respect to mosquito × virus interactions at the molecular level.}, }
@article {pmid32945029, year = {2021}, author = {Xia, X and Peng, CW and Cui, JR and Jin, PY and Yang, K and Hong, XY}, title = {Wolbachia affects reproduction in the spider mite Tetranychus truncatus (Acari: Tetranychidae) by regulating chorion protein S38-like and Rop.}, journal = {Insect molecular biology}, volume = {30}, number = {1}, pages = {18-29}, doi = {10.1111/imb.12669}, pmid = {32945029}, issn = {1365-2583}, support = {31901888//National Natural Science Foundation of China/ ; 32020103011//National Natural Science Foundation of China/ ; 31871976//National Natural Science Foundation of China/ ; 31672035//National Natural Science Foundation of China/ ; }, abstract = {Wolbachia-induced reproductive regulation in hosts has been used to control pest populations, but little is known about the molecular mechanism underlying Wolbachia regulation of host genes. Here, reproductive regulation by Wolbachia in the spider mite Tetranychus truncatus was studied at the molecular level. Infection with Wolbachia resulted in decreasing oviposition and cytoplasmic incompatibility in T. truncatus. Further RNA-seq revealed genes regulated by Wolbachia in T. truncatus. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) showed that genes, including chorion protein S38-like and Rop were down-regulated by Wolbachia. RNA interference (RNAi) of chorion protein S38-like and Rop in Wolbachia-uninfected T. truncatus decreased oviposition, which was consistent with Wolbachia-induced oviposition decrease. Interestingly, suppressing Rop in Wolbachia-infected T. truncatus led to increased Wolbachia titres in eggs; however, this did not occur after RNAi of chorion protein S38-like. This is the first study to show that chorion protein S38-like and Rop facilitate Wolbachia-mediated changes in T. truncatus fertility. In addition, RNAi of Rop turned the body colour of Wolbachia-uninfected T. truncatus black, which indicates that the role of Rop is not limited to the reproductive regulation of T. truncatus.}, }
@article {pmid32944607, year = {2020}, author = {Arham, AF and Amin, L and Mustapa, MAC and Mahadi, Z and Arham, AF and Yaacob, M and Ibrahim, M and Norizan, NS}, title = {Perceived benefits and risks: A survey data set towards Wolbachia-infected Aedes Mosquitoes in Klang Valley.}, journal = {Data in brief}, volume = {32}, number = {}, pages = {106262}, pmid = {32944607}, issn = {2352-3409}, abstract = {Perceived Benefits and Risks: A survey data set towards Wolbachia-infected Aedes Mosquitoes in the Klang Valley, Malaysia. Introduction: The paper presents data collected using measures of perceived benefits, perceived risks, trust in key players, attitude towards nature versus material, attitude towards technology, religiosity, and attitude towards the Wolbachia-infected Aedes mosquitoes (WiAM) technique. The validated questionnaires were used to randomly survey targeted stakeholders in the Klang Valley, Malaysia, who had been asked to voluntarily participate in face-to-face interviews. Completed questionnaires were received from 399 respondents (adults above 18 years old) and comprised two stakeholder groups: scientists (n = 202), and the public (n = 197). The detailed findings serve numerous opportunities to examine the social acceptance of Wolbachia-infected Aedes mosquitoes, to ensure the development of policy and action plans, and to encourage further study by other researchers interested in the measures and data presented.}, }
@article {pmid32937243, year = {2020}, author = {Shin, PT and Baptista, RP and O'Neill, CM and Wallis, C and Reaves, BJ and Wolstenholme, AJ}, title = {Comparative sequences of the Wolbachia genomes of drug-sensitive and resistant isolates of Dirofilaria immitis.}, journal = {Veterinary parasitology}, volume = {286}, number = {}, pages = {109225}, pmid = {32937243}, issn = {1873-2550}, support = {R01 AI103140/AI/NIAID NIH HHS/United States ; R21 AI125899/AI/NIAID NIH HHS/United States ; }, abstract = {The recent identification of isolates of D. immitis with confirmed resistance to the macrocyclic lactone preventatives presents an opportunity for comparative genomic studies using these isolates, and examining the genetic diversity within and between them. We studied the genomes of Wolbachia endosymbionts of five isolates of D. immitis maintained at the University of Georgia. Missouri and Georgia-2 are maintained as drug susceptible isolates, and JYD-27, Yazoo-2013 and Metairie-2014 are resistant to the macrocyclic lactone preventatives. We used whole genome amplification followed by Illumina-based sequencing from 8 to 12 individual microfilariae from each of the five isolates, obtaining a depth of coverage of approximately 40-75 fold for each. The Illumina sequences were used to create new genome assemblies for all the Wolbachia isolates studied. Comparisons of the Wolbachia sequences revealed more than 3000 sequence variations in each isolate. We identified 67 loci specific in resistant isolates but not in susceptible isolates, including 18 genes affected.Phylogenetic analysis suggested that the endosymbionts of the drug-susceptible isolates are more closely related to each other than to those from any of the resistant parasites. This level of variation in the Wolbachia endosymbionts of D. immitis isolates suggests a potential for selection for resistance against drugs targeting them.}, }
@article {pmid32932887, year = {2020}, author = {Ge, C and Hu, J and Zhao, Z and Hoffmann, AA and Ma, S and Shen, L and Fang, J and Zhu, J and Yu, W and Jiang, W}, title = {Phylogeny and Density Dynamics of Wolbachia Infection of the Health Pest Paederus fuscipes Curtis (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae).}, journal = {Insects}, volume = {11}, number = {9}, pages = {}, pmid = {32932887}, issn = {2075-4450}, support = {31401997//National Natural Science Foundation of China/ ; 2019112//Shanghai Municipal Human Resources and Social Security Bureau/ ; }, abstract = {The maternally inherited obligate intracellular bacteria Wolbachia infects the reproductive tissues of a wide range of arthropods and affects host reproduction. Wolbachia is a credible biocontrol agent for reducing the impact of diseases associated with arthropod vectors. Paederus fuscipes is a small staphylinid beetle that causes dermatitis linearis and conjunctivitis in humans when they come into contact with skin. Wolbachia occur in this beetle, but their relatedness to other Wolbachia, their infection dynamics, and their potential host effects remain unknown. In this study, we report the phylogenetic position and density dynamics of Wolbachia in P. fuscipes. The phylogeny of Wolbachia based on an analysis of MLST genotyping showed that the bacteria from P. fuscipes belong to supergroup B. Quantitative PCR indicated that the infection density in adults was higher than in any other life stage (egg, larva or pupa), and that reproductive tissue in adults had the highest infection densities, with similar densities in the sexes. These findings provide a starting point for understanding the Wolbachia infection dynamics in P. fuscipes, and interactions with other components of the microbiota.}, }
@article {pmid32927527, year = {2020}, author = {Kakumanu, ML and DeVries, ZC and Barbarin, AM and Santangelo, RG and Schal, C}, title = {Bed bugs shape the indoor microbial community composition of infested homes.}, journal = {The Science of the total environment}, volume = {743}, number = {}, pages = {140704}, doi = {10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.140704}, pmid = {32927527}, issn = {1879-1026}, mesh = {Aged ; Animals ; *Bedbugs ; Hot Temperature ; Housing ; Humans ; *Microbiota ; Poverty ; }, abstract = {Indoor pests, and the allergens they produce, adversely affect human health. Surprisingly, however, their effects on indoor microbial communities have not been assessed. Bed bug (Cimex lectularius) infestations pose severe challenges in elderly and low-income housing. They void large amounts of liquid feces into the home environment, which might alter the indoor microbial community composition. In this study, using bed bug-infested and uninfested homes, we showed a strong impact of bed bug infestations on the indoor microbial diversity. Floor dust samples were collected from uninfested and bed bug-infested homes and their microbiomes were analyzed before and after heat interventions that eliminated bed bugs. The microbial communities of bed bug-infested homes were radically different from those of uninfested homes, and the bed bug endosymbiont Wolbachia was the major driver of this difference. After bed bugs were eliminated, the microbial community gradually shifted toward the community composition of uninfested homes, strongly implicating bed bugs in shaping the dust-associated environmental microbiome. Further studies are needed to understand the viability of these microbial communities and the potential risks that bed bug-associated microbes and their metabolites pose to human health.}, }
@article {pmid32913052, year = {2020}, author = {Manokaran, G and Flores, HA and Dickson, CT and Narayana, VK and Kanojia, K and Dayalan, S and Tull, D and McConville, MJ and Mackenzie, JM and Simmons, CP}, title = {Modulation of acyl-carnitines, the broad mechanism behind Wolbachia-mediated inhibition of medically important flaviviruses in Aedes aegypti.}, journal = {Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America}, volume = {117}, number = {39}, pages = {24475-24483}, pmid = {32913052}, issn = {1091-6490}, support = {/WT_/Wellcome Trust/United Kingdom ; }, mesh = {Aedes/chemistry/metabolism/*microbiology/*virology ; Animals ; Carnitine/chemistry/*metabolism ; Female ; Mosquito Vectors/chemistry/metabolism/microbiology/virology ; Wolbachia/*physiology ; Zika Virus/*physiology ; }, abstract = {Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes are refractory to flavivirus infections, but the role of lipids in Wolbachia-mediated virus blocking remains to be elucidated. Here, we use liquid chromatography mass spectrometry to provide a comprehensive picture of the lipidome of Aedes aegypti (Aag2) cells infected with Wolbachia only, either dengue or Zika virus only, and Wolbachia-infected Aag2 cells superinfected with either dengue or Zika virus. This approach identifies a class of lipids, acyl-carnitines, as being down-regulated during Wolbachia infection. Furthermore, treatment with an acyl-carnitine inhibitor assigns a crucial role for acyl-carnitines in the replication of dengue and Zika viruses. In contrast, depletion of acyl-carnitines increases Wolbachia density while addition of commercially available acyl-carnitines impairs Wolbachia production. Finally, we show an increase in flavivirus infection of Wolbachia-infected cells with the addition of acyl-carnitines. This study uncovers a previously unknown role for acyl-carnitines in this tripartite interaction that suggests an important and broad mechanism that underpins Wolbachia-mediated pathogen blocking.}, }
@article {pmid32905752, year = {2020}, author = {Caragata, EP and Dong, S and Dong, Y and Simões, ML and Tikhe, CV and Dimopoulos, G}, title = {Prospects and Pitfalls: Next-Generation Tools to Control Mosquito-Transmitted Disease.}, journal = {Annual review of microbiology}, volume = {74}, number = {}, pages = {455-475}, doi = {10.1146/annurev-micro-011320-025557}, pmid = {32905752}, issn = {1545-3251}, abstract = {Mosquito-transmitted diseases, including malaria and dengue, are a major threat to human health around the globe, affecting millions each year. A diverse array of next-generation tools has been designed to eliminate mosquito populations or to replace them with mosquitoes that are less capable of transmitting key pathogens. Many of these new approaches have been built on recent advances in CRISPR/Cas9-based genome editing. These initiatives have driven the development of pathogen-resistant lines, new genetics-based sexing methods, and new methods of driving desirable genetic traits into mosquito populations. Many other emerging tools involve microorganisms, including two strategies involving Wolbachia that are achieving great success in the field. At the same time, other mosquito-associated bacteria, fungi, and even viruses represent untapped sources of new mosquitocidal or antipathogen compounds. Although there are still hurdles to be overcome, the prospect that such approaches will reduce the impact of these diseases is highly encouraging.}, }
@article {pmid32904796, year = {2020}, author = {Ciuca, L and Vismarra, A and Lebon, W and Beugnet, F and Morchon, R and Rinaldi, L and Cringoli, G and Kramer, L and Genchi, M}, title = {New insights into the biology, diagnosis and immune response to Dirofilaria repens in the canine host.}, journal = {Veterinary parasitology: X}, volume = {4}, number = {}, pages = {100029}, pmid = {32904796}, issn = {2590-1389}, abstract = {Dogs are the primary host for Dirofilaria repens, therefore it is mandatory to accurately diagnose the canine infection and to expand our current knowledge on parasite biology and the immune response of the infected host for a better prevention.Thus, the aim of the present study was to provide new insights from experimental infections of dogs with D. repens, focusing on the evaluation of: 1) the pre-patent period and 2) the antibody response against D. repens somatic antigens and against the Wolbachia endosymbiont. Briefly, on Day 0, twenty purpose-bred Beagle dogs were experimentally infected with 50 infective larvae (L3) of D. repens. Starting from Day 58 until the last day of the study (Day 281), blood samples were collected on a monthly basis for detection of antibodies against D. repens (Dr) and recombinant Wolbachia surface protein (rWSP) by non-commercial IgG-ELISAs. Additional samples were collected on Days 220, 245 and 281 for the detection of microfilariae (mff) using the modified Knott's test and biomolecular analysis, following two PCR protocols: Gioia et al. (2010; protocol A) and Rishniw et al. (2006- protocol B). The results were analysed by univariate statistical analyses using 2 × 2 contingency tables and K Cohen was calculated to assess the agreement among all the diagnostic techniques. Overall, the outcome of the study revealed that out of the 20 dogs experimentally infected with D. repens, 16 (80 %) were microfilaraemic, 17 (85 %) were positive at DNA detection in the blood, 18 (90 %) had D. repens antibodies and 16 (80 %) had Wolbachia antibodies on the last day of the study. The overall k agreement between Knott's and PCR protocol B was 0.442 (P = 0.0001) and increased throughout the study, reaching 0.828 (P = 0.0001) on Day 281. To the authors knowledge, this is only the second study reporting antibody response to D. repens somatic antigen in experimentally infected dogs. ELISA results showed that an antibody response develops before the onset of patency, and steadily increases with time. Results would suggest that the development of an immunological response to infection could lead to application in epidemiological studies, risk assessment and as an aid in the diagnostic approach in dogs, in particular for early infections without mff.}, }
@article {pmid32888935, year = {2020}, author = {Lee, JM and Yek, SH and Wilson, RF and Rahman, S}, title = {Characterization of the Aedes albopictus (Diptera: Culicidae) holobiome: bacterial composition across land use type and mosquito sex in Malaysia.}, journal = {Acta tropica}, volume = {212}, number = {}, pages = {105683}, doi = {10.1016/j.actatropica.2020.105683}, pmid = {32888935}, issn = {1873-6254}, abstract = {Understanding the diversity and dynamics of the microbiota within the mosquito holobiome is of great importance to apprehend how the microbiota modulates various complex processes and interactions. This study examined the bacterial composition of Aedes albopictus across land use type and mosquito sex in the state of Selangor, Malaysia using 16S rRNA sequencing. The bacterial community structure in mosquitoes was found to be influenced by land use type and mosquito sex, with the environment and mosquito diet respectively identified to be the most likely sources of microbes. We found that approximately 70% of the microbiota samples were dominated by Wolbachia and removing Wolbachia from analyses revealed the relatively even composition of the remaining bacterial microbiota. Furthermore, microbial interaction network analysis highlighted the prevalence of co-exclusionary patterns in all networks regardless of land use and mosquito sex, with Wolbachia exhibiting co-exclusionary interactions with other residential bacteria such as Xanthomonas, Xenophilus and Zymobacter.}, }
@article {pmid32884660, year = {2020}, author = {Noh, P and Oh, SY and Park, S and Kwon, T and Kim, Y and Choe, JC and Jeong, G}, title = {Association between host wing morphology polymorphism and Wolbachia infection in Vollenhovia emeryi (Hymenoptera: Myrmicinae).}, journal = {Ecology and evolution}, volume = {10}, number = {16}, pages = {8827-8837}, pmid = {32884660}, issn = {2045-7758}, abstract = {Many eusocial insects, including ants, show complex colony structures, distributions, and reproductive strategies. In the ant Vollenhovia emeryi Wheeler (Hymenoptera: Myrmicinae), queens and males are produced clonally, while sterile workers arise sexually, unlike other ant species and Hymenopteran insects in general. Furthermore, there is a wing length polymorphism in the queen caste. Despite its evolutionary remarkable traits, little is known about the population structure of this ant species, which may provide insight into its unique reproductive mode and polymorphic traits. We performed in-depth analyses of ant populations from Korea, Japan, and North America using three mitochondrial genes (COI, COII, and Cytb). The long-winged (L) morph is predominant in Korean populations, and the short-winged (S) morph is very rare. Interestingly, all L morphs were infected with Wolbachia, while all Korean S morphs lacked Wolbachia, demonstrating a association between a symbiont and a phenotypic trait. A phylogenetic analysis revealed that the S morph is derived from the L morph. We propose that the S morph is associated with potential resistance to Wolbachia infection and that Wolbachia infection does not influence clonal reproduction (as is the case in other ant species).}, }
@article {pmid32881871, year = {2020}, author = {Zhang, D and Xi, Z and Li, Y and Wang, X and Yamada, H and Qiu, J and Liang, Y and Zhang, M and Wu, Y and Zheng, X}, title = {Toward implementation of combined incompatible and sterile insect techniques for mosquito control: Optimized chilling conditions for handling Aedes albopictus male adults prior to release.}, journal = {PLoS neglected tropical diseases}, volume = {14}, number = {9}, pages = {e0008561}, pmid = {32881871}, issn = {1935-2735}, mesh = {Aedes/*microbiology/*physiology ; Animals ; Cold Temperature ; Female ; Male ; Mosquito Control/*methods ; Reproduction ; Wolbachia/*physiology ; }, abstract = {Combined incompatible and sterile insect technique (IIT-SIT) has been considered to be an effective and safe approach to control mosquito populations. Immobilization of male adults by chilling is a crucial process required for the packing, transportation and release of the mosquitoes during the implementation of IIT-SIT for mosquito control. In this study, effects of chilling on the Aedes albopictus males with triple Wolbachia infections (HC line), a powerful weapon to fight against the wild type Ae. albopictus population via IIT-SIT, were evaluated under both laboratory and field conditions. Irradiated HC (IHC) males were exposed to 1, 5 and 10°C for 1, 2, 3, 6 and 24 h. The survival rate of the post-chilled IHC males was then monitored. Longevity of post-chilled IHC males was compared to non-chilled males under laboratory and semi-field conditions. Mating competitiveness of IHC/HC males after exposure to 5 or 10°C for 0, 3 and 24 h was then evaluated. Effects of compaction and transportation under chilled conditions on the survival rate of IHC males were also monitored. The optimal chilling conditions for handling IHC males were temperatures between 5 and 10°C for a duration of less than 3 h with no negative impacts on survival rate, longevity and mating competitiveness when compared to non-chilled males. However, the overall quality of post-chilled IHC/HC males decreased when exposed to low temperatures for 24 h. Reduced survival was observed when IHC males were stored at 5°C under a compaction height of 8 cm. Transportation with chilling temperatures fluctuating from 8 to 12°C has no negative impact on the survival of IHC males. This study identified the optimal chilling temperature and duration for the handling and transportation of Ae. albopictus IHC male adults without any detrimental effect on their survival, longevity and mating competitiveness. Further studies are required to develop drone release systems specific for chilled mosquitoes to improve release efficiency, as well as to compare the population suppression efficiency between release of post-chilled and non-chilled males in the field.}, }
@article {pmid32878094, year = {2020}, author = {Castillo, AM and Saltonstall, K and Arias, CF and Chavarria, KA and Ramírez-Camejo, LA and Mejía, LC and De León, LF}, title = {The Microbiome of Neotropical Water Striders and Its Potential Role in Codiversification.}, journal = {Insects}, volume = {11}, number = {9}, pages = {}, pmid = {32878094}, issn = {2075-4450}, support = {No. 270-2013-284//Secretaría Nacional de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación/ ; No. FID16-116//Secretaría Nacional de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación/ ; 152-2018//Sistema Nacional de Investigación, SNI/ ; }, abstract = {Insects host a highly diverse microbiome, which plays a crucial role in insect life. However, the composition and diversity of microbiomes associated with Neotropical freshwater insects is virtually unknown. In addition, the extent to which diversification of this microbiome is associated with host phylogenetic divergence remains to be determined. Here, we present the first comprehensive analysis of bacterial communities associated with six closely related species of Neotropical water striders in Panama. We used comparative phylogenetic analyses to assess associations between dominant bacterial linages and phylogenetic divergence among species of water striders. We found a total of 806 16S rRNA amplicon sequence variants (ASVs), with dominant bacterial taxa belonging to the phyla Proteobacteria (76.87%) and Tenericutes (19.51%). Members of the α- (e.g., Wolbachia) and γ- (e.g., Acinetobacter, Serratia) Proteobacteria, and Mollicutes (e.g., Spiroplasma) were predominantly shared across species, suggesting the presence of a core microbiome in water striders. However, some bacterial lineages (e.g., Fructobacillus, Fluviicola and Chryseobacterium) were uniquely associated with different water strider species, likely representing a distinctive feature of each species' microbiome. These findings indicate that both host identity and environmental context are important drivers of microbiome diversity in water striders. In addition, they suggest that diversification of the microbiome is associated with diversification in water striders. Although more research is needed to establish the evolutionary consequences of host-microbiome interaction in water striders, our findings support recent work highlighting the role of bacterial community host-microbiome codiversification.}, }
@article {pmid32857984, year = {2020}, author = {Brattig, NW and Cheke, RA and Garms, R}, title = {Onchocerciasis (River Blindness) - more than a Century of Research and Control.}, journal = {Acta tropica}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {105677}, doi = {10.1016/j.actatropica.2020.105677}, pmid = {32857984}, issn = {1873-6254}, abstract = {This review summarises more than a century of research on onchocerciasis, also known as river blindness, and its control. River blindness is an infection caused by the tissue filaria Onchocerca volvulus affecting the skin, subcutaneous tissue and eyes and leading to blindness in a minority of infected persons. The parasite is transmitted by its intermediate hosts Simulium spp. which breed in rivers. Featured are history and milestones in onchocerciasis research and control, state-of-the-art data on the parasite, its endobacteria Wolbachia, on the vectors, previous and current prevalence of the infection, its diagnostics, the interaction between the parasite and its host, immune responses and the pathology of onchocerciasis. Detailed information is documented on the time course of control programmes in the afflicted countries in Africa and the Americas, a long road from previous programmes to current successes in control of the transmission of this infectious disease. By development, adjustment and optimization of the control measures, transmission by the vector has been interrupted in foci of countries in the Americas, in Uganda, in Sudan and elsewhere, followed by onchocerciasis eliminations. The current state and future perspectives for control, elimination and eradication within the next 20-30 years are described and discussed. This review contributes to a deeper comprehension of this disease by a tissue-dwelling filaria and it will be helpful in efforts to control and eliminate other filarial infections.}, }
@article {pmid32855244, year = {2020}, author = {Neupane, S and Bonilla, SI and Manalo, AM and Pelz-Stelinski, KS}, title = {Near-Complete Genome Sequences of a Wolbachia Strain Isolated from Diaphorina citri Kuwayama (Hemiptera: Liviidae).}, journal = {Microbiology resource announcements}, volume = {9}, number = {35}, pages = {}, pmid = {32855244}, issn = {2576-098X}, abstract = {Wolbachia strains are one of three endosymbionts associated with the insect vector of &quot;Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus,&quot; Diaphorina citri Kuwayama (Hemiptera: Liviidae). We report three near-complete genome sequences of samples of Wolbachia from D. citri (wDi), with sizes of 1,518,595, 1,542,468, and 1,538,523 bp.}, }
@article {pmid32854447, year = {2020}, author = {Adegoke, A and Kumar, D and Bobo, C and Rashid, MI and Durrani, AZ and Sajid, MS and Karim, S}, title = {Tick-Borne Pathogens Shape the Native Microbiome Within Tick Vectors.}, journal = {Microorganisms}, volume = {8}, number = {9}, pages = {}, pmid = {32854447}, issn = {2076-2607}, support = {P20 GM103476/GM/NIGMS NIH HHS/United States ; }, abstract = {Ticks are blood-feeding arthropods and transmit a variety of medically important viral, bacterial, protozoan pathogens to animals and humans. Ticks also harbor a diverse community of microbes linked to their biological processes, such as hematophagy, and hence affect vector competence. The interactions between bacterial and/or protozoan pathogens and the tick microbiome is a black-box, and therefore we tested the hypothesis that the presence of a protozoan or bacterial pathogen will alter the microbial composition within a tick. Hence, this study was designed to define the microbial composition of two tick species, Hyalomma (H.) anatolicum and Rhipicephalus (R.) microplus. We used a combination of PCR based pathogen (Anaplasma marginale and Theileria species) and symbiont (Wolbachia species) identification followed by metagenomic sequencing and comparison of the microbial communities in PCR positive and negative ticks. A total of 1786 operational taxonomic units was identified representing 25 phyla, 50 classes, and 342 genera. The phylum Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, Actinobacteriota, and Bacteroidota were the most represented bacteria group. Alpha and beta diversity were not significantly affected in the presence or absence of Theileria sp. and A. marginale as see with H. anatolicum ticks. Interestingly, bacterial communities were significantly reduced in Theileria sp. infected R. microplus ticks, while also exhibiting a significant reduction in microbial richness and evenness. Putting these observations together, we referred to the effect the presence of Theileria sp. has on R. microplus a &quot;pathogen-induced dysbiosis&quot;. We also identify the presence of Plasmodium falciparum, the causative agent of human malaria from the microbiome of both H. anatolicum and R. microplus ticks. These findings support the presence of a &quot;pathogen-induced dysbiosis&quot; within the tick and further validation experiments are required to investigate how they are important in the vector competence of ticks. Understanding the mechanism of &quot;pathogen-induced dysbiosis&quot; on tick microbial composition may aid the discovery of intervention strategies for the control of emerging tick-borne infections.}, }
@article {pmid32854141, year = {2020}, author = {Altinli, M and Lequime, S and Atyame, C and Justy, F and Weill, M and Sicard, M}, title = {Wolbachia modulates prevalence and viral load of Culex pipiens densoviruses in natural populations.}, journal = {Molecular ecology}, volume = {29}, number = {20}, pages = {4000-4013}, doi = {10.1111/mec.15609}, pmid = {32854141}, issn = {1365-294X}, abstract = {The inadequacy of standard mosquito control strategies calls for ecologically safe novel approaches, for example the use of biological agents such as the endosymbiotic α-proteobacteria Wolbachia or insect-specific viruses (ISVs). Understanding the ecological interactions between these &quot;biocontrol endosymbionts&quot; is thus a fundamental step. Wolbachia are transmitted vertically from mother to offspring and modify their hosts' phenotypes, including reproduction (e.g., cytoplasmic incompatibility) and survival (e.g., viral interference). In nature, Culex pipiens (sensu lato) mosquitoes are always found infected with genetically diverse Wolbachia called wPip that belong to five phylogenetic groups. In recent years, ISVs have also been discovered in these mosquito species, although their interactions with Wolbachia in nature are unknown. Here, we studied the interactions between a widely prevalent ISV, the Culex pipiens densovirus (CpDV, Densovirinae), and Wolbachia in northern Tunisian C. pipiens populations. We showed an influence of different Wolbachia groups on CpDV prevalence and a general positive correlation between Wolbachia and CpDV loads. By investigating the putative relationship between CpDV diversification and wPip groups in the different sites, we detected a signal linked to wPip groups in CpDV phylogeny in sites where all larvae were infected by the same wPip group. However, no such signal was detected where the wPip groups coexisted, suggesting CpDV horizontal transfer between hosts. Overall, our results provide good evidence for an ecological influence of Wolbachia on an ISV, CpDV, in natural populations and highlight the importance of integrating Wolbachia in our understanding of ISV ecology in nature.}, }
@article {pmid32853197, year = {2020}, author = {Sim, S and Ng, LC and Lindsay, SW and Wilson, AL}, title = {A greener vision for vector control: The example of the Singapore dengue control programme.}, journal = {PLoS neglected tropical diseases}, volume = {14}, number = {8}, pages = {e0008428}, pmid = {32853197}, issn = {1935-2735}, support = {/BB_/Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council/United Kingdom ; MR/P027873/1/MRC_/Medical Research Council/United Kingdom ; }, mesh = {Aedes/virology ; Animals ; Community Participation ; Dengue/epidemiology/*prevention &amp; control ; Humans ; Mosquito Control/*methods/*organization &amp; administration ; Mosquito Vectors/virology ; Singapore/epidemiology ; }, abstract = {Vector-borne diseases are a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Aedes-borne diseases, in particular, including dengue, chikungunya, yellow fever, and Zika, are increasing at an alarming rate due to urbanisation, population movement, weak vector control programmes, and climate change. The World Health Organization calls for strengthening of vector control programmes in line with the Global Vector Control Response (GVCR) strategy, and many vector control programmes are transitioning to this new approach. The Singapore dengue control programme, situated within the country's larger vision of a clean, green, and sustainable environment for the health and well-being of its citizens, provides an excellent example of the GVCR approach in action. Since establishing vector control operations in the 1960s, the Singapore dengue control programme succeeded in reducing the dengue force of infection 10-fold by the 1990s and has maintained it at low levels ever since. Key to this success is consideration of dengue as an environmental disease, with a strong focus on source reduction and other environmental management methods as the dominant vector control strategy. The programme collaborates closely with other government ministries, as well as town councils, communities, the private sector, and academic and research institutions. Community engagement programmes encourage source reduction, and house-to-house inspections accompanied by a strong legislative framework with monetary penalties help to support compliance. Strong vector and epidemiological surveillance means that routine control activities can be heightened to specifically target dengue clusters. Despite its success, the programme continues to innovate to tackle challenges such as climate change, low herd immunity, and manpower constraints. Initiatives include development of novel vector controls such as Wolbachia-infected males and spatiotemporal models for dengue risk assessment. Lessons learnt from the Singapore programme can be applied to other settings, even those less well-resourced than Singapore, for more effective vector control.}, }
@article {pmid32852571, year = {2021}, author = {Hubert, J and Nesvorna, M and Green, SJ and Klimov, PB}, title = {Microbial Communities of Stored Product Mites: Variation by Species and Population.}, journal = {Microbial ecology}, volume = {81}, number = {2}, pages = {506-522}, pmid = {32852571}, issn = {1432-184X}, support = {GA19-09998S//Grantová Agentura České Republiky/ ; 19-14-00004//Russian Science Foundation/ ; }, abstract = {Arthropod-associated microorganisms are important because they affect host fitness, protect hosts from pathogens, and influence the host's ability to vector pathogens. Stored product mites (Astigmata) often establish large populations in various types of food items, damaging the food by direct feeding and introducing contaminants, including their own bodies, allergen-containing feces, and associated microorganisms. Here we access the microbial structure and abundance in rearing diets, eggs, feces fraction, and mite bodies of 16 mite populations belonging to three species (Carpoglyphus lactis, Acarus siro, and Tyrophagus putrescentiae) using quantitative PCR and 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene amplicon sequencing. The mite microbiomes had a complex structure dominated by the following bacterial taxa (OTUs): (a) intracellular symbionts of the genera Cardinium and Wolbachia in the mite bodies and eggs; (b) putative gut symbionts of the genera Solitalea, Bartonella, and Sodalis abundant in mite bodies and also present in mite feces; (c) feces-associated or environmental bacteria of the genera Bacillus, Staphylococcus, and Kocuria in the diet, mite bodies, and feces. Interestingly and counterintuitively, the differences between microbial communities in various conspecific mite populations were higher than those between different mite species. To explain some of these differences, we hypothesize that the intracellular bacterial symbionts can affect microbiome composition in mite bodies, causing differences between microbial profiles. Microbial profiles differed between various sample types, such as mite eggs, bodies, and the environment (spent growth medium-SPGM). Low bacterial abundances in eggs may result in stochastic effects in parent-offspring microbial transmission, except for the intracellular symbionts. Bacteria in the rearing diet had little effect on the microbial community structure in SPGM and mite bodies. Mite fitness was positively correlated with bacterial abundance in SPGM and negatively correlated with bacterial abundances in mite bodies. Our study demonstrates critical host-microbe interactions, affecting all stages of mite growth and leading to alteration of the environmental microbiome. Correlational evidence based on absolute quantitation of bacterial 16S rRNA gene copies suggests that mite-associated microorganisms are critical for modulating important pest properties of mites by altering population growth.}, }
@article {pmid32851048, year = {2020}, author = {Esteban-Mendoza, MV and Arcila-Quiceno, V and Albarracín-Navas, J and Hernández, I and Flechas-Alarcón, MC and Morchón, R}, title = {Current Situation of the Presence of Dirofilaria immitis in Dogs and Humans in Bucaramanga, Colombia.}, journal = {Frontiers in veterinary science}, volume = {7}, number = {}, pages = {488}, pmid = {32851048}, issn = {2297-1769}, abstract = {The cardiopulmonary dirofilariosis caused by Dirofilaria immitis, is a vector-borne infection, which can be transmitted to humans. The main hosts are both domestic and wild canids. This species mainly occurs in tropical and subtropical climates, and temperature and humidity are the main factors that favor the presence and proliferation of culicid mosquitoes as vectors of the disease. There are few reports of cardiopulmonary dirofilariosis in dogs and humans in Colombia, a region with favorable climatic conditions which favors the presence of mosquitoes that act as vectors of the disease. Therefore, this study aimed to examine its current prevalence in dogs and the risk of human exposure to the disease in Bucaramanga, one of the most populated areas in Colombia located at the center of the country. Furthermore, its demographic and environmental characteristics could be useful as a study model for other similar locations and neighboring countries. Serum samples from 351 dogs and 506 humans from the Bucaramanga Metropolitan area were analyzed. All dog samples were analyzed by Knott's technique and tested with a commercial immunochromatographic to detect the presence of circulating antigens of D. immitis. Human samples were analyzed using a non-commercial ELISA test kit to detect IgG against the somatic antigens of adult D. immitis and Wolbachia. Positive results were further confirmed using western blot analysis. Thirty-eight dogs tested positive with a overall prevalence of 10.82%. Of these dogs, 18 showed D. immitis microfilariae, being 5.12% of the total population. The overall seroprevalence in humans was 6.71%; seroprevalence was significantly higher in individuals aged 16-34 years-old and in women than in men. To our knowledge, this study describes seropositivity to D. immitis for the first time in a Colombian human population located in the same area as that of dogs infected with D. immitis, which represents a potential threat to public health. In humans, age and gender can be considered risk factors for exposure to D. immitis.}, }
@article {pmid32849379, year = {2020}, author = {Lu, P and Sun, Q and Fu, P and Li, K and Liang, X and Xi, Z}, title = {Wolbachia Inhibits Binding of Dengue and Zika Viruses to Mosquito Cells.}, journal = {Frontiers in microbiology}, volume = {11}, number = {}, pages = {1750}, pmid = {32849379}, issn = {1664-302X}, abstract = {As traditional approaches to the control of dengue and Zika are insufficient, significant efforts have been made to develop utilization of the endosymbiotic bacterium Wolbachia to reduce the ability of mosquitoes to transmit pathogens. Although Wolbachia is known to inhibit flaviviruses in mosquitoes, including dengue virus (DENV) and Zika virus (ZIKV), it remains unclear how the endosymbiont interferes with viral replication cycle. In this study, we have carried out viral binding assays to investigate the impact of the Wolbachia strain wAlbB on the attachment of DENV serotype 2 (DENV-2) and ZIKV to Aedes aegypti Aag-2 cells. RNA interference (RNAi) was used to silence a variety of putative mosquito receptors of DENV that were differentially regulated by wAlbB in Aag-2 cells, in order to identify host factors involved in the inhibition of viral binding. Our results showed that, in addition to suppression of viral replication, Wolbachia strongly inhibited binding of both DENV-2 and ZIKV to Aag-2 cells. Moreover, the expression of two putative mosquito DENV receptors - dystroglycan and tubulin - was downregulated by wAlbB, and their knock-down resulted in the inhibition of DENV-2 binding to Aag-2 cells. These results will aid in understanding the Wolbachia-DENV interactions in mosquito and the development of novel control strategies for mosquito-borne diseases.}, }
@article {pmid32831122, year = {2020}, author = {Wuliandari, JR and Hoffmann, AA and Tantowijoyo, W and Endersby-Harshman, NM}, title = {Frequency of kdr mutations in the voltage-sensitive sodium channel (VSSC) gene in Aedes aegypti from Yogyakarta and implications for Wolbachia-infected mosquito trials.}, journal = {Parasites &amp; vectors}, volume = {13}, number = {1}, pages = {429}, pmid = {32831122}, issn = {1756-3305}, support = {1037003//National Health and Medical Research Council/ ; 1132412//National Health and Medical Research Council/ ; 1118640//NHMRC Fellowship/ ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: In the inner city of Yogyakarta, Indonesia, insecticide resistance is expected in the main dengue vector, Aedes aegypti, because of the intensive local application of pyrethroid insecticides. However, detailed information about the nature of resistance in this species is required to assist the release of Wolbachia mosquitoes in a dengue control program, so that we can ensure that insecticide resistance in the strain of Ae. aegypti being released matches that of the background population.<br><br>METHODS: High-resolution melt genotyping was used to screen for kdr mutations associated with pyrethroid resistance in the voltage-sensitive sodium channel (VSSC) gene in Ae. aegypti of some areas in the inner city of Yogyakarta.<br><br>RESULTS: The results show that the V1016G mutation predominated, with individuals homozygous for the 1016G allele at a frequency of 82.1% and the mutant allele G at a frequency of 92%. Two patterns of co-occurrence of mutations were detected in this study, homozygous individuals V1016G/S989P; and heterozygous individuals V1016G/F1534C/S989P. We found the simultaneous occurrence of kdr mutations V1016G and F1534C at all collection sites, but not within individual mosquitoes. Homozygous mutants at locus 1016 were homozygous wild-type at locus 1534 and vice versa, and heterozygous V1016G were also heterozygous for F1534C. The most common tri-locus genotype co-occurrences were homozygous mutant 1016GG and homozygous wild-type FF1534, combined with homozygous mutant 989PP (GG/FF/PP) at a frequency of 38.28%.<br><br>CONCLUSIONS: Given the relatively small differences in frequency of resistance alleles across the city area, locality variations in resistance should have minor implications for the success of Wolbachia mosquito trials being undertaken in the Yogyakarta area.}, }
@article {pmid32824858, year = {2020}, author = {Bykov, R and Kerchev, I and Demenkova, M and Ryabinin, A and Ilinsky, Y}, title = {Sex-Specific Wolbachia Infection Patterns in Populations of Polygraphus proximus Blandford (Coleoptera; Curculionidae: Scolytinae).}, journal = {Insects}, volume = {11}, number = {8}, pages = {}, pmid = {32824858}, issn = {2075-4450}, support = {18-316-00099, 18-34-20060, 19-04-00983//Russian Foundation for Basic Research/ ; 0324-2019-0041//State Budgeted Project/ ; }, abstract = {Wolbachia symbionts are maternally inherited bacteria that are widely distributed among Arthropoda hosts. Wolbachia influence their host biology in diverse ways. They may induce reproductive abnormalities, protect hosts against pathogens and parasites, or benefit hosts through metabolic provisioning. The progeny of an infected female are ordinarily infected with Wolbachia; however, Wolbachia have no future in male host progeny because they cannot transmit the symbiont to the next generation. Here, we analyze native and invasive populations of the four-eyed fir bark beetle (Polygraphus proximus) for Wolbachia prevalence and symbiont genetic diversity. This species is a dangerous pest of Siberian fir (Abies sibirica) forests. The native range of P. proximus includes the territories of the Russian Far East, Japan, Korea, and Northeast China, whereas its invasive range includes West Siberia, with further expansion westward. Surprisingly, we revealed a difference in the patterns of Wolbachia prevalence for males and females. Infection rate and Wolbachia titers were higher in females than in males. ST-533, the only haplotype of Wolbachia supergroup B, was associated with a minimum of three out of the five described mitochondrial haplotypes.}, }
@article {pmid32823761, year = {2020}, author = {Dally, M and Lalzar, M and Belausov, E and Gottlieb, Y and Coll, M and Zchori-Fein, E}, title = {Cellular Localization of Two Rickettsia Symbionts in the Digestive System and within the Ovaries of the Mirid Bug, Macrolophous pygmaeus.}, journal = {Insects}, volume = {11}, number = {8}, pages = {}, pmid = {32823761}, issn = {2075-4450}, abstract = {Bacterial symbionts in arthropods are common, vary in their effects, and can dramatically influence the outcome of biological control efforts. Macrolophus pygmaeus (Heteroptera: Miridae), a key component of biological control programs, is mainly predaceous but may also display phytophagy. M. pygmaeus hosts symbiotic Wolbachia, which induce cytoplasmic incompatibility, and two Rickettsia species, R. bellii and R. limoniae, which are found in all individuals tested. To test possible involvement of the two Rickettsia species in the feeding habits of M. pygmaeus, we first showed that the microbiome of the insect is dominated by these three symbionts, and later described the distribution pattern of the two Rickettsia species in its digestive system. Although both Rickettsia species were located in certain gut bacteriocyes, in caeca and in Malpighian tubules of both sexes, each species has a unique cellular occupancy pattern and specific distribution along digestive system compartments. Infrequently, both species were found in a cell. In females, both Rickettsia species were detected in the germarium, the apical end of the ovarioles within the ovaries, but not in oocytes. Although the cause for these Rickettsia distribution patterns is yet unknown, it is likely linked to host nutrition while feeding on prey or plants.}, }
@article {pmid32823726, year = {2020}, author = {Ahmad, NA and Endersby-Harshman, NM and Mohd Mazni, NR and Mohd Zabari, NZA and Amran, SNS and Ridhuan Ghazali, MK and Abdul Karim, MA and Cheong, YL and Sinkins, SP and Ahmad, NW and Hoffmann, AA}, title = {Characterization of Sodium Channel Mutations in the Dengue Vector Mosquitoes Aedesaegypti and Aedesalbopictus within the Context of Ongoing Wolbachia Releases in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.}, journal = {Insects}, volume = {11}, number = {8}, pages = {}, pmid = {32823726}, issn = {2075-4450}, support = {1037003, 1132412//NHMRC/ ; 108508/WT_/Wellcome Trust/United Kingdom ; Funding//Ministry of Health, Malaysia/ ; }, abstract = {Specific sodium channel gene mutations confer target site resistance to pyrethroid insecticides in mosquitoes and other insects. In Aedes mosquito species, multiple mutations that contribute to resistance vary in their importance around the world. Here, we characterize voltage sensitive sodium channel (Vssc) mutations in populations of Aedesaegypti from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and look at their persistence in populations affected by ongoing Wolbachia releases (a dengue control measure). We also describe a Vssc mutation in Aedesalbopictus (F1534L) found for the first time in Malaysia. We show that there are three predominant Vssc haplotypes in Aedesaegypti in this region, which all persist with regular backcrossing, thereby maintaining the original genetic composition of the populations. We identify changes in genotype frequency in closed populations of Ae. aegypti maintained for multiple generations in laboratory culture, suggesting different fitness costs associated with the genotypes, some of which may be associated with the sex of the mosquito. Following population replacement of Ae. aegypti by Wolbachia in the target area, however, we find that the Vssc mutations have persisted at pre-release levels. Mosquitoes in two genotype classes demonstrate a type I pyrethroid resistance advantage over wildtype mosquitoes when exposed to 0.25% permethrin. This resistance advantage is even more pronounced with a type II pyrethroid, deltamethrin (0.03%). The results point to the importance of these mutations in pyrethroid resistance in mosquito populations and the need for regular backcrossing with male mosquitoes from the field to maintain similarity of genetic background and population integrity during Wolbachia releases.}, }
@article {pmid32819378, year = {2020}, author = {Filipović, I and Hapuarachchi, HC and Tien, WP and Razak, MABA and Lee, C and Tan, CH and Devine, GJ and Rašić, G}, title = {Using spatial genetics to quantify mosquito dispersal for control programs.}, journal = {BMC biology}, volume = {18}, number = {1}, pages = {104}, pmid = {32819378}, issn = {1741-7007}, support = {Climate Resilience Studies Fund//Ministry of Finance/International ; Nectar Research Cloud//National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy/International ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Hundreds of millions of people get a mosquito-borne disease every year and nearly one million die. Transmission of these infections is primarily tackled through the control of mosquito vectors. The accurate quantification of mosquito dispersal is critical for the design and optimization of vector control programs, yet the measurement of dispersal using traditional mark-release-recapture (MRR) methods is logistically challenging and often unrepresentative of an insect's true behavior. Using Aedes aegypti (a major arboviral vector) as a model and two study sites in Singapore, we show how mosquito dispersal can be characterized by the spatial analyses of genetic relatedness among individuals sampled over a short time span without interruption of their natural behaviors.<br><br>RESULTS: Using simple oviposition traps, we captured adult female Ae. aegypti across high-rise apartment blocks and genotyped them using genome-wide SNP markers. We developed a methodology that produces a dispersal kernel for distance which results from one generation of successful breeding (effective dispersal), using the distance separating full siblings and 2nd- and 3rd-degree relatives (close kin). The estimated dispersal distance kernel was exponential (Laplacian), with a mean dispersal distance (and dispersal kernel spread σ) of 45.2 m (95% CI 39.7-51.3 m), and 10% probability of a dispersal > 100 m (95% CI 92-117 m). Our genetically derived estimates matched the parametrized dispersal kernels from previous MRR experiments. If few close kin are captured, a conventional genetic isolation-by-distance analysis can be used, as it can produce σ estimates congruent with the close-kin method if effective population density is accurately estimated. Genetic patch size, estimated by spatial autocorrelation analysis, reflects the spatial extent of the dispersal kernel &quot;tail&quot; that influences, for example, the critical radii of release zones and the speed of Wolbachia spread in mosquito replacement programs.<br><br>CONCLUSIONS: We demonstrate that spatial genetics can provide a robust characterization of mosquito dispersal. With the decreasing cost of next-generation sequencing, the production of spatial genetic data is increasingly accessible. Given the challenges of conventional MRR methods, and the importance of quantified dispersal in operational vector control decisions, we recommend genetic-based dispersal characterization as the more desirable means of parameterization.}, }
@article {pmid32813725, year = {2020}, author = {Shropshire, JD and Kalra, M and Bordenstein, SR}, title = {Evolution-guided mutagenesis of the cytoplasmic incompatibility proteins: Identifying CifA's complex functional repertoire and new essential regions in CifB.}, journal = {PLoS pathogens}, volume = {16}, number = {8}, pages = {e1008794}, pmid = {32813725}, issn = {1553-7374}, support = {R01 AI132581/AI/NIAID NIH HHS/United States ; R01 AI143725/AI/NIAID NIH HHS/United States ; }, mesh = {Animals ; Animals, Genetically Modified/microbiology/physiology ; Bacterial Proteins/genetics/*metabolism ; *Biological Evolution ; Cytoplasm/*metabolism/microbiology ; Drosophila melanogaster/*microbiology/physiology ; Female ; Gram-Negative Bacterial Infections/*metabolism/microbiology/pathology ; Male ; *Mutation ; Wolbachia/*physiology ; }, abstract = {Wolbachia are the world's most common, maternally-inherited, arthropod endosymbionts. Their worldwide distribution is due, in part, to a selfish drive system termed cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI) that confers a relative fitness advantage to females that transmit Wolbachia to their offspring. CI results in embryonic death when infected males mate with uninfected females but not infected females. Under the Two-by-One genetic model of CI, males expressing the two phage WO proteins CifA and CifB cause CI, and females expressing CifA rescue CI. While each protein is predicted to harbor three functional domains, there is no knowledge on how sites across these Cif domains, rather than in any one particular domain, contribute to CI and rescue. Here, we use evolution-guided, substitution mutagenesis of conserved amino acids across the Cif proteins, coupled with transgenic expression in uninfected Drosophila melanogaster, to determine the functional impacts of conserved residues evolving mostly under purifying selection. We report that amino acids in CifA's N-terminal unannotated region and annotated catalase-related domain are important for both complete CI and rescue, whereas C-terminal residues in CifA's putative domain of unknown function are solely important for CI. Moreover, conserved CifB amino acids in the predicted nucleases, peptidase, and unannotated regions are essential for CI. Taken together, these findings indicate that (i) all CifA amino acids determined to be crucial in rescue are correspondingly crucial in CI, (ii) an additional set of CifA amino acids are uniquely important in CI, and (iii) CifB amino acids across the protein, rather than in one particular domain, are all crucial for CI. We discuss how these findings advance an expanded view of Cif protein evolution and function, inform the mechanistic and biochemical bases of Cif-induced CI/rescue, and continue to substantiate the Two-by-One genetic model of CI.}, }
@article {pmid32813707, year = {2020}, author = {Seabourn, P and Spafford, H and Yoneishi, N and Medeiros, M}, title = {The Aedes albopictus (Diptera: Culicidae) microbiome varies spatially and with Ascogregarine infection.}, journal = {PLoS neglected tropical diseases}, volume = {14}, number = {8}, pages = {e0008615}, pmid = {32813707}, issn = {1935-2735}, support = {P20 GM125508/GM/NIGMS NIH HHS/United States ; }, mesh = {Aedes/*microbiology/*parasitology ; Animal Diseases ; Animals ; Apicomplexa ; Bacteria/*classification/genetics ; Host-Parasite Interactions ; Larva/microbiology/parasitology ; Microbiota/*physiology ; Protozoan Infections, Animal/*microbiology ; Symbiosis ; }, abstract = {The mosquito microbiome alters the physiological traits of medically important mosquitoes, which can scale to impact how mosquito populations sustain disease transmission. The mosquito microbiome varies significantly within individual mosquitoes and among populations, however the ecological and environmental factors that contribute to this variation are poorly understood. To further understand the factors that influence variation and diversity of the mosquito microbiome, we conducted a survey of the bacterial microbiome in the medically important mosquito, Aedes albopictus, on the high Pacific island of Maui, Hawai'i. We detected three bacterial Phyla and twelve bacterial families: Proteobacteria, Acitinobacteria, and Firmicutes; and Anaplasmataceae, Acetobacteraceae, Enterobacteriaceae, Burkholderiaceae, Xanthobacteraceae, Pseudomonadaceae, Streptomycetaceae, Staphylococcaceae, Xanthomonadaceae, Beijerinckiaceae, Rhizobiaceae, and Sphingomonadaceae. The Ae. albopictus bacterial microbiota varied among geographic locations, but temperature and rainfall were uncorrelated with this spatial variation. Infection status with an ampicomplexan pathosymbiont Ascogregarina taiwanensis was significantly associated with the composition of the Ae. albopictus bacteriome. The bacteriomes of mosquitoes with an A. taiwanensis infection were more likely to include several bacterial symbionts, including the most abundant lineage of Wolbachia sp. Other symbionts like Asaia sp. and several Enterobacteriaceae lineages were less prevalent in A. taiwanensis-infected mosquitoes. This highlights the possibility that inter- and intra-domain interactions may structure the Ae. albopictus microbiome.}, }
@article {pmid32803130, year = {2020}, author = {Indriani, C and Tantowijoyo, W and Rancès, E and Andari, B and Prabowo, E and Yusdi, D and Ansari, MR and Wardana, DS and Supriyati, E and Nurhayati, I and Ernesia, I and Setyawan, S and Fitriana, I and Arguni, E and Amelia, Y and Ahmad, RA and Jewell, NP and Dufault, SM and Ryan, PA and Green, BR and McAdam, TF and O'Neill, SL and Tanamas, SK and Simmons, CP and Anders, KL and Utarini, A}, title = {Reduced dengue incidence following deployments of Wolbachia-infected Aedes aegypti in Yogyakarta, Indonesia: a quasi-experimental trial using controlled interrupted time series analysis.}, journal = {Gates open research}, volume = {4}, number = {}, pages = {50}, pmid = {32803130}, issn = {2572-4754}, abstract = {Background:Ae. aegypti mosquitoes stably transfected with the intracellular bacterium Wolbachiapipientis (wMel strain) have been deployed for biocontrol of dengue and related arboviral diseases in multiple countries. Field releases in northern Australia have previously demonstrated near elimination of local dengue transmission from Wolbachia-treated communities, and pilot studies in Indonesia have demonstrated the feasibility and acceptability of the method. We conducted a quasi-experimental trial to evaluate the impact of scaled Wolbachia releases on dengue incidence in an endemic setting in Indonesia. Methods: In Yogyakarta City, Indonesia, following extensive community engagement, wMel Wolbachia-carrying mosquitoes were released every two weeks for 13-15 rounds over seven months in 2016-17, in a contiguous 5 km 2 area (population 65,000). A 3 km 2 area (population 34,000) on the opposite side of the city was selected a priori as an untreated control area. Passive surveillance data on notified hospitalised dengue patients was used to evaluate the epidemiological impact of Wolbachia deployments, using controlled interrupted time-series analysis. Results: Rapid and sustained introgression of wMel Wolbachia into local Ae. aegypti populations was achieved. Thirty-four dengue cases were notified from the intervention area and 53 from the control area (incidence 26 vs 79 per 100,000 person-years) during 24 months following Wolbachia deployment. This corresponded in the regression model to a 73% reduction in dengue incidence (95% confidence interval 49%,86%) associated with the Wolbachia intervention. Exploratory analysis including 6 months additional post-intervention observations showed a small strengthening of this effect (30 vs 115 per 100,000 person-years; 76% reduction in incidence, 95%CI 60%,86%). Conclusions: We demonstrate a significant reduction in dengue incidence following successful introgression of Wolbachia into local Ae. aegypti populations in an endemic setting in Indonesia. These findings are consistent with previous field trials in northern Australia, and support the effectiveness of this novel approach for dengue control.}, }
@article {pmid32797213, year = {2021}, author = {Martinez, J and Klasson, L and Welch, JJ and Jiggins, FM}, title = {Life and Death of Selfish Genes: Comparative Genomics Reveals the Dynamic Evolution of Cytoplasmic Incompatibility.}, journal = {Molecular biology and evolution}, volume = {38}, number = {1}, pages = {2-15}, pmid = {32797213}, issn = {1537-1719}, support = {/WT_/Wellcome Trust/United Kingdom ; WT094664MA/WT_/Wellcome Trust/United Kingdom ; WT202888/Z/16/Z/WT_/Wellcome Trust/United Kingdom ; }, abstract = {Cytoplasmic incompatibility is a selfish reproductive manipulation induced by the endosymbiont Wolbachia in arthropods. In males Wolbachia modifies sperm, leading to embryonic mortality in crosses with Wolbachia-free females. In females, Wolbachia rescues the cross and allows development to proceed normally. This provides a reproductive advantage to infected females, allowing the maternally transmitted symbiont to spread rapidly through host populations. We identified homologs of the genes underlying this phenotype, cifA and cifB, in 52 of 71 new and published Wolbachia genome sequences. They are strongly associated with cytoplasmic incompatibility. There are up to seven copies of the genes in each genome, and phylogenetic analysis shows that Wolbachia frequently acquires new copies due to pervasive horizontal transfer between strains. In many cases, the genes have subsequently acquired loss-of-function mutations to become pseudogenes. As predicted by theory, this tends to occur first in cifB, whose sole function is to modify sperm, and then in cifA, which is required to rescue the cross in females. Although cif genes recombine, recombination is largely restricted to closely related homologs. This is predicted under a model of coevolution between sperm modification and embryonic rescue, where recombination between distantly related pairs of genes would create a self-incompatible strain. Together, these patterns of gene gain, loss, and recombination support evolutionary models of cytoplasmic incompatibility.}, }
@article {pmid32796890, year = {2020}, author = {Straub, TJ and Shaw, WR and Marcenac, P and Sawadogo, SP and Dabiré, RK and Diabaté, A and Catteruccia, F and Neafsey, DE}, title = {The Anopheles coluzzii microbiome and its interaction with the intracellular parasite Wolbachia.}, journal = {Scientific reports}, volume = {10}, number = {1}, pages = {13847}, pmid = {32796890}, issn = {2045-2322}, support = {U19AI110818//National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases/International ; R21AI117313//National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases/International ; }, mesh = {Animals ; Anopheles/*microbiology/*physiology ; Burkina Faso ; Disease Vectors ; Female ; Host Microbial Interactions/*physiology ; *Insect Vectors ; Malaria/transmission ; Mosquito Control/methods ; Oviposition ; Vector Borne Diseases/transmission ; *Wolbachia ; }, abstract = {Wolbachia, an endosymbiotic alpha-proteobacterium commonly found in insects, can inhibit the transmission of human pathogens by mosquitoes. Biocontrol programs are underway using Aedes aegypti mosquitoes trans-infected with a non-natural Wolbachia strain to reduce dengue virus transmission. Less is known about the impact of Wolbachia on the biology and vectorial capacity of Anopheles mosquitoes, the vectors of malaria parasites. A naturally occurring strain of Wolbachia, wAnga, infects populations of the major malaria vectors Anopheles gambiae and Anopheles coluzzii in Burkina Faso. Previous studies found wAnga infection was negatively correlated with Plasmodium infection in the mosquito and wAnga influenced mosquito egg-laying behavior. Here, we investigate wAnga in natural populations of An. coluzzii and its interactions with other resident microbiota using targeted 16S sequencing. Though we find no major differences in microbiota composition associated with wAnga infection, we do find several taxa that correlate with the presence or absence of wAnga in female mosquitoes following oviposition, with the caveat that we could not rule out batch effects due to the unanticipated impact of wAnga on oviposition timing. These data suggest wAnga may influence or interact with the Anopheles microbiota, which may contribute to the impact of wAnga on Anopheles biology and vectorial capacity.}, }
@article {pmid32792343, year = {2020}, author = {Ferguson, KB and Kursch-Metz, T and Verhulst, EC and Pannebakker, BA}, title = {Hybrid Genome Assembly and Evidence-Based Annotation of the Egg Parasitoid and Biological Control Agent Trichogramma brassicae.}, journal = {G3 (Bethesda, Md.)}, volume = {10}, number = {10}, pages = {3533-3540}, pmid = {32792343}, issn = {2160-1836}, abstract = {Trichogramma brassicae (Bezdenko) are egg parasitoids that are used throughout the world as biological control agents and in laboratories as model species. Despite this ubiquity, few genetic resources exist beyond COI, ITS2, and RAPD markers. Aided by a Wolbachia infection, a wild-caught strain from Germany was reared for low heterozygosity and sequenced in a hybrid de novo strategy, after which several assembling strategies were evaluated. The best assembly, derived from a DBG2OLC-based pipeline, yielded a genome of 235 Mbp made up of 1,572 contigs with an N50 of 556,663 bp. Following a rigorous ab initio-, homology-, and evidence-based annotation, 16,905 genes were annotated and functionally described. As an example of the utility of the genome, a simple ortholog cluster analysis was performed with sister species T. pretiosum, revealing over 6000 shared clusters and under 400 clusters unique to each species. The genome and transcriptome presented here provides an essential resource for comparative genomics of the commercially relevant genus Trichogramma, but also for research into molecular evolution, ecology, and breeding of T. brassicae.}, }
@article {pmid32788982, year = {2020}, author = {N Miyata, M and Nomura, M and Kageyama, D}, title = {Wolbachia have made it twice: Hybrid introgression between two sister species of Eurema butterflies.}, journal = {Ecology and evolution}, volume = {10}, number = {15}, pages = {8323-8330}, pmid = {32788982}, issn = {2045-7758}, abstract = {Wolbachia, cytoplasmically inherited endosymbionts of arthropods, are known to hijack their host reproduction in various ways to increase their own vertical transmission. This may lead to the selective sweep of associated mitochondria, which can have a large impact on the evolution of mitochondrial lineages. In Japan, two different Wolbacahia strains (wCI and wFem) are found in two sister species of pierid butterflies, Eurema mandarina and Eurema hecabe. In both species, females infected with wCI (C females) produce offspring with a nearly 1:1 sex ratio, while females infected with both wCI and wFem (CF females) produce all-female offspring. Previous studies have suggested the historical occurrence of hybrid introgression in C individuals between the two species. Furthermore, hybrid introgression in CF individuals is suggested by the distinct mitochondrial lineages between C females and CF females of E. mandarina. In this study, we performed phylogenetic analyses based on nuclear DNA and mitochondrial DNA markers of E. hecabe with previously published data on E. mandarina. We found that the nuclear DNA of this species significantly diverged from that of E. mandarina. By contrast, mitochondrial DNA haplotypes comprised two clades, mostly reflecting Wolbachia infection status rather than the individual species. Collectively, our results support the previously suggested occurrence of two independent historical events wherein the cytoplasms of CF females and C females moved between E. hecabe and E. mandarina through hybrid introgression.}, }
@article {pmid32787974, year = {2020}, author = {Wong, ML and Liew, JWK and Wong, WK and Pramasivan, S and Mohamed Hassan, N and Wan Sulaiman, WY and Jeyaprakasam, NK and Leong, CS and Low, VL and Vythilingam, I}, title = {Natural Wolbachia infection in field-collected Anopheles and other mosquito species from Malaysia.}, journal = {Parasites &amp; vectors}, volume = {13}, number = {1}, pages = {414}, pmid = {32787974}, issn = {1756-3305}, support = {LR002C-2018//Ministry of Education Malaysia/ ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: The endosymbiont bacterium Wolbachia is maternally inherited and naturally infects some filarial nematodes and a diverse range of arthropods, including mosquito vectors responsible for disease transmission in humans. Previously, it has been found infecting most mosquito species but absent in Anopheles and Aedes aegypti. However, recently these two mosquito species were found to be naturally infected with Wolbachia. We report here the extent of Wolbachia infections in field-collected mosquitoes from Malaysia based on PCR amplification of the Wolbachia wsp and 16S rRNA genes.<br><br>METHODS: The prevalence of Wolbachia in Culicinae mosquitoes was assessed via PCR with wsp primers. For some of the mosquitoes, in which the wsp primers failed to amplify a product, Wolbachia screening was performed using nested PCR targeting the 16S rRNA gene. Wolbachia sequences were aligned using Geneious 9.1.6 software, analyzed with BLAST, and the most similar sequences were downloaded. Phylogenetic analyses were carried out with MEGA 7.0 software. Graphs were drawn with GraphPad Prism 8.0 software.<br><br>RESULTS: A total of 217 adult mosquitoes representing 26 mosquito species were screened. Of these, infections with Wolbachia were detected in 4 and 15 mosquito species using wsp and 16S rRNA primers, respectively. To our knowledge, this is the first time Wolbachia was detected using 16S rRNA gene amplification, in some Anopheles species (some infected with Plasmodium), Culex sinensis, Culex vishnui, Culex pseudovishnui, Mansonia bonneae and Mansonia annulifera. Phylogenetic analysis based on wsp revealed Wolbachia from most of the mosquitoes belonged to Wolbachia Supergroup B. Based on 16S rRNA phylogenetic analysis, the Wolbachia strain from Anopheles mosquitoes were more closely related to Wolbachia infecting Anopheles from Africa than from Myanmar.<br><br>CONCLUSIONS: Wolbachia was found infecting Anopheles and other important disease vectors such as Mansonia. Since Wolbachia can affect its host by reducing the life span and provide resistance to pathogen infection, several studies have suggested it as a potential innovative tool for vector/vector-borne disease control. Therefore, it is important to carry out further studies on natural Wolbachia infection in vector mosquitoes' populations as well as their long-term effects in new hosts and pathogen suppression.}, }
@article {pmid32784948, year = {2020}, author = {Sucupira, PHF and Ferreira, ÁGA and Leite, THJF and de Mendonça, SF and Ferreira, FV and Rezende, FO and Marques, JT and Moreira, LA}, title = {The RNAi Pathway Is Important to Control Mayaro Virus Infection in Aedes aegypti but not for Wolbachia-Mediated Protection.}, journal = {Viruses}, volume = {12}, number = {8}, pages = {}, pmid = {32784948}, issn = {1999-4915}, abstract = {Mayaro virus (MAYV), a sylvatic arbovirus belonging to the Togaviridae family and Alphavirus genus, is responsible for an increasing number of outbreaks in several countries of Central and South America. Despite Haemagogus janthinomys being identified as the main vector of MAYV, laboratory studies have already demonstrated the competence of Aedes aegypti to transmit MAYV. It has also been demonstrated that the WolbachiawMel strain is able to impair the replication and transmission of MAYV in Ae. aegypti. In Ae. aegypti, the small interfering RNA (siRNA) pathway is an important antiviral mechanism; however, it remains unclear whether siRNA pathway acts against MAYV infection in Ae. aegypti. The main objective of this study was to determine the contribution of the siRNA pathway in the control of MAYV infection. Thus, we silenced the expression of AGO2, an essential component of the siRNA pathway, by injecting dsRNA-targeting AGO2 (dsAGO2). Our results showed that AGO2 is required to control MAYV replication upon oral infection in Wolbachia-free Ae. aegypti. On the other hand, we found that Wolbachia-induced resistance to MAYV in Ae. aegypti is independent of the siRNA pathway. Our study brought new information regarding the mechanism of viral protection, as well as on Wolbachia mediated interference.}, }
@article {pmid32783512, year = {2020}, author = {Shi, Y and Yu, J}, title = {Wolbachia infection enhancing and decaying domains in mosquito population based on discrete models.}, journal = {Journal of biological dynamics}, volume = {14}, number = {1}, pages = {679-695}, doi = {10.1080/17513758.2020.1805035}, pmid = {32783512}, issn = {1751-3766}, abstract = {In this article, we formulate and study a discrete equation model depicting the pattern of Wolbachia infection in a mosquito population. A domain in [Formula: see text] is called a Wolbachia infection enhancing (or decaying) domain if in which the Wolbachia infection frequency of the next generation is always bigger (or smaller) than that of the current generation. We first give a complete analysis of the equivalent Wolbachia infection frequency curves. And then we clearly characterize the Wolbachia infection enhancing domain and decaying domain for all of the parameters, respectively. Finally, some numerical examples are also provided to illustrate our theoretical results.}, }
@article {pmid32779567, year = {2020}, author = {Curran, DM and Grote, A and Nursimulu, N and Geber, A and Voronin, D and Jones, DR and Ghedin, E and Parkinson, J}, title = {Modeling the metabolic interplay between a parasitic worm and its bacterial endosymbiont allows the identification of novel drug targets.}, journal = {eLife}, volume = {9}, number = {}, pages = {}, pmid = {32779567}, issn = {2050-084X}, support = {R21 AI126466/AI/NIAID NIH HHS/United States ; RGPIN-2014-06664//Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada/International ; T32 AI007180/AI/NIAID NIH HHS/United States ; F31 AI131527/AI/NIAID NIH HHS/United States ; }, mesh = {Animals ; Brugia malayi/*drug effects/microbiology ; *Drug Evaluation, Preclinical ; Filariasis/*drug therapy ; Filaricides/*pharmacology ; Metabolic Networks and Pathways/drug effects ; Models, Biological ; *Symbiosis/drug effects ; Wolbachia/*drug effects ; }, abstract = {The filarial nematode Brugia malayi represents a leading cause of disability in the developing world, causing lymphatic filariasis in nearly 40 million people. Currently available drugs are not well-suited to mass drug administration efforts, so new treatments are urgently required. One potential vulnerability is the endosymbiotic bacteria Wolbachia-present in many filariae-which is vital to the worm. Genome scale metabolic networks have been used to study prokaryotes and protists and have proven valuable in identifying therapeutic targets, but have only been applied to multicellular eukaryotic organisms more recently. Here, we present iDC625, the first compartmentalized metabolic model of a parasitic worm. We used this model to show how metabolic pathway usage allows the worm to adapt to different environments, and predict a set of 102 reactions essential to the survival of B. malayi. We validated three of those reactions with drug tests and demonstrated novel antifilarial properties for all three compounds.}, }
@article {pmid32774328, year = {2020}, author = {Duan, R and Xu, H and Gao, S and Gao, Z and Wang, N}, title = {Effects of Different Hosts on Bacterial Communities of Parasitic Wasp Nasonia vitripennis.}, journal = {Frontiers in microbiology}, volume = {11}, number = {}, pages = {1435}, pmid = {32774328}, issn = {1664-302X}, abstract = {Parasitism is a special interspecific relationship in insects. Unlike most other ectoparasites, Nasonia vitripennis spend most of its life cycle (egg, larvae, pupae, and early adult stage) inside the pupae of flies, which is covered with hard puparium. Microbes play important roles in host development and help insect hosts to adapt to various environments. How the microbes of parasitic wasp respond to different fly hosts living in such close relationships motivated this investigation. In this study, we used N. vitripennis and three different fly pupa hosts (Lucilia sericata, Sarcophaga marshalli, and Musca domestica) to address this question, as well as to illustrate the potential transfer of bacteria through the trophic food chains. We found that N. vitripennis from different fly pupa hosts showed distinct microbiota, which means that the different fly hosts could affect the bacterial communities of their parasitic wasps. Some bacteria showed potential horizontal transfer through the trophic food chains, from the food through the fly to the parasitic wasp. We also found that the heritable endosymbiont Wolbachia could transferred from the fly host to the parasite and correlated with the bacterial communities of the corresponding parasitic wasps. Our findings provide new insight to the microbial interactions between parasite and host.}, }
@article {pmid32770272, year = {2021}, author = {Thongprem, P and Davison, HR and Thompson, DJ and Lorenzo-Carballa, MO and Hurst, GDD}, title = {Incidence and Diversity of Torix Rickettsia-Odonata Symbioses.}, journal = {Microbial ecology}, volume = {81}, number = {1}, pages = {203-212}, pmid = {32770272}, issn = {1432-184X}, support = {CGL2008-02799//Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación/ ; }, abstract = {Heritable microbes are an important component of invertebrate biology, acting both as beneficial symbionts and reproductive parasites. Whilst most previous research has focussed on the 'Wolbachia pandemic', recent work has emphasised the importance of other microbial symbionts. In this study, we present a survey of odonates (dragonflies and damselflies) for torix group Rickettsia, following previous research indicating that this clade can be common in other aquatic insect groups. PCR assays were used to screen a broad range of odonates from two continents and revealed 8 of 76 species tested were infected with Rickettsia. We then conducted further deeper screening of UK representatives of the Coenagrionidae damselfly family, revealing 6 of 8 UK coenagrionid species to be positive for torix Rickettsia. Analysis of Rickettsia gene sequences supported multiple establishments of symbiosis in the group. Some strains were shared between UK coenagrionid species that shared mtDNA barcodes, indicating a likely route for mitochondrial introgression between sister species. There was also evidence of coinfecting Rickettsia strains in two species. FISH analysis indicated Rickettsia were observed in the ovarioles, consistent with heritable symbiosis. We conclude that torix Rickettsia represent an important associate of odonates, being found in a broad range of species from both Europe and South America. There is evidence that coinfection can occur, vertical transmission is likely, and that symbiont movement following hybridisation may underpin the lack of 'barcoding gap' between well-established species pairs in the genus. Future work should establish the biological significance of the symbioses observed.}, }
@article {pmid32765466, year = {2020}, author = {Liang, X and Liu, J and Bian, G and Xi, Z}, title = {Wolbachia Inter-Strain Competition and Inhibition of Expression of Cytoplasmic Incompatibility in Mosquito.}, journal = {Frontiers in microbiology}, volume = {11}, number = {}, pages = {1638}, pmid = {32765466}, issn = {1664-302X}, abstract = {Successful field trials have been reported as part of the effort to develop the maternally transmitted endosymbiontic bacteria Wolbachia as an intervention agent for controlling mosquito vectors and their transmitted diseases. In order to further improve this novel intervention, artificially transinfected mosquitoes must be optimized to display maximum pathogen blocking, the desired cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI) pattern, and the lowest possible fitness cost. Achieving such optimization, however, requires a better understanding of the interactions between the host and various Wolbabachia strains and their combinations. Here, we transferred the Wolbachia wMel strain by embryonic microinjection into Aedes albopictus, resulting in the successful establishment of a transinfected line, HM (wAlbAwAlbBwMel), with a triple-strain infection comprising wMel, wAlbA, and wAlbB. Surprisingly, no CI was induced when the triply infected males were crossed with the wild-type GUA females or with another triply infected HC females carrying wPip, wAlbA, and wAlbB, but specific removal of wAlbA from the HM (wAlbAwAlbBwMel) line resulted in the expression of CI after crosses with lines infected by either one, two, or three strains of Wolbachia. The transinfected line showed perfect maternal transmission of the triple infection, with fluctuating egg hatch rates that improved to normal levels after repeated outcrosses with GUA line. Strain-specific qPCR assays showed that wMel and wAlbB were present at the highest densities in the ovaries and midguts, respectively, of the HM (wAlbAwAlbBwMel) mosquitoes. These finding suggest that introducing a novel strain of Wolbachia into a Wolbachia-infected host may result in complicated interactions between Wolbachia and the host and between the various Wolbachia strains, with competition likely to occur between strains in the same supergroup.}, }
@article {pmid32759653, year = {2020}, author = {Dew, RM and McFrederick, QS and Rehan, SM}, title = {Diverse Diets with Consistent Core Microbiome in Wild Bee Pollen Provisions.}, journal = {Insects}, volume = {11}, number = {8}, pages = {}, pmid = {32759653}, issn = {2075-4450}, support = {1004515//U.S. Department of Agriculture/ ; CA-R-ENT-5109-H//U.S. Department of Agriculture/ ; 549038//Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research/ ; }, abstract = {Bees collect pollen from flowers for their offspring, and by doing so contribute critical pollination services for our crops and ecosystems. Unlike many managed bee species, wild bees are thought to obtain much of their microbiome from the environment. However, we know surprisingly little about what plant species bees visit and the microbes associated with the collected pollen. Here, we addressed the hypothesis that the pollen and microbial components of bee diets would change across the range of the bee, by amplicon sequencing pollen provisions of a widespread small carpenter bee, Ceratina calcarata, across three populations. Ceratina calcarata was found to use a diversity of floral resources across its range, but the bacterial genera associated with pollen provisions were very consistent. Acinetobacter, Erwinia, Lactobacillus, Sodalis, Sphingomonas and Wolbachia were among the top ten bacterial genera across all sites. Ceratina calcarata uses both raspberry (Rubus) and sumac (Rhus) stems as nesting substrates, however nests within these plants showed no preference for host plant pollen. Significant correlations in plant and bacterial co-occurrence differed between sites, indicating that many of the most common bacterial genera have either regional or transitory floral associations. This range-wide study suggests microbes present in brood provisions are conserved within a bee species, rather than mediated by climate or pollen composition. Moving forward, this has important implications for how these core bacteria affect larval health and whether these functions vary across space and diet. These data increase our understanding of how pollinators interact with and adjust to their changing environment.}, }
@article {pmid32752052, year = {2020}, author = {Laidoudi, Y and Medkour, H and Levasseur, A and Davoust, B and Mediannikov, O}, title = {New Molecular Data on Filaria and its Wolbachia from Red Howler Monkeys (Alouatta macconnelli) in French Guiana-A Preliminary Study.}, journal = {Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland)}, volume = {9}, number = {8}, pages = {}, pmid = {32752052}, issn = {2076-0817}, abstract = {Previous studies have reported filarial parasites of the genus Dipetalonema and Mansonella from French Guiana monkeys, based on morphological taxonomy. In this study, we screened blood samples from nine howler monkeys (Alouatta macconnelli) for the presence of filaria and Wolbachia DNA. The infection rates were 88.9% for filaria and 55.6% for wolbachiae. The molecular characterization, based on the 18S gene of filariids, revealed that A. macconnelli are infected with at least three species (Mansonella sp., Brugia sp. and an unidentified Onchocercidae species.). Since the 18S and cox1 generic primers are not very effective at resolving co-infections, we developed ITS genus-specific PCRs for Mansonella and Brugia genus. The results revealed coinfections in 75% of positives. The presence of Mansonella sp. and Brugia sp. was also confirmed by the 16S phylogenetic analysis of their associated Wolbachia. Mansonella sp., which close to the species from the subgenus Tetrapetalonema encountered in New World Monkeys, while Brugia sp. was identical to the strain circulating in French Guiana dogs. We propose a novel ITS1Brugia genus-specific qPCR. We applied it to screen for Brugia infection in howler monkeys and 66.7% were found to be positive. Our finding highlights the need for further studies to clarify the species diversity of neotropics monkeys by combining molecular and morphological features. The novel Brugia genus-specific qPCR assays could be an effective tool for the surveillance and characterization of this potential zoonosis.}, }
@article {pmid32748704, year = {2020}, author = {Huang, M and Hu, L}, title = {Modeling the suppression dynamics of Aedes mosquitoes with mating inhomogeneity.}, journal = {Journal of biological dynamics}, volume = {14}, number = {1}, pages = {656-678}, doi = {10.1080/17513758.2020.1799083}, pmid = {32748704}, issn = {1751-3766}, abstract = {A novel strategy for controlling mosquito-borne diseases, such as dengue, malaria and Zika, involves releases of Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes as Wolbachia cause early embryo death when an infected male mates with an uninfected female. In this work, we introduce a delay differential equation model with mating inhomogeneity to discuss mosquito population suppression based on Wolbachia. Our analyses show that the wild mosquitoes could be eliminated if either the adult mortality rate exceeds the threshold [Formula: see text] or the release amount exceeds the threshold [Formula: see text] uniformly. We also present the nonlinear dependence of [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] on the parameters, respectively, as well as the effect of pesticide spraying on wild mosquitoes. Our simulations suggest that the releasing should be started at least 5 weeks before the peak dengue season, taking into account both the release amount and the suppression speed.}, }
@article {pmid32748037, year = {2020}, author = {Ashour, DS and Othman, AA}, title = {Parasite-bacteria interrelationship.}, journal = {Parasitology research}, volume = {119}, number = {10}, pages = {3145-3164}, doi = {10.1007/s00436-020-06804-2}, pmid = {32748037}, issn = {1432-1955}, mesh = {Animals ; Anti-Bacterial Agents/therapeutic use ; Arthropods/microbiology ; Bacterial Infections/*complications ; Filarioidea/*microbiology ; Humans ; Parasites/microbiology ; Parasitic Diseases/*complications ; Probiotics/therapeutic use ; Schistosoma haematobium/*microbiology ; Symbiosis ; Urinary Bladder Neoplasms/microbiology/parasitology/pathology ; Wolbachia/*growth &amp; development ; }, abstract = {Parasites and bacteria have co-evolved with humankind, and they interact all the time in a myriad of ways. For example, some bacterial infections result from parasite-dwelling bacteria as in the case of Salmonella infection during schistosomiasis. Other bacteria synergize with parasites in the evolution of human disease as in the case of the interplay between Wolbachia endosymbiont bacteria and filarial nematodes as well as the interaction between Gram-negative bacteria and Schistosoma haematobium in the pathogenesis of urinary bladder cancer. Moreover, secondary bacterial infections may complicate several parasitic diseases such as visceral leishmaniasis and malaria, due to immunosuppression of the host during parasitic infections. Also, bacteria may colonize the parasitic lesions; for example, hydatid cysts and skin lesions of ectoparasites. Remarkably, some parasitic helminths and arthropods exhibit antibacterial activity usually by the release of specific antimicrobial products. Lastly, some parasite-bacteria interactions are induced as when using probiotic bacteria to modulate the outcome of a variety of parasitic infections. In sum, parasite-bacteria interactions involve intricate processes that never cease to intrigue the researchers. However, understanding and exploiting these interactions could have prophylactic and curative potential for infections by both types of pathogens.}, }
@article {pmid32741378, year = {2020}, author = {Wang, Z and Li, H and Zhou, X and Tang, M and Sun, L and Zhan, S and Xiao, Q}, title = {Comparative characterization of microbiota between the sibling species of tea geometrid moth Ectropis obliqua Prout and E. grisescens Warren.}, journal = {Bulletin of entomological research}, volume = {110}, number = {6}, pages = {684-693}, doi = {10.1017/S0007485320000164}, pmid = {32741378}, issn = {1475-2670}, mesh = {Animals ; Bacteria/classification/isolation &amp; purification ; Female ; Male ; *Microbiota ; Moths/*microbiology ; Reproductive Isolation ; Symbiosis ; }, abstract = {For a wide range of insect species, the microbiota has potential roles in determining host developmental programme, immunity and reproductive biology. The tea geometrid moths Ectropis obliqua and E. grisescens are two closely related species that mainly feed on tea leaves. Although they can mate, infertile hybrids are produced. Therefore, these species provide a pair of model species for studying the molecular mechanisms of microbiotal involvement in host reproductive biology. In this study, we first identified and compared the compositions of microbiota between these sibling species, revealing higher microbiotal diversity for E. grisescens. The microbiota of E. obliqua mainly comprised the phyla Firmicutes, Proteobacteria and Cyanobacteria, whereas that of E. grisescens was dominated by Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria and Firmicutes. At the genus level, the dominant microbiota of E. grisescens included Wolbachia, Enterobacter and Pseudomonas and that of E. obliqua included Melissococcus, Staphylococcus and Enterobacter. Furthermore, we verified the rate of Wolbachia to infect 80 samples from eight different geographical populations, and the results supported that only E. grisescens harboured Wolbachia. Taken together, our findings indicate significantly different microbiotal compositions for E. obliqua and E. grisescens, with Wolbachia possibly being a curial factor influencing the reproductive isolation of these species. This study provides new insight into the mechanisms by which endosymbiotic bacteria, particularly Wolbachia, interact with sibling species.}, }
@article {pmid32741005, year = {2020}, author = {Zheng, XL}, title = {Unveiling mosquito cryptic species and their reproductive isolation.}, journal = {Insect molecular biology}, volume = {29}, number = {6}, pages = {499-510}, pmid = {32741005}, issn = {1365-2583}, mesh = {Animals ; Culicidae/microbiology/*physiology ; *Genetic Speciation ; Mosquito Vectors/microbiology/*physiology ; *Reproductive Isolation ; *Sympatry ; Wolbachia/physiology ; }, abstract = {Mosquitoes are major vectors of many infectious pathogens or parasites. Understanding cryptic species and the speciation of disease vectors has important implications for vector management, evolution and host-pathogen and/or host-parasite interactions. Currently, mosquito cryptic species have been reported in many studies, most of which focus on the reproductive isolation of cryptic species and mainly on Anopheles gambiae sensu lato complex. Emerging species within the primary malaria vector Anopheles gambiae show different ecological preferences and significant prezygotic reproductive isolation, while Aedes mariae and Aedes zammitii show postmating reproductive isolation. However, data reporting the reproductive isolation in Culex and Aedes albopictus mosquito cryptic species is absent. The lack of systematic studies leaves many questions open, such as whether cryptic species are more common in particular habitats, latitudes or taxonomic groups; what mosquito cryptic species evolutionary processes bring about reproductive isolation in the absence of morphological differentiation? How does Wolbachia infection affect in mosquitoes' reproductive isolation? In this review, we provide a summary of recent advances in the discovery and identification of sibling or cryptic species within mosquito genera.}, }
@article {pmid32737539, year = {2021}, author = {Takamatsu, T and Arai, H and Abe, N and Nakai, M and Kunimi, Y and Inoue, MN}, title = {Coexistence of Two Male-Killers and Their Impact on the Development of Oriental Tea Tortrix Homona magnanima.}, journal = {Microbial ecology}, volume = {81}, number = {1}, pages = {193-202}, pmid = {32737539}, issn = {1432-184X}, support = {24580076//Japan Society for the Promotion of Science/ ; 19J13123//Japan Society for the Promotion of Science/ ; }, abstract = {Male-killing, the death of male offspring induced by maternally transmitted microbes, is classified as early, or late, male-killing. The primary advantage afforded by early male-killing, which typically occurs during embryogenesis, is the reallocation of resources to females, that would have otherwise been consumed by males. Meanwhile, the key advantage of late male-killing, which typically occurs during late larval development, is the maximized potential for horizontal transmission. To date, no studies have reported on the associated developmental and physiological effects of host coinfection with early and late male-killers, which may have a significant impact on the population dynamics of the male-killers. Here we used a lepidopteran tea pest Homona magnanima as a model, which is a unique system wherein an early male-killer (a Spiroplasma bacterium) and a late male-killer (an RNA virus) can coexist in nature. An artificially established matriline, coinfected with both Spiroplasma and RNA virus, exhibited embryonic death (early male-killing) as seen in the host line singly infected with Spiroplasma. Moreover, the coinfected line also exhibited developmental retardation and low pupal weight similar to the host line singly infected with the RNA virus. A series of field surveys revealed that Spiroplasma-RNA virus coinfection occurs in nature at a low frequency. Hence, although the two male-killers are capable of coexisting within the H. magnanima population independently, high associated fitness cost appears to limit the prevalence of male-killer coinfection in the field host population.}, }
@article {pmid32733407, year = {2020}, author = {Ford, SA and Albert, I and Allen, SL and Chenoweth, SF and Jones, M and Koh, C and Sebastian, A and Sigle, LT and McGraw, EA}, title = {Artificial Selection Finds New Hypotheses for the Mechanism of Wolbachia-Mediated Dengue Blocking in Mosquitoes.}, journal = {Frontiers in microbiology}, volume = {11}, number = {}, pages = {1456}, pmid = {32733407}, issn = {1664-302X}, support = {R01 AI143758/AI/NIAID NIH HHS/United States ; }, abstract = {Wolbachia is an intracellular bacterium that blocks virus replication in insects and has been introduced into the mosquito, Aedes aegypti for the biocontrol of arboviruses including dengue, Zika, and chikungunya. Despite ongoing research, the mechanism of Wolbachia-mediated virus blocking remains unclear. We recently used experimental evolution to reveal that Wolbachia-mediated dengue blocking could be selected upon in the A. aegypti host and showed evidence that strong levels of blocking could be maintained by natural selection. In this study, we investigate the genetic variation associated with blocking and use these analyses to generate testable hypotheses surrounding the mechanism of Wolbachia-mediated dengue blocking. From our results, we hypothesize that Wolbachia may block virus replication by increasing the regeneration rate of mosquito cells via the Notch signaling pathway. We also propose that Wolbachia modulates the host's transcriptional pausing pathway either to prime the host's anti-viral response or to directly inhibit viral replication.}, }
@article {pmid32733140, year = {2020}, author = {Wöger, R and Wöger, R and Nuss, M}, title = {Spatial and temporal sex ratio bias and Wolbachia-infection in New Zealand Crambidae (Lepidoptera: Pyraloidea).}, journal = {Biodiversity data journal}, volume = {8}, number = {}, pages = {e52621}, pmid = {32733140}, issn = {1314-2828}, abstract = {The New Zealand fauna of snout moths (Pyraloidea) predominantly consists of endemic species. During 2017 and 2018, 56 species of Pyraloidea in 1,749 individuals were collected at 14 localities. All species were screened for Wolbachia-infection, with specimens of eight species (14%) being positive, of which six species belong to Scopariinae. This is the first record of Wolbachia-infection amongst New Zealand Lepidoptera. The most common pyraloid species, Eudonia submarginalis and Orocrambus flexuosellus, were analysed for a larger set of individuals looking for sex ratio and Wolbachia-infection. There is a sex ratio bias towards females in both species, but it varies in space and time. Wolbachia is found in all populations of E. submarginalis with 10-80% of the tested individuals being positive, depending on locality. No Wolbachia-infection has been found in O. flexuosellus. Thus, sex ratio bias might be linked to Wolbachia-infection in E. submarginalis, but not in O. flexuosellus.}, }
@article {pmid32726353, year = {2020}, author = {Fraser, JE and O'Donnell, TB and Duyvestyn, JM and O'Neill, SL and Simmons, CP and Flores, HA}, title = {Novel phenotype of Wolbachia strain wPip in Aedes aegypti challenges assumptions on mechanisms of Wolbachia-mediated dengue virus inhibition.}, journal = {PLoS pathogens}, volume = {16}, number = {7}, pages = {e1008410}, pmid = {32726353}, issn = {1553-7374}, support = {102591/Z/13/Z/WT_/Wellcome Trust/United Kingdom ; }, mesh = {Aedes/*microbiology ; Animals ; Dengue/prevention &amp; control/transmission ; *Dengue Virus ; Gram-Negative Bacterial Infections ; Microbial Interactions/*physiology ; Mosquito Vectors/*microbiology ; Pest Control, Biological/methods ; Phenotype ; *Wolbachia ; }, abstract = {The bacterial endosymbiont Wolbachia is a biocontrol tool that inhibits the ability of the Aedes aegypti mosquito to transmit positive-sense RNA viruses such as dengue and Zika. Growing evidence indicates that when Wolbachia strains wMel or wAlbB are introduced into local mosquito populations, human dengue incidence is reduced. Despite the success of this novel intervention, we still do not fully understand how Wolbachia protects mosquitoes from viral infection. Here, we demonstrate that the Wolbachia strain wPip does not inhibit virus infection in Ae. aegypti. We have leveraged this novel finding, and a panel of Ae. aegypti lines carrying virus-inhibitory (wMel and wAlbB) and non-inhibitory (wPip) strains in a common genetic background, to rigorously test a number of hypotheses about the mechanism of Wolbachia-mediated virus inhibition. We demonstrate that, contrary to previous suggestions, there is no association between a strain's ability to inhibit dengue infection in the mosquito and either its typical density in the midgut or salivary glands, or the degree to which it elevates innate immune response pathways in the mosquito. These findings, and the experimental platform provided by this panel of genetically comparable mosquito lines, clear the way for future investigations to define how Wolbachia prevents Ae. aegypti from transmitting viruses.}, }
@article {pmid32722516, year = {2020}, author = {Chen, H and Zhang, M and Hochstrasser, M}, title = {The Biochemistry of Cytoplasmic Incompatibility Caused by Endosymbiotic Bacteria.}, journal = {Genes}, volume = {11}, number = {8}, pages = {}, pmid = {32722516}, issn = {2073-4425}, support = {R01 GM053756/GM/NIGMS NIH HHS/United States ; R35 GM136325/GM/NIGMS NIH HHS/United States ; GM046904 and GM053756/NH/NIH HHS/United States ; }, abstract = {Many species of arthropods carry maternally inherited bacterial endosymbionts that can influence host sexual reproduction to benefit the bacterium. The most well-known of such reproductive parasites is Wolbachia pipientis. Wolbachia are obligate intracellular α-proteobacteria found in nearly half of all arthropod species. This success has been attributed in part to their ability to manipulate host reproduction to favor infected females. Cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI), a phenomenon wherein Wolbachia infection renders males sterile when they mate with uninfected females, but not infected females (the rescue mating), appears to be the most common. CI provides a reproductive advantage to infected females in the presence of a threshold level of infected males. The molecular mechanisms of CI and other reproductive manipulations, such as male killing, parthenogenesis, and feminization, have remained mysterious for many decades. It had been proposed by Werren more than two decades ago that CI is caused by a Wolbachia-mediated sperm modification and that rescue is achieved by a Wolbachia-encoded rescue factor in the infected egg. In the past few years, new research has highlighted a set of syntenic Wolbachia gene pairs encoding CI-inducing factors (Cifs) as the key players for the induction of CI and its rescue. Within each Cif pair, the protein encoded by the upstream gene is denoted A and the downstream gene B. To date, two types of Cifs have been characterized based on the enzymatic activity identified in the B protein of each protein pair; one type encodes a deubiquitylase (thus named CI-inducing deubiquitylase or cid), and a second type encodes a nuclease (named CI-inducing nuclease or cin). The CidA and CinA proteins bind tightly and specifically to their respective CidB and CinB partners. In transgenic Drosophila melanogaster, the expression of either the Cid or Cin protein pair in the male germline induces CI and the expression of the cognate A protein in females is sufficient for rescue. With the identity of the Wolbachia CI induction and rescue factors now known, research in the field has turned to directed studies on the molecular mechanisms of CI, which we review here.}, }
@article {pmid32718933, year = {2020}, author = {Chung, M and Basting, PJ and Patkus, RS and Grote, A and Luck, AN and Ghedin, E and Slatko, BE and Michalski, M and Foster, JM and Bergman, CM and Hotopp, JCD}, title = {A Meta-Analysis of Wolbachia Transcriptomics Reveals a Stage-Specific Wolbachia Transcriptional Response Shared Across Different Hosts.}, journal = {G3 (Bethesda, Md.)}, volume = {10}, number = {9}, pages = {3243-3260}, pmid = {32718933}, issn = {2160-1836}, support = {U19 AI110820/AI/NIAID NIH HHS/United States ; }, abstract = {Wolbachia is a genus containing obligate, intracellular endosymbionts with arthropod and nematode hosts. Numerous studies have identified differentially expressed transcripts in Wolbachia endosymbionts that potentially inform the biological interplay between these endosymbionts and their hosts, albeit with discordant results. Here, we re-analyze previously published Wolbachia RNA-Seq transcriptomics data sets using a single workflow consisting of the most up-to-date algorithms and techniques, with the aim of identifying trends or patterns in the pan-Wolbachia transcriptional response. We find that data from one of the early studies in filarial nematodes did not allow for robust conclusions about Wolbachia differential expression with these methods, suggesting the original interpretations should be reconsidered. Across datasets analyzed with this unified workflow, there is a general lack of global gene regulation with the exception of a weak transcriptional response resulting in the upregulation of ribosomal proteins in early larval stages. This weak response is observed across diverse Wolbachia strains from both nematode and insect hosts suggesting a potential pan-Wolbachia transcriptional response during host development that diverged more than 700 million years ago.}, }
@article {pmid32712316, year = {2020}, author = {Taghikhani, R and Sharomi, O and Gumel, AB}, title = {Dynamics of a two-sex model for the population ecology of dengue mosquitoes in the presence of Wolbachia.}, journal = {Mathematical biosciences}, volume = {328}, number = {}, pages = {108426}, doi = {10.1016/j.mbs.2020.108426}, pmid = {32712316}, issn = {1879-3134}, abstract = {The release of Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes into the population of wild mosquitoes is one of the promising biological control method for combating the population abundance of mosquitoes that cause deadly diseases, such as dengue. In this study, a new two-sex mathematical model for the population ecology of dengue mosquitoes and disease is designed and used to assess the population-level impact of the periodic release of Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes. Rigorous analysis of the model, which incorporates many of the lifecycle features of dengue disease and the cytoplasmic incompatibility property of Wolbachia bacterium in mosquitoes, reveal that the disease-free equilibrium of the model is locally-asymptotically stable whenever a certain epidemiological threshold, known as the reproduction number of the model (denoted by R0W), is less than unity. The model is shown, using centre manifold theory, to undergo the phenomenon of backward bifurcation at R0W=1. The consequence of this bifurcation is that Wolbachia may not persist, or dengue disease may not be effectively-controlled, when R0W is less than unity. Such persistence and elimination will depend on the initial sizes of the sub-populations of the model. Two mechanisms were identified for which the backward bifurcation phenomenon can be removed. When backward bifurcation does not occur, the associated non-trivial disease-free equilibrium is shown to be globally-asymptotically stable when the reproduction number of the model is less than unity. Numerical simulations, using data relevant to dengue transmission dynamics in northern Queensland, Australia, shows that releasing Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes every three weeks, for a one-year duration, can lead to the effective control of the population abundance of the local wild mosquitoes, and that such effective control increases with increasing number of Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes released (resulting in the reduction of over 90% of the wild mosquito population from their baseline values). Furthermore, simulations show that releasing only adult male Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes provide more beneficial population-level impact (in terms of reducing the population abundance of the wild mosquitoes), in comparison to releasing adult female Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes. Increasing the frequency of Wolbachia release (e.g., from the default release frequency of every three weeks to weekly) does not significantly affect the effectiveness of the Wolbachia-based control program in curtailing the local abundance of the wild mosquitoes. Finally, it was shown that the cytoplasmic incompatibility property of Wolbachia bacterium does not significantly affect the effectiveness of the Wolbachia-based mosquito control strategy implemented in the community.}, }
@article {pmid32710084, year = {2020}, author = {Crawford, JE and Clarke, DW and Criswell, V and Desnoyer, M and Cornel, D and Deegan, B and Gong, K and Hopkins, KC and Howell, P and Hyde, JS and Livni, J and Behling, C and Benza, R and Chen, W and Dobson, KL and Eldershaw, C and Greeley, D and Han, Y and Hughes, B and Kakani, E and Karbowski, J and Kitchell, A and Lee, E and Lin, T and Liu, J and Lozano, M and MacDonald, W and Mains, JW and Metlitz, M and Mitchell, SN and Moore, D and Ohm, JR and Parkes, K and Porshnikoff, A and Robuck, C and Sheridan, M and Sobecki, R and Smith, P and Stevenson, J and Sullivan, J and Wasson, B and Weakley, AM and Wilhelm, M and Won, J and Yasunaga, A and Chan, WC and Holeman, J and Snoad, N and Upson, L and Zha, T and Dobson, SL and Mulligan, FS and Massaro, P and White, BJ}, title = {Author Correction: Efficient production of male Wolbachia-infected Aedes aegypti mosquitoes enables large-scale suppression of wild populations.}, journal = {Nature biotechnology}, volume = {38}, number = {8}, pages = {1000}, doi = {10.1038/s41587-020-0649-2}, pmid = {32710084}, issn = {1546-1696}, abstract = {An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.}, }
@article {pmid32708808, year = {2020}, author = {Lindsey, ARI}, title = {Sensing, Signaling, and Secretion: A Review and Analysis of Systems for Regulating Host Interaction in Wolbachia.}, journal = {Genes}, volume = {11}, number = {7}, pages = {}, pmid = {32708808}, issn = {2073-4425}, support = {R01AI144430//National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases/International ; }, abstract = {Wolbachia (Anaplasmataceae) is an endosymbiont of arthropods and nematodes that resides within host cells and is well known for manipulating host biology to facilitate transmission via the female germline. The effects Wolbachia has on host physiology, combined with reproductive manipulations, make this bacterium a promising candidate for use in biological- and vector-control. While it is becoming increasingly clear that Wolbachia's effects on host biology are numerous and vary according to the host and the environment, we know very little about the molecular mechanisms behind Wolbachia's interactions with its host. Here, I analyze 29 Wolbachia genomes for the presence of systems that are likely central to the ability of Wolbachia to respond to and interface with its host, including proteins for sensing, signaling, gene regulation, and secretion. Second, I review conditions under which Wolbachia alters gene expression in response to changes in its environment and discuss other instances where we might hypothesize Wolbachia to regulate gene expression. Findings will direct mechanistic investigations into gene regulation and host-interaction that will deepen our understanding of intracellular infections and enhance applied management efforts that leverage Wolbachia.}, }
@article {pmid32708688, year = {2020}, author = {Krafsur, AM and Ghosh, A and Brelsfoard, CL}, title = {Phenotypic Response of Wolbachia pipientis in a Cell-Free Medium.}, journal = {Microorganisms}, volume = {8}, number = {7}, pages = {}, pmid = {32708688}, issn = {2076-2607}, abstract = {Wolbachia, an obligate intracellular bacterium estimated to infect millions of arthropod species worldwide, is currently being utilized in novel control strategies to limit the transmission of Dengue and Zika viruses. A limitation for Wolbachia-based control approaches is the difficulty of transferring Wolbachia to novel hosts and the lack of tools for the genetic transformation of Wolbachia due to the inability to culture Wolbachia outside the insect host cell in an axenic media. Here, we applied extracellular Wolbachia to phenotypic microarrays to measure the metabolic response of Wolbachia in media formulations with different pH levels and supplementation with Casamino acids. Results suggested a pH of 6.5-6.8 and showed that the supplementation of 1 mg/mL casamino acids increased the survival and longevity of Wolbachia in an axenic medium. In addition, phenotypic microarrays are a useful tool to measure the phenotypic response of Wolbachia under different media conditions, as well as determine specific components that may be required for an axenic medium. This study is an initial step toward the development of a potential Wolbachia axenic culture system.}, }
@article {pmid32704304, year = {2020}, author = {Calamoneri, T and Gastaldello, M and Mary, A and Sagot, MF and Sinaimeri, B}, title = {Algorithms for the quantitative Lock/Key model of cytoplasmic incompatibility.}, journal = {Algorithms for molecular biology : AMB}, volume = {15}, number = {}, pages = {14}, pmid = {32704304}, issn = {1748-7188}, abstract = {Cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI) relates to the manipulation by the parasite Wolbachia of its host reproduction. Despite its widespread occurrence, the molecular basis of CI remains unclear and theoretical models have been proposed to understand the phenomenon. We consider in this paper the quantitative Lock-Key model which currently represents a good hypothesis that is consistent with the data available. CI is in this case modelled as the problem of covering the edges of a bipartite graph with the minimum number of chain subgraphs. This problem is already known to be NP-hard, and we provide an exponential algorithm with a non trivial complexity. It is frequent that depending on the dataset, there may be many optimal solutions which can be biologically quite different among them. To rely on a single optimal solution may therefore be problematic. To this purpose, we address the problem of enumerating (listing) all minimal chain subgraph covers of a bipartite graph and show that it can be solved in quasi-polynomial time. Interestingly, in order to solve the above problems, we considered also the problem of enumerating all the maximal chain subgraphs of a bipartite graph and improved on the current results in the literature for the latter. Finally, to demonstrate the usefulness of our methods we show an application on a real dataset.}, }
@article {pmid32694524, year = {2020}, author = {Ren, W and Wei, H and Yang, Y and Shao, S and Wu, H and Chen, X and Yang, Z}, title = {Molecular detection and phylogenetic analyses of Wolbachia in natural populations of nine galling Aphid species.}, journal = {Scientific reports}, volume = {10}, number = {1}, pages = {12025}, pmid = {32694524}, issn = {2045-2322}, mesh = {Animals ; Aphids/*microbiology ; Genes, Bacterial ; Genome, Bacterial ; *Phylogeny ; RNA, Bacterial ; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S/genetics ; Wolbachia/*classification/*genetics ; }, abstract = {Wolbachia is one of the most abundant facultative intracellular symbionts in arthropods. It alters host biology in diverse ways, including the induction of reproductive manipulation, association of nutrient supplier and protection against pathogens. Aphids are a group of insects which exhibit interesting biological characteristics such as complex life cycles, alteration of sexual and asexual reproduction and shifts between two different hosts. Wolbachia is widely present in many orders of insects, but so far limited studies on Wolbachia in aphids have been carried out. Galling aphids are a group of aphids that induce galls on their primary host plants at specific life stage. In this study, 15 natural populations representing nine galling aphid species were analyzed for the presence of Wolbachia using species-specific primer pairs. Wolbachia presence in galling aphids was quite low and varied significantly among aphid populations. Only three of the 15 populations we analyzed had detectable Wolbachia and the overall infection rate was 20%. Two Wolbachia strains, O and B, were identified from the galling aphids Kaburagia rhusicola and Schlechtendalia chinensis. Strain O was for the first time to be found in aphids, and it is likely involved with the life stages of galling aphids living in closed microenvironments with specific survival strategies that are different from free-living aphids.}, }
@article {pmid32690078, year = {2020}, author = {Huang, EYY and Wong, AYP and Lee, IHT and Qu, Z and Yip, HY and Leung, CW and Yin, SM and Hui, JHL}, title = {Infection patterns of dengue, Zika and endosymbiont Wolbachia in the mosquito Aedes albopictus in Hong Kong.}, journal = {Parasites &amp; vectors}, volume = {13}, number = {1}, pages = {361}, pmid = {32690078}, issn = {1756-3305}, abstract = {BACKGROUND: The mosquito Aedes albopictus is a vector of dengue and Zika viruses. Insecticide-resistant mosquito populations have evolved in recent decades, suggesting that new control strategies are needed. Hong Kong has a monsoon-influenced humid subtropical climate, which favours the spread of mosquitoes. However, baseline information on the composition and dynamics of the occurrence of endosymbiont Wolbachia in local Ae. albopictus is lacking, hindering the development of scientifically-informed control measures. This study identifies the presence and absence of dengue and Zika viruses, and Wolbachia infection in Aedes albopictus in Hong Kong.<br><br>METHODS: Oviposition traps were set at 57 areas in Hong Kong, and both immature and adult mosquitoes were collected on a monthly basis between April 2018 and April 2019 as the study sample. Each individual mosquito in this sample was processed and screened for the presence of the dengue and Zika viruses and the endosymbionts Wolbachia wAlbA and wAlbB with PCR.<br><br>RESULTS: Totals of 967 and 984 mosquitoes were tested respectively for the presence of dengue and Zika viruses, and no trace of either infection was found in these samples. The presence of wAlbA and wAlbB was also tested in 1582 individuals. Over 80% of these individuals were found to be stably infected with Wolbachia throughout the thirteen-month collection period (~ 47% singly-infected; ~ 36.8% doubly infected with both wAlbA and wAlbB).<br><br>CONCLUSIONS: The high degree of Wolbachia wAlbA and wAlbB infection in Ae. albopictus mosquitoes in Hong Kong, coupled with the absence of any signs of infection by dengue and Zika viruses, contrasts significantly with the pattern of mosquito infection in other parts of Asia. Further studies of the infection pattern in local mosquitoes are warranted before mosquito control strategies used in other regions are implemented in Hong Kong.}, }
@article {pmid32689950, year = {2020}, author = {Morrow, JL and Om, N and Beattie, GAC and Chambers, GA and Donovan, NJ and Liefting, LW and Riegler, M and Holford, P}, title = {Characterization of the bacterial communities of psyllids associated with Rutaceae in Bhutan by high throughput sequencing.}, journal = {BMC microbiology}, volume = {20}, number = {1}, pages = {215}, pmid = {32689950}, issn = {1471-2180}, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Several plant-pathogenic bacteria are transmitted by insect vector species that often also act as hosts. In this interface, these bacteria encounter plant endophytic, insect endosymbiotic and other microbes. Here, we used high throughput sequencing to examine the bacterial communities of five different psyllids associated with citrus and related plants of Rutaceae in Bhutan: Diaphorina citri, Diaphorina communis, Cornopsylla rotundiconis, Cacopsylla heterogena and an unidentified Cacopsylla sp.<br><br>RESULTS: The microbiomes of the psyllids largely comprised their obligate P-endosymbiont 'Candidatus Carsonella ruddii', and one or two S-endosymbionts that are fixed and specific to each lineage. In addition, all contained Wolbachia strains; the Bhutanese accessions of D. citri were dominated by a Wolbachia strain first found in American isolates of D. citri, while D. communis accessions were dominated by the Wolbachia strain, wDi, first detected in D. citri from China. The S-endosymbionts from the five psyllids grouped with those from other psyllid taxa; all D. citri and D. communis individuals contained sequences matching 'Candidatus Profftella armatura' that has previously only been reported from other Diaphorina species, and the remaining psyllid species contained OTUs related to unclassified Enterobacteriaceae. The plant pathogenic 'Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus' was found in D. citri but not in D. communis. Furthermore, an unidentified 'Candidatus Liberibacter sp.' occurred at low abundance in both Co. rotundiconis and the unidentified Cacopsylla sp. sampled from Zanthoxylum sp.; the status of this new liberibacter as a plant pathogen and its potential plant hosts are currently unknown. The bacterial communities of Co. rotundiconis also contained a range of OTUs with similarities to bacteria previously found in samples taken from various environmental sources.<br><br>CONCLUSIONS: The bacterial microbiota detected in these Bhutanese psyllids support the trends that have been seen in previous studies: psyllids have microbiomes largely comprising their obligate P-endosymbiont and one or two S-endosymbionts. In addition, the association with plant pathogens has been demonstrated, with the detection of liberibacters in a known host, D. citri, and identification of a putative new species of liberibacter in Co. rotundiconis and Cacopsylla sp.}, }
@article {pmid32649049, year = {2020}, author = {Nguyen, HM and Theppannga, W and Vongphayloth, K and Douangngeun, B and Blacksell, SD and Robinson, MT}, title = {Screening of ectoparasites from domesticated dogs for bacterial pathogens in Vientiane, Lao PDR.}, journal = {Zoonoses and public health}, volume = {67}, number = {8}, pages = {862-868}, doi = {10.1111/zph.12753}, pmid = {32649049}, issn = {1863-2378}, support = {106698/Z/14/Z//Wellcome/ ; //Lao Tropical and Public Health Institute/ ; }, abstract = {Arthropod-borne diseases are widespread worldwide and are a complex interaction between animals, humans and ectoparasites. The understanding of the diversity and epidemiology of organisms transmitted by arthropod vectors, and the role of hosts and vectors in transmission of infections remain limited in Lao PDR. What knowledge does exist is primarily focused on more rural regions of the country. This study screened ectoparasites from domestic dogs in Vientiane city for the presence of bacterial pathogens of zoonotic importance. A total of 3,511 arthropod vectors were collected from 112 dogs. Vectors collected were Rhipicephalus sanguineus ticks, Ctenocephalides felis felis and Ctenocephalides felis orientis fleas and Heterodoxus spiniger lice. A sub-sample of vectors from each dog was analysed by PCR to identify the potential bacteria. From 129 vector pools, Rickettsia spp. was detected in 6.7% (7/105) pools of ticks, 86.4% (19/22) pools of fleas and both pools of lice. Sequencing analysis confirmed Rickettsia felis in 13 flea pools and one louse pool and Rickettsia asembonensis in six flea pools. Anaplasmataceae was identified in 14.3% (15/105) tick pools and 100% (22/22) flea pools. Sequencing revealed the presence of Anaplasma platys in ticks and Wolbachia pipientis in fleas. Leptospira spp. was detected in one tick and one louse pool, and Brucella spp. was detected in 12.4% (13/105) tick pools. All samples were negative for Bartonella spp., Coxiella burnetii and Borrelia burgdorferi. This is the first study providing evidence of R. asembonensis in fleas in Laos. Results from this study show arthropods are potential vectors to transmit zoonotic infection in Vientiane city, suggesting humans are at risk of zoonotic infections in the city.}, }
@article {pmid32647904, year = {2020}, author = {Félix, ML and Armúa-Fernández, MT and Parodi, P and Bazzano, V and Mangold, AJ and Venzal, JM}, title = {Detection of a putative novel genotype of Anaplasma in gray-brocket deer (Mazama gouazoubira) from Uruguay.}, journal = {Experimental &amp; applied acarology}, volume = {81}, number = {4}, pages = {575-583}, doi = {10.1007/s10493-020-00523-0}, pmid = {32647904}, issn = {1572-9702}, support = {Programa Iniciación a la Investigación 2017, Project ID 160//Comisión Sectorial de Investigación Científica/ ; }, mesh = {*Anaplasma/genetics ; Animals ; Deer/*microbiology ; Genotype ; Phylogeny ; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S/genetics ; Uruguay ; }, abstract = {Anaplasmataceae includes the genera Anaplasma, Ehrlichia, Neorickettsia and Wolbachia, comprising a group of obligate intracellular bacteria. The genus Anaplasma has pathogenic species transmitted by ticks of veterinary and human health importance. Wild ungulates such as deer represent important reservoirs and amplifiers of Anaplasmataceae. The interaction between deer and domestic ruminants represents a serious problem due to the transmission of these pathogens through their ectoparasites. In the present study, we investigated the presence of Anaplasmataceae organisms in blood, tissues and tick samples of a gray-brocket deer (Mazama gouazoubira). The specimen was found dead in a farm in northeast Uruguay. PCRs targeting partial regions of 16S rRNA and groESL genes were carried out for Anaplasmataceae DNA detection. Moreover, several ectoparasites were identified: the chewing louse Tricholipeurus albimarginatus, the Neotropical deer louse fly Lipoptena mazamae, and the ticks Haemaphysalis juxtakochi and Rhipicephalus microplus. A consensus sequence of 1274 bp of 16S rRNA was generated for Anaplasma sp. from the M. gouazoubira blood sample. All ticks analysed by PCR assays were negative. No band was detected in any of the samples after PCR targeting groESL gene. Phylogenetic analysis using 16S rRNA partial gene sequences, clustered the putative novel genotype sequence obtained in this study, named Anaplasma sp. genotype Mazama-Uruguay, along with Anaplasma sp. detected in Mazama sp., Mazama americana and Mazama bororo, all deer species from Brazil. Furthermore, this cluster showed to be closely related to Anaplasma bovis sequences obtained from various ruminants and other mammals from several parts of the world. The pathogenicity as well as its infecting potential to other cervids or domestic ruminants is currently unknown. Further studies should be performed in order to characterize this novel species, especially targeting other genes.}, }
@article {pmid32641039, year = {2020}, author = {Brady, OJ and Kharisma, DD and Wilastonegoro, NN and O'Reilly, KM and Hendrickx, E and Bastos, LS and Yakob, L and Shepard, DS}, title = {The cost-effectiveness of controlling dengue in Indonesia using wMel Wolbachia released at scale: a modelling study.}, journal = {BMC medicine}, volume = {18}, number = {1}, pages = {186}, pmid = {32641039}, issn = {1741-7015}, support = {OP1183567//Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation/International ; OPP1187889//Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation/International ; 206471/Z/17/Z//Wellcome Trust (GB)/International ; }, mesh = {Animals ; Cost-Benefit Analysis/*methods ; Dengue/*economics/epidemiology/*therapy ; Humans ; Indonesia/epidemiology ; Wolbachia/*pathogenicity ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Release of virus-blocking Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes is an emerging disease control strategy that aims to control dengue and other arboviral infections. Early entomological data and modelling analyses have suggested promising outcomes, and wMel Wolbachia releases are now ongoing or planned in 12 countries. To help inform government, donor, or philanthropist decisions on scale-up beyond single city releases, we assessed this technology's cost-effectiveness under alternative programmatic options.<br><br>METHODS: Using costing data from existing Wolbachia releases, previous dynamic model-based estimates of Wolbachia effectiveness, and a spatially explicit model of release and surveillance requirements, we predicted the costs and effectiveness of the ongoing programme in Yogyakarta City and three new hypothetical programmes in Yogyakarta Special Autonomous Region, Jakarta, and Bali.<br><br>RESULTS: We predicted Wolbachia to be a highly cost-effective intervention when deployed in high-density urban areas with gross cost-effectiveness below $1500 per DALY averted. When offsets from the health system and societal perspective were included, such programmes even became cost saving over 10-year time horizons with favourable benefit-cost ratios of 1.35 to 3.40. Sequencing Wolbachia releases over 10 years could reduce programme costs by approximately 38% compared to simultaneous releases everywhere, but also delays the benefits. Even if unexpected challenges occurred during deployment, such as emergence of resistance in the medium-term or low effective coverage, Wolbachia would remain a cost-saving intervention.<br><br>CONCLUSIONS: Wolbachia releases in high-density urban areas are expected to be highly cost-effective and could potentially be the first cost-saving intervention for dengue. Sites with strong public health infrastructure, fiscal capacity, and community support should be prioritised.}, }
@article {pmid32640111, year = {2020}, author = {Liu, G and Tan, FH and Lau, SA and Jaafar, MH and Chung, FY and Azzam, G and Liong, MT and Li, Y}, title = {Lactic acid bacteria feeding reversed the malformed eye structures and ameliorated gut microbiota profiles of Drosophila melanogaster Alzheimer's Disease model.}, journal = {Journal of applied microbiology}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1111/jam.14773}, pmid = {32640111}, issn = {1365-2672}, abstract = {AIMS: To utilize transgenic GMR-Aβ42 Drosophila melanogaster as a model to evaluate potential Alzheimer's disease (AD)-reversal effects via the administration of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) strains, and associations of LAB with changes in gut microbiota profiles.<br><br>METHODS AND RESULTS: Wild type flies (Oregon-R) was crossed with glass multimer reporter-GAL4 (GMR-GAL4) to produce GMR-OreR (Control), while UAS-Aβ42 (#33769) crossed with GMR-GAL4 to produce transgenic Drosophila line that expressed Aβ42 (GMR-Aβ42). Feed containing seven different LAB strains (Lactobacillus paracasei 0291, Lactobacillus helveticus 1515, Lactobacillus reuteri CDV, Lactobacillus reuteri 8513d, Lactobacillus fermentum 8312, Lactobacillus casei Y, Lactobacillus sakei Probio65) were given to GMR-Aβ42 respectively, while feed without LAB strains were given to control and transgenic GMR-Aβ42.nf Drosophila lines. The morphology of the eyes was viewed with scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The changes in gut microbiota profiles associated with LAB were analyzed using 16s high throughput sequencing. Malformation of eye structures in transgenic GMR-Aβ42 Drosophila were reversed upon the administration of LAB strains, with more prevalent effects from Lactobacillus sakei Probio65 and Lactobacillus paracasei 0291. The GMR-Aβ42.nf group showed dominance of Wolbachia in the gut, a genus that was almost absent in the normal control group (P<0.05). The administration of L. sakei Probio65 and L. paracasei 0291 reduced the abundance of Wolbachia accompanied by increased abundance of Stenotrophomonas and Acetobacter (P<0.05), resembling the microbial profile of the control group.<br><br>CONCLUSIONS: L. sakei Probio65 and L. paracasei 0291 have more prominent effects in reversing malformed eye of transgenic GMR-Aβ42 Drosophila, and reducing the abundance of Wolbachia accompanied by an increased abundance of Stenotrophomonas and Acetobacter.<br><br>Potentials of LAB to prevent and/or alleviate the onset and pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases such as AD, supporting brain health strategies along the gut-brain axis.}, }
@article {pmid32639986, year = {2020}, author = {Gunderson, EL and Vogel, I and Chappell, L and Bulman, CA and Lim, KC and Luo, M and Whitman, JD and Franklin, C and Choi, YJ and Lefoulon, E and Clark, T and Beerntsen, B and Slatko, B and Mitreva, M and Sullivan, W and Sakanari, JA}, title = {The endosymbiont Wolbachia rebounds following antibiotic treatment.}, journal = {PLoS pathogens}, volume = {16}, number = {7}, pages = {e1008623}, pmid = {32639986}, issn = {1553-7374}, mesh = {Animals ; Brugia pahangi/*microbiology ; Female ; Filariasis/*microbiology ; Filaricides/*pharmacology ; Gerbillinae ; Rifampin/*pharmacology ; Wolbachia/*drug effects ; }, abstract = {Antibiotic treatment has emerged as a promising strategy to sterilize and kill filarial nematodes due to their dependence on their endosymbiotic bacteria, Wolbachia. Several studies have shown that novel and FDA-approved antibiotics are efficacious at depleting the filarial nematodes of their endosymbiont, thus reducing female fecundity. However, it remains unclear if antibiotics can permanently deplete Wolbachia and cause sterility for the lifespan of the adult worms. Concerns about resistance arising from mass drug administration necessitate a careful exploration of potential Wolbachia recrudescence. In the present study, we investigated the long-term effects of the FDA-approved antibiotic, rifampicin, in the Brugia pahangi jird model of infection. Initially, rifampicin treatment depleted Wolbachia in adult worms and simultaneously impaired female worm fecundity. However, during an 8-month washout period, Wolbachia titers rebounded and embryogenesis returned to normal. Genome sequence analyses of Wolbachia revealed that despite the population bottleneck and recovery, no genetic changes occurred that could account for the rebound. Clusters of densely packed Wolbachia within the worm's ovarian tissues were observed by confocal microscopy and remained in worms treated with rifampicin, suggesting that they may serve as privileged sites that allow Wolbachia to persist in worms while treated with antibiotic. To our knowledge, these clusters have not been previously described and may be the source of the Wolbachia rebound.}, }
@article {pmid32635864, year = {2020}, author = {Rosenwald, LC and Sitvarin, MI and White, JA}, title = {Endosymbiotic Rickettsiella causes cytoplasmic incompatibility in a spider host.}, journal = {Proceedings. Biological sciences}, volume = {287}, number = {1930}, pages = {20201107}, pmid = {32635864}, issn = {1471-2954}, mesh = {Animals ; Coxiellaceae/*physiology ; Cytoplasm/*microbiology ; Female ; Host-Pathogen Interactions ; Male ; Spiders/*microbiology ; Symbiosis ; }, abstract = {Many arthropod hosts are infected with bacterial endosymbionts that manipulate host reproduction, but few bacterial taxa have been shown to cause such manipulations. Here, we show that a bacterial strain in the genus Rickettsiella causes cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI) between infected and uninfected hosts. We first surveyed the bacterial community of the agricultural spider Mermessus fradeorum (Linyphiidae) using high throughput sequencing and found that individual spiders can be infected with up to five different strains of maternally inherited symbiont from the genera Wolbachia, Rickettsia, and Rickettsiella. The Rickettsiella strain was pervasive, found in all 23 tested spider matrilines. We used antibiotic curing to generate uninfected matrilines that we reciprocally crossed with individuals infected only with Rickettsiella. We found that only 13% of eggs hatched when uninfected females were mated with Rickettsiella-infected males; in contrast, at least 83% of eggs hatched in the other cross types. This is the first documentation of Rickettsiella, or any Gammaproteobacteria, causing CI. We speculate that induction of CI may be much more widespread among maternally inherited bacteria than previously appreciated. Further, our results reinforce the importance of thoroughly characterizing and assessing the inherited microbiome before attributing observed host phenotypes to well-characterized symbionts such as Wolbachia.}, }
@article {pmid32631404, year = {2020}, author = {Faria Waziry, PA and Raja, A and Salmon, C and Aldana, N and Damodar, S and Fukushima, AR and Mayi, BS}, title = {Impact of pyriproxyfen on virus behavior: implications for pesticide-induced virulence and mechanism of transmission.}, journal = {Virology journal}, volume = {17}, number = {1}, pages = {93}, pmid = {32631404}, issn = {1743-422X}, abstract = {BACKGROUND: More than 3 years since the last Zika virus (ZIKV) outbreak in Brazil, researchers are still deciphering the molecular mechanisms of neurovirulence and vertical transmission, as well as the best way to control spread of ZIKV, a flavivirus. The use of pesticides was the main strategy of mosquito control during the last ZIKV outbreak.<br><br>METHODS: We used vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) tagged with green fluorescent protein (GFP) as our prototypical virus to study the impact of insecticide pyriproxyfen (PPF). VZV-GFP infected and uninfected Jurkat, HeLa and trophoblast cells were treated with PPF and compared to untreated cells (control). Cell viability was determined by the MTT assay. Cell morphology, presence of extracellular vesicles (EVs), virus infection/GFP expression as well as active mitochondrial levels/localization were examined by confocal microscopy.<br><br>RESULTS: PPF, which was used to control mosquito populations in Brazil prior to the ZIKV outbreak, enhances VSV replication and has cell membrane-altering properties in the presence of virus. PPF causes enhanced viral replication and formation of large EVs, loaded with virus as well as mitochondria. Treatment of trophoblasts or HeLa cells with increasing concentrations of PPF does not alter cell viability, however, it proportionately increases Jurkat cell viability. Increasing concentrations of PPF followed by VSV infection does not interfere with HeLa cell viability. Both Jurkats and trophoblasts show proportionately increased cell death with increased concentrations of PPF in the presence of virus.<br><br>CONCLUSIONS: We hypothesize that PPF disrupts the lipid microenvironment of mammalian cells, thereby interfering with pathways of viral replication. PPF lowers viability of trophoblasts and Jurkats in the presence of VSV, implying that the combination renders immune system impairment in infected individuals as well as enhanced vulnerability of fetuses towards viral vertical transmission. We hypothesize that similar viruses such as ZIKV may be vertically transmitted via EV-to-cell contact when exposed to PPF, thereby bypassing immune detection. The impact of pesticides on viral replication must be fully investigated before large scale use in future outbreaks of mosquito borne viruses.}, }
@article {pmid32630209, year = {2020}, author = {Khoo, JJ and Kurtti, TJ and Husin, NA and Beliavskaia, A and Lim, FS and Zulkifli, MMS and Al-Khafaji, AM and Hartley, C and Darby, AC and Hughes, GL and AbuBakar, S and Makepeace, BL and Bell-Sakyi, L}, title = {Isolation and Propagation of Laboratory Strains and a Novel Flea-Derived Field Strain of Wolbachia in Tick Cell Lines.}, journal = {Microorganisms}, volume = {8}, number = {7}, pages = {}, pmid = {32630209}, issn = {2076-2607}, support = {MO002-2019//Ministry of Education, Malaysia/ ; 332192305//Malaysian Industry - Government Group for High Technology/ ; R21 AI138074/AI/NIAID NIH HHS/United States ; BB/P024378/1/BB_/Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council/United Kingdom ; R21 AI129507/AI/NIAID NIH HHS/United States ; BB/T001240/1/BB_/Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council/United Kingdom ; BB/P024270/1/BB_/Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council/United Kingdom ; 332192305//Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, UK Government/ ; }, abstract = {Wolbachia are intracellular endosymbionts of several invertebrate taxa, including insects and nematodes. Although Wolbachia DNA has been detected in ticks, its presence is generally associated with parasitism by insects. To determine whether or not Wolbachia can infect and grow in tick cells, cell lines from three tick species, Ixodes scapularis, Ixodes ricinus and Rhipicephalus microplus, were inoculated with Wolbachia strains wStri and wAlbB isolated from mosquito cell lines. Homogenates prepared from fleas collected from cats in Malaysia were inoculated into an I. scapularis cell line. Bacterial growth and identity were monitored by microscopy and PCR amplification and sequencing of fragments of Wolbachia genes. The wStri strain infected Ixodes spp. cells and was maintained through 29 passages. The wAlbB strain successfully infected Ixodes spp. and R. microplus cells and was maintained through 2-5 passages. A novel strain of Wolbachia belonging to the supergroup F, designated wCfeF, was isolated in I. scapularis cells from a pool of Ctenocephalides sp. cat fleas and maintained in vitro through two passages over nine months. This is the first confirmed isolation of a Wolbachia strain from a flea and the first isolation of any Wolbachia strain outside the &quot;pandemic&quot; A and B supergroups. The study demonstrates that tick cells can host multiple Wolbachia strains, and can be added to panels of insect cell lines to improve success rates in isolation of field strains of Wolbachia.}, }
@article {pmid32616636, year = {2020}, author = {Lebov, JF and Mattick, J and Libro, S and Sparklin, BC and Chung, M and Bromley, RE and Nadendla, S and Zhao, X and Ott, S and Sadzewicz, L and Tallon, LJ and Michalski, ML and Foster, JM and Dunning Hotopp, JC}, title = {Complete Genome Sequence of wBp, the Wolbachia Endosymbiont of Brugia pahangi FR3.}, journal = {Microbiology resource announcements}, volume = {9}, number = {27}, pages = {}, pmid = {32616636}, issn = {2576-098X}, support = {U19 AI110820/AI/NIAID NIH HHS/United States ; }, abstract = {Lymphatic filariasis is a devastating disease caused by filarial nematode roundworms, which contain obligate Wolbachia endosymbionts. Here, we assembled the genome of wBp, the Wolbachia endosymbiont of the filarial nematode Brugia pahangi, from Illumina, Pacific Biosciences, and Oxford Nanopore data. The complete, circular genome is 1,072,967 bp.}, }
@article {pmid32616041, year = {2020}, author = {Duan, XZ and Sun, JT and Wang, LT and Shu, XH and Guo, Y and Keiichiro, M and Zhu, YX and Bing, XL and Hoffmann, AA and Hong, XY}, title = {Recent infection by Wolbachia alters microbial communities in wild Laodelphax striatellus populations.}, journal = {Microbiome}, volume = {8}, number = {1}, pages = {104}, pmid = {32616041}, issn = {2049-2618}, support = {31672035 and 31871976//National Natural Science Foundation of China/International ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Host-associated microbial communities play an important role in the fitness of insect hosts. However, the factors shaping microbial communities in wild populations, including genetic background, ecological factors, and interactions among microbial species, remain largely unknown.<br><br>RESULTS: Here, we surveyed microbial communities of the small brown planthopper (SBPH, Laodelphax striatellus) across 17 geographical populations in China and Japan by using 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing. Using structural equation models (SEM) and Mantel analyses, we show that variation in microbial community structure is likely associated with longitude, annual mean precipitation (Bio12), and mitochondrial DNA variation. However, a Wolbachia infection, which is spreading to northern populations of SBPH, seems to have a relatively greater role than abiotic factors in shaping microbial community structure, leading to sharp decreases in bacterial taxon diversity and abundance in host-associated microbial communities. Comparative RNA-Seq analyses between Wolbachia-infected and -uninfected strains indicate that the Wolbachia do not seem to alter the immune reaction of SBPH, although Wolbachia affected expression of metabolism genes.<br><br>CONCLUSION: Together, our results identify potential factors and interactions among different microbial species in the microbial communities of SBPH, which can have effects on insect physiology, ecology, and evolution. Video Abstract.}, }
@article {pmid32605600, year = {2020}, author = {Lefoulon, E and Clark, T and Borveto, F and Perriat-Sanguinet, M and Moulia, C and Slatko, BE and Gavotte, L}, title = {Pseudoscorpion Wolbachia symbionts: diversity and evidence for a new supergroup S.}, journal = {BMC microbiology}, volume = {20}, number = {1}, pages = {188}, pmid = {32605600}, issn = {1471-2180}, support = {-//New England Biolabs/International ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Wolbachia are the most widely spread endosymbiotic bacteria, present in a wide variety of insects and two families of nematodes. As of now, however, relatively little genomic data has been available. The Wolbachia symbiont can be parasitic, as described for many arthropod systems, an obligate mutualist, as in filarial nematodes or a combination of both in some organisms. They are currently classified into 16 monophyletic lineage groups (&quot;supergroups&quot;). Although the nature of these symbioses remains largely unknown, expanded Wolbachia genomic data will contribute to understanding their diverse symbiotic mechanisms and evolution.<br><br>RESULTS: This report focuses on Wolbachia infections in three pseudoscorpion species infected by two distinct groups of Wolbachia strains, based upon multi-locus phylogenies. Geogarypus minor harbours wGmin and Chthonius ischnocheles harbours wCisc, both closely related to supergroup H, while Atemnus politus harbours wApol, a member of a novel supergroup S along with Wolbachia from the pseudoscorpion Cordylochernes scorpioides (wCsco). Wolbachia supergroup S is most closely related to Wolbachia supergroups C and F. Using target enrichment by hybridization with Wolbachia-specific biotinylated probes to capture large fragments of Wolbachia DNA, we produced two draft genomes of wApol. Annotation of wApol highlights presence of a biotin operon, which is incomplete in many sequenced Wolbachia genomes.<br><br>CONCLUSIONS: The present study highlights at least two symbiont acquisition events among pseudoscorpion species. Phylogenomic analysis indicates that the Wolbachia from Atemnus politus (wApol), forms a separate supergroup (&quot;S&quot;) with the Wolbachia from Cordylochernes scorpioides (wCsco). Interestingly, the biotin operon, present in wApol, appears to have been horizontally transferred multiple times along Wolbachia evolutionary history.}, }
@article {pmid32604846, year = {2020}, author = {Kirik, H and Tummeleht, L and Lilja, T and Kurina, O}, title = {Novel Mitochondrial DNA Lineage Found among Ochlerotatus communis (De Geer, 1776) of the Nordic-Baltic Region.}, journal = {Insects}, volume = {11}, number = {6}, pages = {}, pmid = {32604846}, issn = {2075-4450}, support = {IUT21-1//Eesti Teadusagentuur/ ; 8P160014VLVP//Eesti Maaülikool/ ; }, abstract = {The Ochlerotatus (Oc.) communis complex consist of three Northern American species as well as a common Holarctic mosquito (Diptera: Culicidae) Oc. communis (De Geer, 1776). These sister species exhibit important ecological differences and are capable of transmitting various pathogens, but cannot always be differentiated by morphological traits. To investigate the Oc. communis complex in Europe, we compared three molecular markers (COI, ND5 and ITS2) from 54 Estonian mosquitoes as well as two COI marker sequences from Sweden. These sequences were subjected to phylogenetic analysis and screened for Wolbachia Hertig and Wolbach symbionts. Within and between groups, distances were calculated for each marker to better understand the relationships among individuals. Results demonstrate that a group of samples, extracted from adult female mosquitoes matching the morphology of Oc. communis, show a marked difference from the main species when comparing the mitochondrial markers COI and ND5. However, there is no variance between the same specimens when considering the nuclear ITS2. We conclude that Oc. communis encompasses two distinct mitochondrial DNA lineages in the Nordic-Baltic region. Further research is needed to investigate the origin and extent of these genetic differences.}, }
@article {pmid32601334, year = {2020}, author = {Herran, B and Geniez, S and Delaunay, C and Raimond, M and Lesobre, J and Bertaux, J and Slatko, B and Grève, P}, title = {The shutting down of the insulin pathway: a developmental window for Wolbachia load and feminization.}, journal = {Scientific reports}, volume = {10}, number = {1}, pages = {10551}, pmid = {32601334}, issn = {2045-2322}, mesh = {Animals ; Feminization/*metabolism ; Insulin/*metabolism ; Insulin Resistance/*physiology ; Isopoda/*metabolism ; Male ; Signal Transduction/physiology ; Wolbachia ; }, abstract = {Using the isopod Armadillidium vulgare as a case study, we review the significance of the &quot;bacterial dosage model&quot;, which connects the expression of the extended phenotype to the rise of the Wolbachia load. In isopods, the Insulin-like Androgenic Gland hormone (IAG) induces male differentiation: Wolbachia feminizes males through insulin resistance, presumably through defunct insulin receptors. This should prevent an autocrine development of the androgenic glands so that females differentiate instead: feminization should translate as IAG silencing and increased Wolbachia load in the same developmental window. In line with the autocrine model, uninfected males expressed IAG from the first larval stage on, long before the androgenic gland primordia begin to differentiate, and exponentially throughout development. In contrast in infected males, expression fully stopped at stage 4 (juvenile), when male differentiation begins. This co-occurred with the only significant rise in the Wolbachia load throughout the life-stages. Concurrently, the raw expression of the bacterial Secretion Systems co-increased, but they were not over-expressed relative to the number of bacteria. The isopod model leads to formulate the &quot;bacterial dosage model&quot; throughout extended phenotypes as the conjunction between bacterial load as the mode of action, timing of multiplication (pre/post-zygotic), and site of action (soma vs. germen).}, }
@article {pmid32599512, year = {2020}, author = {Ferreira, AG and Fairlie, S and Moreira, LA}, title = {Insect vectors endosymbionts as solutions against diseases.}, journal = {Current opinion in insect science}, volume = {40}, number = {}, pages = {56-61}, doi = {10.1016/j.cois.2020.05.014}, pmid = {32599512}, issn = {2214-5753}, mesh = {Animals ; Communicable Disease Control/*methods ; Disease Transmission, Infectious/*prevention &amp; control ; Humans ; Insect Vectors/*physiology ; Insecta/*physiology ; *Symbiosis ; Wolbachia/*physiology ; }, abstract = {Viral diseases transmitted by mosquitoes, known as arboviruses, pose a significant threat to human life and are a major burden on many health systems around the world. Currently, arbovirus control strategies rely on insecticides or vector source reduction and, in the absence of effective, accessible and affordable vaccines, mainly on symptomatic based, non-specific treatments. However, insecticides have the potential to interfere with non-target organisms, cause environmental toxicity and insecticide resistance reduces their effectiveness as a sustainable control method. Complementary and sustainable strategies are urgently needed. Wolbachia, an invertebrate endosymbiont, has been used as an alternative strategy for arboviral control, through suppression or modification of mosquito populations. Here we discuss the burden that arboviruses impose on human populations and how Wolbachia can be used as a sustainable strategy for control, in alignment with the United Nations- 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.}, }
@article {pmid32597701, year = {2020}, author = {Liu, Y and Guo, Z and El Smaily, M and Wang, L}, title = {A Wolbachia infection model with free boundary.}, journal = {Journal of biological dynamics}, volume = {14}, number = {1}, pages = {515-542}, doi = {10.1080/17513758.2020.1784474}, pmid = {32597701}, issn = {1751-3766}, abstract = {Scientists have been seeking ways to use Wolbachia to eliminate the mosquitoes that spread human diseases. Could Wolbachia be the determining factor in controlling the mosquito-borne infectious diseases? To answer this question mathematically, we develop a reaction-diffusion model with free boundary in a one-dimensional environment. We divide the female mosquito population into two groups: one is the uninfected mosquito population that grows in the whole region while the other is the mosquito population infected with Wolbachia that occupies a finite small region. The mosquito population infected with Wolbachia invades the environment with a spreading front governed by a free boundary satisfying the well-known one-phase Stefan condition. For the resulting free boundary problem, we establish criteria under which spreading and vanishing occur. Our results provide useful insights on designing a feasible mosquito releasing strategy that infects the whole mosquito population with Wolbachia and eradicates the mosquito-borne diseases eventually.}, }
@article {pmid32589643, year = {2020}, author = {Ajene, IJ and Khamis, FM and van Asch, B and Pietersen, G and Rasowo, BA and Ombura, FL and Wairimu, AW and Akutse, KS and Sétamou, M and Mohamed, S and Ekesi, S}, title = {Microbiome diversity in Diaphorina citri populations from Kenya and Tanzania shows links to China.}, journal = {PloS one}, volume = {15}, number = {6}, pages = {e0235348}, pmid = {32589643}, issn = {1932-6203}, mesh = {Animals ; *Biodiversity ; China ; Drug Resistance, Microbial/genetics ; Hemiptera/*microbiology ; Insect Vectors/microbiology ; Kenya ; *Microbiota/drug effects/genetics ; *Phylogeny ; Plant Diseases/microbiology ; Sequence Analysis ; Symbiosis ; Tanzania ; }, abstract = {The Asian citrus psyllid (Diaphorina citri) is a key pest of Citrus spp. worldwide, as it acts as a vector for &quot;Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus (Las)&quot;, the bacterial pathogen associated with the destructive Huanglongbing (HLB) disease. Recent detection of D. citri in Africa and reports of Las-associated HLB in Ethiopia suggest that the citrus industry on the continent is under imminent threat. Endosymbionts and gut bacteria play key roles in the biology of arthropods, especially with regards to vector-pathogen interactions and resistance to antibiotics. Thus, we aim to profile the bacterial genera and to identify antibiotic resistance genes within the microbiome of different populations worldwide of D. citri. The metagenome of D. citri was sequenced using the Oxford Nanopore full-length 16S metagenomics protocol, and the &quot;What's in my pot&quot; (WIMP) analysis pipeline. Microbial diversity within and between D. citri populations was assessed, and antibiotic resistance genes were identified using the WIMP-ARMA workflow. The most abundant genera were key endosymbionts of D. citri (&quot;Candidatus Carsonella&quot;, &quot;Candidatus Profftella&quot;, and Wolbachia). The Shannon diversity index showed that D. citri from Tanzania had the highest diversity of bacterial genera (1.92), and D. citri from China had the lowest (1.34). The Bray-Curtis dissimilarity showed that China and Kenya represented the most diverged populations, while the populations from Kenya and Tanzania were the least diverged. The WIMP-ARMA analyses generated 48 CARD genes from 13 bacterial species in each of the populations. Spectinomycin resistance genes were the most frequently found, with an average of 65.98% in all the populations. These findings add to the knowledge on the diversity of the African D. citri populations and the probable introduction source of the psyllid in these African countries.}, }
@article {pmid32588179, year = {2020}, author = {Aydın, MF and Altay, K and Aytmirzakizi, A and Dumanlı, N}, title = {First Molecular Detection of Dirofilaria immitis and D. repens in Dogs from Kyrgyzstan.}, journal = {Acta parasitologica}, volume = {65}, number = {4}, pages = {949-953}, doi = {10.1007/s11686-020-00245-8}, pmid = {32588179}, issn = {1896-1851}, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Dirofilaria immitis and Dirofilaria repens are the causative agents of cardiopulmonary and subcutaneous dirofilariosis, respectively. This neglected disease mainly seen in dogs, cats and wild carnivores is re-emerging recent years. No study was conducted on dirofilariosis in dogs in Kyrgyzstan.<br><br>PURPOSE: The goal of this study was to investigate Dirofilaria species using PCR and sequencing in dogs from Kyrgyzstan.<br><br>METHOD: Dirofilaria spp. infection in dogs was screened via convential PCR and sequencing in 337 dogs from Kyrgyzstan.<br><br>RESULT: The overall prevalence of Dirofilaria spp. was 0.59% (2/337): DNA of D. immitis was detected in one sample and DNA of D. repens in second positive sample. In second sample, parallel co-infection of D. repens with Wolbachia was also found. While D. immitis sequence showed 98.70-100% similarity with previously reported sequences of D. immitis from dog blood, D. repens shared 100% identity with other sequences of D. repens.<br><br>CONCLUSION: These results provided first evidence for Dirofilaria spp. in Kyrgyzstan and emphasized the veterinary and medical importance.}, }
@article {pmid32582067, year = {2020}, author = {Mateos, M and Martinez Montoya, H and Lanzavecchia, SB and Conte, C and Guillén, K and Morán-Aceves, BM and Toledo, J and Liedo, P and Asimakis, ED and Doudoumis, V and Kyritsis, GA and Papadopoulos, NT and Augustinos, AA and Segura, DF and Tsiamis, G}, title = {Wolbachia pipientis Associated With Tephritid Fruit Fly Pests: From Basic Research to Applications.}, journal = {Frontiers in microbiology}, volume = {11}, number = {}, pages = {1080}, pmid = {32582067}, issn = {1664-302X}, abstract = {Members of the true fruit flies (family Tephritidae) are among the most serious agricultural pests worldwide, whose control and management demands large and costly international efforts. The need for cost-effective and environmentally friendly integrated pest management (IPM) has led to the development and implementation of autocidal control strategies. These approaches include the widely used sterile insect technique and the incompatible insect technique (IIT). IIT relies on maternally transmitted bacteria (namely Wolbachia) to cause a conditional sterility in crosses between released mass-reared Wolbachia-infected males and wild females, which are either uninfected or infected with a different Wolbachia strain (i.e., cytoplasmic incompatibility; CI). Herein, we review the current state of knowledge on Wolbachia-tephritid interactions including infection prevalence in wild populations, phenotypic consequences, and their impact on life history traits. Numerous pest tephritid species are reported to harbor Wolbachia infections, with a subset exhibiting high prevalence. The phenotypic effects of Wolbachia have been assessed in very few tephritid species, due in part to the difficulty of manipulating Wolbachia infection (removal or transinfection). Based on recent methodological advances (high-throughput DNA sequencing) and breakthroughs concerning the mechanistic basis of CI, we suggest research avenues that could accelerate generation of necessary knowledge for the potential use of Wolbachia-based IIT in area-wide integrated pest management (AW-IPM) strategies for the population control of tephritid pests.}, }
@article {pmid32581639, year = {2020}, author = {Khadka, S and Proshad, R and Thapa, A and Acharya, KP and Kormoker, T}, title = {Wolbachia: a possible weapon for controlling dengue in Nepal.}, journal = {Tropical medicine and health}, volume = {48}, number = {}, pages = {50}, pmid = {32581639}, issn = {1348-8945}, abstract = {Dengue, a mosquito-borne viral infectious disease, causes a high morbidity and mortality in tropical and subtropical areas of the world. In Nepal, the first case of dengue was reported in 2004 followed by frequent outbreaks in subsequent years, with the largest being in 2019 taking the death toll of six. It is reported that the number of dengue fever cases are soaring in Nepal spreading from the plains to more hilly regions. This might have serious public health implications in the future when combined with other factors, such as: global warming, lack of early detection and treatment of dengue, lack of diagnostic facilities, poor healthcare systems and mosquito control strategies. Nepal, thus, needs a cost-effective mosquito control strategy for the prevention and control of dengue. The Wolbachia-mediated biological method of the dengue control strategy is novel, economic, and environment-friendly. It has been successfully trialed in several areas of dengue-prone countries of the world, including Australia, Malaysia, Vietnam etc. resulting in significant reductions in dengue incidence. Given the lack of effective vector control strategy and weak economic condition of the country along with the persistence of climate and environment conditions that favors the host (Aedes mosquito) for Wolbachia, this approach can be a promising option to control dengue in Nepal.}, }
@article {pmid32573833, year = {2020}, author = {Lucek, K and Butlin, RK and Patsiou, T}, title = {Secondary contact zones of closely-related Erebia butterflies overlap with narrow phenotypic and parasitic clines.}, journal = {Journal of evolutionary biology}, volume = {33}, number = {9}, pages = {1152-1163}, doi = {10.1111/jeb.13669}, pmid = {32573833}, issn = {1420-9101}, abstract = {Zones of secondary contact between closely related taxa are a common legacy of the Quaternary ice ages. Despite their abundance, the factors that keep species apart and prevent hybridization are often unknown. Here, we study a very narrow contact zone between three closely related butterfly species of the Erebia tyndarus species complex. Using genomic data, we first determined whether gene flow occurs and then assessed whether it might be hampered by differences in chromosome number between some species. We found interspecific gene flow between sibling species that differ in karyotype by one chromosome. Conversely, only F1 hybrids occurred between two species that have the same karyotype, forming a steep genomic cline. In a second step, we fitted clines to phenotypic, ecological and parasitic data to identify the factors associated with the genetic cline. We found clines for phenotypic data and the prevalence of the endosymbiont parasite Wolbachia to overlap with the genetic cline, suggesting that they might be drivers for separating the two species. Overall, our results highlight that some gene flow is possible between closely related species despite different chromosome numbers, but that other barriers restrict such gene flow.}, }
@article {pmid32571804, year = {2020}, author = {Wang, X and Kelkar, YD and Xiong, X and Martinson, EO and Lynch, J and Zhang, C and Werren, JH and Wang, X}, title = {Genome Report: Whole Genome Sequence and Annotation of the Parasitoid Jewel Wasp Nasonia giraulti Laboratory Strain RV2X[u].}, journal = {G3 (Bethesda, Md.)}, volume = {10}, number = {8}, pages = {2565-2572}, pmid = {32571804}, issn = {2160-1836}, abstract = {Jewel wasps in the genus of Nasonia are parasitoids with haplodiploidy sex determination, rapid development and are easy to culture in the laboratory. They are excellent models for insect genetics, genomics, epigenetics, development, and evolution. Nasonia vitripennis (Nv) and N. giraulti (Ng) are closely-related species that can be intercrossed, particularly after removal of the intracellular bacterium Wolbachia, which serve as a powerful tool to map and positionally clone morphological, behavioral, expression and methylation phenotypes. The Nv reference genome was assembled using Sanger, PacBio and Nanopore approaches and annotated with extensive RNA-seq data. In contrast, Ng genome is only available through low coverage resequencing. Therefore, de novo Ng assembly is in urgent need to advance this system. In this study, we report a high-quality Ng assembly using 10X Genomics linked-reads with 670X sequencing depth. The current assembly has a genome size of 259,040,977 bp in 3,160 scaffolds with 38.05% G-C and a 98.6% BUSCO completeness score. 97% of the RNA reads are perfectly aligned to the genome, indicating high quality in contiguity and completeness. A total of 14,777 genes are annotated in the Ng genome, and 72% of the annotated genes have a one-to-one ortholog in the Nv genome. We reported 5 million Ng-Nv SNPs which will facility mapping and population genomic studies in Nasonia In addition, 42 Ng-specific genes were identified by comparing with Nv genome and annotation. This is the first de novo assembly for this important species in the Nasonia model system, providing a useful new genomic toolkit.}, }
@article {pmid32571427, year = {2020}, author = {Laidoudi, Y and Davoust, B and Varloud, M and Niang, EHA and Fenollar, F and Mediannikov, O}, title = {Development of a multiplex qPCR-based approach for the diagnosis of Dirofilaria immitis, D. repens and Acanthocheilonema reconditum.}, journal = {Parasites &amp; vectors}, volume = {13}, number = {1}, pages = {319}, pmid = {32571427}, issn = {1756-3305}, mesh = {Angiostrongylus/genetics/isolation &amp; purification/microbiology ; Animals ; Antigens, Helminth/blood ; Bacterial Proteins/genetics ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Dog Diseases/*diagnosis/parasitology ; Dogs ; Filariasis/diagnosis/parasitology/*veterinary ; Filarioidea/*classification/genetics/*isolation &amp; purification/microbiology ; Genotype ; Helminth Proteins/genetics ; Molecular Diagnostic Techniques ; Multilocus Sequence Typing ; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Wolbachia/genetics/isolation &amp; purification ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Dirofilaria immitis, D. repens and Acanthocheilonema reconditum are the main causative agents of zoonotic canine filariosis.<br><br>METHODS: We developed a combined multiplex approach for filaria and Wolbachia detection using the 28S-based pan-filarial and 16S-based pan-Wolbachia qPCRs, respectively, involving a fast typing method of positive samples using triplex qPCR targeting A. reconditum, D. immitis and D. repens, and a duplex qPCR targeting Wolbachia of D. immitis and D. repens. The approach was complemented by a duplex qPCR for the differential diagnosis of heartworms (D. immitis and Angiostrongylus vasorum) and pan-filarial cox1 and pan-Wolbachia ftsZ PCRs to identify other filarial parasites and their Wolbachia, respectively. A total of 168 canine blood and sera samples were used to validate the approach. Spearman's correlation was used to assess the association between filarial species and the strain of Wolbachia. Positive samples for both the heartworm antigen-test after heating sera and at least one DNA-positive for D. immitis and its Wolbachia were considered true positive for heartworm infection. Indeed, the presence of D. repens DNA or that of its Wolbachia as well as A. reconditum DNA indicates true positive infections.<br><br>RESULTS: The detection limit for Wolbachia and filariae qPCRs ranged from 5 × 10-1 to 1.5 × 10-4 mf/ml of blood. When tested on clinical samples, 29.2% (49/168) tested positive for filariae or Wolbachia DNA. Filarial species and Wolbachia genotypes were identified by the combined multiplex approach from all positive samples. Each species of Dirofilaria was significantly associated with a specific genotype of Wolbachia. Compared to the true positives, the approach showed excellent agreement (k = 0.98-1). Unlike D. immitis DNA, no A. vasorum DNA was detected by the duplex qPCR. The immunochromatographic test for heartworm antigen showed a substantial (k = 0.6) and a weak (k = 0.15) agreements before and after thermal pre-treatment of sera, respectively.<br><br>CONCLUSIONS: The proposed approach is a reliable tool for the exploration and diagnosis of occult and non-occult canine filariosis. The current diagnosis of heartworm disease based on antigen detection should always be confirmed by qPCR essays. Sera heat pre-treatment is not effective and strongly discouraged.}, }
@article {pmid32560686, year = {2020}, author = {Driscoll, TP and Verhoeve, VI and Gillespie, JJ and Johnston, JS and Guillotte, ML and Rennoll-Bankert, KE and Rahman, MS and Hagen, D and Elsik, CG and Macaluso, KR and Azad, AF}, title = {A chromosome-level assembly of the cat flea genome uncovers rampant gene duplication and genome size plasticity.}, journal = {BMC biology}, volume = {18}, number = {1}, pages = {70}, pmid = {32560686}, issn = {1741-7007}, support = {R01 AI017828/AI/NIAID NIH HHS/United States ; R01 AI126853/AI/NIAID NIH HHS/United States ; R01 AI122672/AI/NIAID NIH HHS/United States ; R21AI26108/NH/NIH HHS/United States ; R21 AI146773/AI/NIAID NIH HHS/United States ; T32 AI095190/AI/NIAID NIH HHS/United States ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Fleas (Insecta: Siphonaptera) are small flightless parasites of birds and mammals; their blood-feeding can transmit many serious pathogens (i.e., the etiological agents of bubonic plague, endemic and murine typhus). The lack of flea genome assemblies has hindered research, especially comparisons to other disease vectors. Accordingly, we sequenced the genome of the cat flea, Ctenocephalides felis, an insect with substantial human health and veterinary importance across the globe.<br><br>RESULTS: By combining Illumina and PacBio sequencing of DNA derived from multiple inbred female fleas with Hi-C scaffolding techniques, we generated a chromosome-level genome assembly for C. felis. Unexpectedly, our assembly revealed extensive gene duplication across the entire genome, exemplified by ~ 38% of protein-coding genes with two or more copies and over 4000 tRNA genes. A broad range of genome size determinations (433-551 Mb) for individual fleas sampled across different populations supports the widespread presence of fluctuating copy number variation (CNV) in C. felis. Similarly, broad genome sizes were also calculated for individuals of Xenopsylla cheopis (Oriental rat flea), indicating that this remarkable &quot;genome-in-flux&quot; phenomenon could be a siphonapteran-wide trait. Finally, from the C. felis sequence reads, we also generated closed genomes for two novel strains of Wolbachia, one parasitic and one symbiotic, found to co-infect individual fleas.<br><br>CONCLUSION: Rampant CNV in C. felis has dire implications for gene-targeting pest control measures and stands to complicate standard normalization procedures utilized in comparative transcriptomics analysis. Coupled with co-infection by novel Wolbachia endosymbionts-potential tools for blocking pathogen transmission-these oddities highlight a unique and underappreciated disease vector.}, }
@article {pmid32559297, year = {2020}, author = {Wangkeeree, J and Tewaruxsa, P and Roddee, J and Hanboonsong, Y}, title = {Wolbachia (Rickettsiales: Alphaproteobacteria) Infection in the Leafhopper Vector of Sugarcane White Leaf Disease.}, journal = {Journal of insect science (Online)}, volume = {20}, number = {3}, pages = {}, pmid = {32559297}, issn = {1536-2442}, mesh = {Animals ; Female ; Hemiptera/growth &amp; development/*microbiology ; Insect Vectors/growth &amp; development/microbiology ; Male ; Nymph/growth &amp; development/microbiology ; Ovum/growth &amp; development/microbiology ; Plant Diseases/microbiology ; Saccharum/microbiology ; *Symbiosis ; Wolbachia/*physiology ; }, abstract = {Wolbachia is a maternally inherited bacterium ubiquitous in insects that has attracted interest as a prospective insect pest-control agent. Here, we detected and characterized Wolbachia in the leafhoppers Matsumuratettix hiroglyphicus (Matsumura) (Cicadellidae: Hemiptera) and Yamatotettix flavovittatus Matsumura (Cicadellidae: Hemiptera), insect vectors of the phytoplasma that cause white leaf disease in sugarcane. The 16S rRNA and wsp gene markers revealed that Wolbachia was not present in the M. hiroglyphicus but naturally occurs in Y. flavovittatus. Additionally, the infection rates in adult leafhoppers ranged from 0 to 100% depending on geographic location. Moreover, Wolbachia was detected in the eggs and first- to fifth-instar nymphs of Y. flavovittatus. A phylogenic tree of Wolbachia indicated that it resided in the monophyletic supergroup B clade and clustered in the Ori subgroup. Furthermore, fluorescence in situ hybridization revealed that Wolbachia localized to the egg apices, randomly distributed in the egg cytoplasm, and was concentrated in the nymph and adult bacteriomes, as well as occasional detection in the thorax and abdomen. To the best of our knowledge, the present study is the first to demonstrate the prevalence of Wolbachia in the leafhopper Y. flavovittatus. The obtained results would provide useful information for the future development of Wolbachia as a biological control agent for the leafhopper vectors.}, }
@article {pmid32555677, year = {2020}, author = {Bhattacharya, T and Newton, ILG and Hardy, RW}, title = {Viral RNA is a target for Wolbachia-mediated pathogen blocking.}, journal = {PLoS pathogens}, volume = {16}, number = {6}, pages = {e1008513}, pmid = {32555677}, issn = {1553-7374}, support = {R21 AI121849/AI/NIAID NIH HHS/United States ; }, mesh = {Aedes ; Animals ; Cell Line ; Chlorocebus aethiops ; Cricetinae ; Drosophila melanogaster ; Flavivirus/genetics/*metabolism ; RNA, Viral/genetics/*metabolism ; Togaviridae/genetics/*metabolism ; Vero Cells ; Wolbachia/genetics/*metabolism ; }, abstract = {The ability of the endosymbiont Wolbachia pipientis to restrict RNA viruses is presently being leveraged to curb global transmission of arbovirus-induced diseases. Past studies have shown that virus replication is limited early in arthropod cells colonized by the bacterium, although it is unclear if this phenomenon is replicated in mosquito cells that first encounter viruses obtained through a vertebrate blood meal. Furthermore, these cellular events neither explain how Wolbachia limits dissemination of viruses between mosquito tissues, nor how it prevents transmission of infectious viruses from mosquitoes to vertebrate host. In this study, we try to address these issues using an array of mosquito cell culture models, with an additional goal being to identify a common viral target for pathogen blocking. Our results establish the viral RNA as a cellular target for Wolbachia-mediated inhibition, with the incoming viral RNA experiencing rapid turnover following internalization in cells. This early block in replication in mosquito cells initially infected by the virus thus consequently reduces the production of progeny viruses from these same cells. However, this is not the only contributor to pathogen blocking. We show that the presence of Wolbachia reduces the per-particle infectivity of progeny viruses on naïve mosquito and vertebrate cells, consequently limiting virus dissemination and transmission, respectively. Importantly, we demonstrate that this aspect of pathogen blocking is independent of any particular Wolbachia-host association and affects viruses belonging to Togaviridae and Flaviviridae families of RNA viruses. Finally, consistent with the idea of the viral RNA as a target, we find that the encapsidated virion RNA is less infectious for viruses produced from Wolbachia-colonized cells. Collectively, our findings present a common mechanism of pathogen blocking in mosquitoes that establish a link between virus inhibition in the cell to virus dissemination and transmission.}, }
@article {pmid32546497, year = {2020}, author = {Hague, MTJ and Mavengere, H and Matute, DR and Cooper, BS}, title = {Environmental and Genetic Contributions to Imperfect wMel-Like Wolbachia Transmission and Frequency Variation.}, journal = {Genetics}, volume = {215}, number = {4}, pages = {1117-1132}, pmid = {32546497}, issn = {1943-2631}, support = {R01 GM121750/GM/NIGMS NIH HHS/United States ; R35 GM124701/GM/NIGMS NIH HHS/United States ; }, abstract = {Maternally transmitted Wolbachia bacteria infect about half of all insect species. They usually show imperfect maternal transmission and often produce cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI). Irrespective of CI, Wolbachia frequencies tend to increase when rare only if they benefit host fitness. Several Wolbachia, including wMel that infects Drosophila melanogaster, cause weak or no CI and persist at intermediate frequencies. On the island of São Tomé off West Africa, the frequencies of wMel-like Wolbachia infecting Drosophila yakuba (wYak) and Drosophila santomea (wSan) fluctuate, and the contributions of imperfect maternal transmission, fitness effects, and CI to these fluctuations are unknown. We demonstrate spatial variation in wYak frequency and transmission on São Tomé. Concurrent field estimates of imperfect maternal transmission do not predict spatial variation in wYak frequencies, which are highest at high altitudes where maternal transmission is the most imperfect. Genomic and genetic analyses provide little support for D. yakuba effects on wYak transmission. Instead, rearing at cool temperatures reduces wYak titer and increases imperfect transmission to levels observed on São Tomé. Using mathematical models of Wolbachia frequency dynamics and equilibria, we infer that temporally variable imperfect transmission or spatially variable effects on host fitness and reproduction are required to explain wYak frequencies. In contrast, spatially stable wSan frequencies are plausibly explained by imperfect transmission, modest fitness effects, and weak CI. Our results provide insight into causes of wMel-like frequency variation in divergent hosts. Understanding this variation is crucial to explain Wolbachia spread and to improve wMel biocontrol of human disease in transinfected mosquito systems.}, }
@article {pmid32545688, year = {2020}, author = {Suwantika, AA and Kautsar, AP and Supadmi, W and Zakiyah, N and Abdulah, R and Ali, M and Postma, MJ}, title = {Cost-Effectiveness of Dengue Vaccination in Indonesia: Considering Integrated Programs with Wolbachia-Infected Mosquitos and Health Education.}, journal = {International journal of environmental research and public health}, volume = {17}, number = {12}, pages = {}, pmid = {32545688}, issn = {1660-4601}, mesh = {Animals ; Child ; Cost-Benefit Analysis ; *Culicidae ; *Dengue ; Health Education ; Humans ; Indonesia ; Vaccination ; *Wolbachia ; }, abstract = {Despite the fact that morbidity and mortality rates due to dengue infection in Indonesia are relatively high, a dengue vaccination has not yet been introduced. Next to vaccination, Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes and health education have been considered to be potential interventions to prevent dengue infection in Indonesia. This study was aimed to analyse the cost-effectiveness of dengue vaccination in Indonesia whilst taking Wolbachia and health education programs into account. An age-structured decision tree model was developed to assess the cost-effectiveness. Approximately 4,701,100 children were followed-up in a 10-year time horizon within a 1-year analytical cycle. We compared three vaccination strategies: one focussing on vaccination only, another combining vaccination and a Wolbachia program, and a third scenario combining vaccination and health education. All scenarios were compared with a no-intervention strategy. The result showed that only vaccination would reduce dengue fever (DF), dengue haemorrhagic fever (DHF), and dengue shock syndrome (DSS) by 123,203; 97,140 and 283 cases, respectively. It would save treatment cost at $10.3 million and $6.2 million from the healthcare and payer perspectives, respectively. The combination of vaccination and a Wolbachia program would reduce DF, DHF and DSS by 292,488; 230,541; and 672 cases, respectively. It would also save treatment cost at $24.3 million and $14.6 million from the healthcare and payer perspectives, respectively. The combination of vaccination and health education would reduce DF, DHF, and DSS by 187,986; 148,220; and 432 cases, respectively. It would save treatment cost at $15.6 million and $9.4 million from the healthcare and payer perspectives, respectively. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs) from the healthcare perspective were estimated to be $9,995, $4,460, and $6,399 per quality-adjusted life year (QALY) gained for the respective scenarios. ICERs from the payer perspective were slightly higher. It can be concluded that vaccination combined with a Wolbachia program was confirmed to be the most cost-effective intervention. Dengue infection rate, vaccine efficacy, cost of Wolbachia program, underreporting factor for hospitalization, vaccine price and mortality rate were considered to be the most influential parameters affecting the ICERs.}, }
@article {pmid32530921, year = {2020}, author = {Staunton, KM and Crawford, JE and Cornel, D and Yeeles, P and Desnoyer, M and Livni, J and Holeman, J and Mulligan, FS and Snoad, N and Ritchie, SA}, title = {Environmental influences on Aedes aegypti catches in Biogents Sentinel traps during a Californian &quot;rear and release&quot; program: Implications for designing surveillance programs.}, journal = {PLoS neglected tropical diseases}, volume = {14}, number = {6}, pages = {e0008367}, pmid = {32530921}, issn = {1935-2735}, mesh = {Aedes/*physiology ; Animals ; California ; Ecosystem ; *Environmental Monitoring ; Female ; Housing ; Male ; Mosquito Control ; Mosquito Vectors/*physiology ; Wolbachia ; }, abstract = {As Aedes aegypti continues to expand its global distribution, the diseases it vectors (dengue, Zika, chikungunya and yellow fever) are of increasing concern. Modern efforts to control this species include &quot;rear and release&quot; strategies where lab-reared mosquitoes are distributed throughout the landscape to replace or suppress invasive populations. These programs require intensive surveillance efforts to monitor their success, and the Biogents Sentinel (BGS) trap is one of the most effective tools for sampling adult Ae. aegypti. BGS trap catches can be highly variable throughout landscapes, so we investigated the potential impacts of environmental factors on adult Ae. aegypti capture rates during a &quot;rear and release&quot; program in California to better understand the relative contributions of true variability in population density across a landscape and trap context. We recorded male and female Ae. aegypti catches from BGS traps, with and without CO2, throughout control sites where no mosquitoes were released and in treatment sites where males infected with Wolbachia were released. BGS trap catches were positively influenced by higher proportions of shade or bushes in the front yard of the premises as well as the presence of potential larval habitats such as subterranean vaults. In contrast, an increase in residential habitat within a 100 m radius of trap locations negatively influenced BGS trap catches. For male Ae. aegypti, increased visual complexity of the trap location positively influenced capture rates, and the presence of yard drains negatively affected catch rates in control sites. Lastly, for BGS traps using CO2, higher catch rates were noted from traps placed greater than one meter from walls or fences for both male and female mosquitoes. These results have important implications for surveillance programs of Ae. aegypti throughout the Californian urban environment including adult monitoring during &quot;rear and release&quot; programs.}, }
@article {pmid32529355, year = {2020}, author = {Pina, T and Sabater-Muñoz, B and Cabedo-López, M and Cruz-Miralles, J and Jaques, JA and Hurtado-Ruiz, MA}, title = {Molecular characterization of Cardinium, Rickettsia, Spiroplasma and Wolbachia in mite species from citrus orchards.}, journal = {Experimental &amp; applied acarology}, volume = {81}, number = {3}, pages = {335-355}, doi = {10.1007/s10493-020-00508-z}, pmid = {32529355}, issn = {1572-9702}, support = {AGL2014-55616-C3-3-R//Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad/ ; PICD//Universitat Jaume I/ ; FPI BES-2015-074570//Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad/ ; UJI-B2017-24//Universitat Jaume I/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; *Citrus ; *Mites/microbiology ; Phylogeny ; *Rickettsia/genetics ; *Spiroplasma ; *Tetranychidae ; *Wolbachia/genetics ; }, abstract = {Tetranychidae spider mites are considered key citrus pests in some production areas, especially Tetranychus urticae Koch. Over the past decades, pesticide overuse seems to have promoted T. urticae population selection in citrus orchards. However, the microbiota has also been pointed out as a plausible explanation for population structure or plant host specialisation observed in several arthropod species. In this work, we have determined the incidence of Cardinium, Rickettsia, Spiroplasma and Wolbachia as representatives of major distorter bacteria genera in Aplonobia histricina (Berlese), Eutetranychus banksi (McGregor), Eutetranychus orientalis (Klein), Panonychus citri (McGregor), Tetranychus evansi Baker and Pritchard, Tetranychus turkestani Ugarov and Nikolskii, and T. urticae populations from Spanish citrus orchards. Only Wolbachia was detected by PCR. The multilocus alignment approach and phylogenetic inference indicated that all detected Wolbachia belong to supergroup B. The deep analysis of each 16S rDNA, ftsZ and wsp gene sequences allowed identifying several phylogenetically different Wolbachia sequences. It probably indicates the presence of several different races or strains, all of them belonging to supergroup B. The wsp sequence typing analysis unveiled the presence of the two already identified alleles (61 and 370) and allowed to contribute with five new alleles, supporting the presence of different but related B-races in the studied mite populations. The results are discussed and related to T. urticae population structure, previously observed in Spanish citrus orchards.}, }
@article {pmid32522243, year = {2020}, author = {Madhav, M and Brown, G and Morgan, JAT and Asgari, S and McGraw, EA and James, P}, title = {Transinfection of buffalo flies (Haematobia irritans exigua) with Wolbachia and effect on host biology.}, journal = {Parasites &amp; vectors}, volume = {13}, number = {1}, pages = {296}, pmid = {32522243}, issn = {1756-3305}, mesh = {Animals ; Female ; Fertility ; Host Microbial Interactions ; Life Cycle Stages ; Longevity ; Male ; Microinjections ; Muscidae/*microbiology ; Pest Control, Biological/*methods ; Wolbachia/genetics/*physiology ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Buffalo flies (Haematobia irritans exigua) (BF) and closely related horn flies (Haematobia irritans irritans) (HF) are invasive haematophagous parasites with significant economic and welfare impacts on cattle production. Wolbachia are intracellular bacteria found widely in insects and currently of much interest for use in novel strategies for the area wide control of insect pests and insect-vectored diseases. In this paper, we report the transinfection of BF towards the development of area-wide controls.<br><br>METHODS: Three stages of BF; embryos, pupae and adult female flies, were injected with different Wolbachia strains (wAlbB, wMel and wMelPop). The success of transinfection and infection dynamics was compared by real-time PCR and FISH and fitness effects were assessed in transinfected flies.<br><br>RESULTS: BF eggs were not easily injected because of their tough outer chorion and embryos were frequently damaged with less than 1% hatch rate of microinjected eggs. No Wolbachia infection was recorded in flies successfully reared from injected eggs. Adult and pupal injection resulted in higher survival rates and somatic and germinal tissue infections, with transmission to the succeeding generations on some occasions. Investigations of infection dynamics in flies from injected pupae confirmed that Wolbachia were actively multiplying in somatic tissues. Ovarian infections were confirmed with wMel and wMelPop in a number of instances, though not with wAlbB. Measurement of fitness traits indicated reduced longevity, decreased and delayed adult emergence, and reduced fecundity in Wolbachia-infected flies compared to mock-injected flies. Effects varied with the Wolbachia strain injected with most marked changes seen in the wMelPop-injected flies and least severe effects seen with wAlbB.<br><br>CONCLUSIONS: Adult and pupal injection were the most suitable methods for transinfecting BF and all three strains of Wolbachia successfully replicated in somatic tissues. The Wolbachia-induced fitness effects seen in transinfected BF suggest potential for use of the wMel or wMelPop strains in Wolbachia-based biocontrol programmes for BF.}, }
@article {pmid32519810, year = {2020}, author = {Cai, T and Zhang, Y and Liu, Y and Deng, X and He, S and Li, J and Wan, H}, title = {Wolbachia enhances expression of NlCYP4CE1 in Nilaparvata lugens in response to imidacloprid stress.}, journal = {Insect science}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1111/1744-7917.12834}, pmid = {32519810}, issn = {1744-7917}, support = {31871991//National Natural Science Foundation of China/ ; 2019CFB471//Natural Science Foundation of Hubei Province/ ; 2662018JC049//Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities/ ; }, abstract = {The brown planthopper, Nilaparvata lugens, is one of the main insect pests of rice. The N. lugens gene NlCYP4CE1 encodes cytochrome P450 monooxygenase (P450), which is a key enzyme in the metabolism of the insecticide imidacloprid. Previous research has suggested that the expression of NlCYP4CE1 is induced by imidacloprid stress, but the effect of bacterial symbionts on its expression has not been determined. The results of this study show that exposure to subtoxic imidacloprid changed the structure of the bacterial symbiont community in N. lugens. Specifically, the total bacterial content increased, but the bacterial species diversity significantly decreased. Wolbachia accounted for the largest proportion of bacteria in N. lugens; its abundance significantly increased after subtoxic imidacloprid exposure. The transcript level of NlCYP4CE1 was significantly increased by imidacloprid, but this effect was significantly weakened after Wolbachia was cleared with tetracycline. This result suggests that Wolbachia enhances the expression of NlCYP4CE1 to promote the detoxification metabolic response to imidacloprid stress. Understanding the effect of bacterial symbionts on gene expression in the host provides a new perspective on interactions between insecticides and their target insect pests, and highlights that subtoxic imidacloprid exposure may raise the risk of insecticide resistance by altering the structure of bacterial symbiont communities.}, }
@article {pmid32519634, year = {2020}, author = {Zueva, T and Morchón, R and Carretón, E and Ollauri-Ibáñez, C and Pericacho, M and Rodríguez-Barbero, A and Simón, F}, title = {Angiogenesis in cardiopulmonary dirofilariosis: does the Wolbachia surface protein have a pro- or anti-angiogenic effect?.}, journal = {Journal of helminthology}, volume = {94}, number = {}, pages = {e162}, doi = {10.1017/S0022149X20000450}, pmid = {32519634}, issn = {1475-2697}, mesh = {Angiogenesis Inducing Agents/*chemistry ; Animals ; Bacterial Proteins/*chemistry ; Cells, Cultured ; Dirofilaria immitis/microbiology ; Dirofilariasis/*complications/microbiology ; Dogs ; Endothelial Cells/microbiology ; Heart/parasitology ; Humans ; Inflammation ; Lung/cytology/parasitology ; Membrane Proteins/*chemistry ; Symbiosis ; Wolbachia/*chemistry ; }, abstract = {Cardiopulmonary dirofilariosis caused by Dirofilaria immitis produces inflammation, blood vessel obstruction and hypoxia, which are required conditions for the beginning of the process of neovascularization. Since D. immitis harbours intracellular symbiotic Wolbachia bacterium, the global understanding of the angiogenic process requires the analysis of the effect of the parasite molecules, but also that of Wolbachia. Canine primary lung microvascular endothelial cells were treated with the recombinant Wolbachia surface protein (rWSP) and the expression of angiogenic factors like Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor-A (VEGF-A), sFlt, membrane Endoglin (mEndoglin) and soluble Endoglin (sEndoglin), as well as the in vitro formation of pseudocapillaries, were measured. The analyses showed a significant increase in the expression of pro-angiogenic VEGF-A and anti-angiogenic sEndoglin, together with a significant decrease in both pro-angiogenic mEndoglin and pseudocapillary formation, compared to untreated controls. Due to the complexity of the angiogenic process and its relationship with other physiological processes like inflammation and fibrinolysis, these results might suggest that rWSP participate in various mechanisms related to each other and its effects might depend either on the balance between them or on the moment of their occurrence.}, }
@article {pmid32516872, year = {2020}, author = {Torres-Monzón, JA and Casas-Martínez, M and López-Ordóñez, T}, title = {Infection of Aedes mosquitoes by native Wolbachia in urban cemeteries of Southern Mexico.}, journal = {Salud publica de Mexico}, volume = {62}, number = {4}, pages = {447-449}, doi = {10.21149/10163}, pmid = {32516872}, issn = {1606-7916}, abstract = {OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the prevalence of Wolbachia infections in Aedes spp. field populations from cemeteries of Southern Mexico.<br><br>MATERIALS AND METHODS: Six cemeteries were selected to be sampled in the central part of the Soconusco region, Chiapas. Aedes albopictus and Ae. aegypti mosquitoes were collected during the rainy season of 2015. Females were analyzed individually by PCR to determine the presence of Wolbachia.<br><br>RESULTS: field overall prevalence of 38% was found; only Ae. albopictus mosquitoes were positive.<br><br>CONCLUSIONS: Local strains of Wolbachia were detected and have the potential to be applied as a biological method for vector control.}, }
@article {pmid32506239, year = {2020}, author = {Liu, XC and Li, YR and Dong, B and Li, ZX}, title = {The Intruding Wolbachia Strain from the Moth Fails to Establish Itself in the Fruit Fly Due to Immune and Exclusion Reactions.}, journal = {Current microbiology}, volume = {77}, number = {9}, pages = {2441-2448}, doi = {10.1007/s00284-020-02067-3}, pmid = {32506239}, issn = {1432-0991}, support = {31772169//National Natural Science Foundation of China/ ; 31371940//National Natural Science Foundation of China/ ; }, abstract = {Wolbachia is capable of regulating host reproduction, and thus of great significance in preventing the spread of insect-borne diseases and controlling pest insects. The fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster is an excellent model insect for understanding Wolbachia-host interactions. Here we artificially transferred the wCcep strain from the rice moth Corcyra cephalonica into D. melanogaster by microinjection. Crossing experiments indicated that wCcep could induce a high level of CI in the phylogenetically distant host D. melanogaster and imposed no negative fitness costs on host development and fecundity. Based on quantitative analysis, the titres of wCcep and the native wMel strain were negatively correlated, and wCcep could only be transmitted in the novel host for several generations (G0 to G4) after transinfection. Transcriptome sequencing indicated that the invading wCcep strain induced a significant immune- and stress-related response from the host. An association analysis between the expression of immune genes attacin-D/edin and the titre of Wolbachia by linear regression displayed a negative correlation between them. Our study suggest that the intrusion of wCcep elicited a robust immune response from the host and incurred a competitive exclusion from the native Wolbachia strain, which resulted in the failure of its establishment in D. melanogaster.}, }
@article {pmid32502919, year = {2020}, author = {Carretón, E and Morchón, R and Falcón-Cordón, Y and Falcón-Cordón, S and Matos, JI and Montoya-Alonso, JA}, title = {Evaluation of different dosages of doxycycline during the adulticide treatment of heartworm (Dirofilaria immitis) in dogs.}, journal = {Veterinary parasitology}, volume = {283}, number = {}, pages = {109141}, doi = {10.1016/j.vetpar.2020.109141}, pmid = {32502919}, issn = {1873-2550}, abstract = {The endosymbiont bacteria Wolbachia plays an important role in the pathogenesis and inflammatory immune response to heartworm (Dirofilaria immitis) infection in dogs. Doxycycline is used to reduce Wolbachia from all life stages of heartworm to avoid large releases of the bacteria during the death of the worms. However, the dose and duration currently recommended have been extrapolated from the treatment of other rickettsial infections. Therefore, the aim was to study the dynamics of Wolbachia IgG antibodies in heartworm-infected dogs under adulticide treatment using different dosages of doxycycline. Forty-nine heartworm-infected dogs were recruited. On day 0 (diagnosis), monthly ivermectin (6 μg/kg) was prescribed, as well as daily doxycycline for 30 days, at 10 mg/kg/12 h (n = 13), 5 mg/kg/12 h (n = 19), and 10 mg/kg/24 h (n = 17). Dogs underwent adulticide treatment and blood samples were collected on days 0, 30, 90, and 120. All dogs had antibodies against recombinant Wolbachia surface protein (rWSP), confirming the important role of the bacteria in heartworm. No significant differences were found in anti-rWSP response by presence/absence of microfilariae, or by parasite burden on day 0. In all treated groups, the anti-rWSP antibody response was not significantly different between days 0 and 30 but was significantly lower between days 0 and 120 (p < 0.05). The results of the present study suggest that the administration of a lower dose than currently recommended is sufficient to achieve a significant reduction of Wolbachia in dogs infected by D. immitis.}, }
@article {pmid32498270, year = {2020}, author = {Bel Mokhtar, N and Maurady, A and Britel, MR and El Bouhssini, M and Batargias, C and Stathopoulou, P and Asimakis, E and Tsiamis, G}, title = {Detection of Wolbachia Infections in Natural and Laboratory Populations of the Moroccan Hessian Fly, Mayetiola destructor (Say).}, journal = {Insects}, volume = {11}, number = {6}, pages = {}, pmid = {32498270}, issn = {2075-4450}, support = {Erasmus+//European Union/ ; }, abstract = {Mayetiola destructor (Hessian fly) is a destructive pest of wheat in several parts of the world. Here, we investigated the presence of reproductive symbionts and the effect of the geographical location on the bacterial community associated to adult Hessian flies derived from four major wheat producing areas in Morocco. Using specific 16S rDNA PCR assay, Wolbachia infection was observed in 3% of the natural populations and 10% of the laboratory population. High throughput sequencing of V3-V4 region of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene revealed that the microbiota of adult Hessian flies was significantly influenced by their native regions. A total of 6 phyla, 10 classes and 79 genera were obtained from all the samples. Confirming the screening results, Wolbachia was identified as well in the natural Hessian flies. Phylogenetic analysis using the sequences obtained in this study indicated that there is one Wolbachia strain belonging to supergroup A. To our knowledge, this is the first report of Wolbachia in Hessian fly populations. The observed low abundance of Wolbachia most likely does not indicate induction of reproductive incompatibility. Yet, this infection may give a new insight into the use of Wolbachia for the fight against Hessian fly populations.}, }
@article {pmid32491177, year = {2020}, author = {Adams, M and McBroome, J and Maurer, N and Pepper-Tunick, E and Saremi, NF and Green, RE and Vollmers, C and Corbett-Detig, RB}, title = {One fly-one genome: chromosome-scale genome assembly of a single outbred Drosophila melanogaster.}, journal = {Nucleic acids research}, volume = {48}, number = {13}, pages = {e75}, pmid = {32491177}, issn = {1362-4962}, support = {R35 GM128932/GM/NIGMS NIH HHS/United States ; R35 GM133569/GM/NIGMS NIH HHS/United States ; T32 HG008345/HG/NHGRI NIH HHS/United States ; }, mesh = {Animals ; Chromosomes, Bacterial/*genetics ; Chromosomes, Insect/*genetics ; Drosophila melanogaster/*genetics ; Genome, Bacterial/*genetics ; Genome, Insect/*genetics ; Genomics/methods ; Wolbachia/*genetics ; }, abstract = {A high quality genome assembly is a vital first step for the study of an organism. Recent advances in technology have made the creation of high quality chromosome scale assemblies feasible and low cost. However, the amount of input DNA needed for an assembly project can be a limiting factor for small organisms or precious samples. Here we demonstrate the feasibility of creating a chromosome scale assembly using a hybrid method for a low input sample, a single outbred Drosophila melanogaster. Our approach combines an Illumina shotgun library, Oxford nanopore long reads, and chromosome conformation capture for long range scaffolding. This single fly genome assembly has a N50 of 26 Mb, a length that encompasses entire chromosome arms, contains 95% of expected single copy orthologs, and a nearly complete assembly of this individual's Wolbachia endosymbiont. The methods described here enable the accurate and complete assembly of genomes from small, field collected organisms as well as precious clinical samples.}, }
@article {pmid32489617, year = {2020}, author = {Zélé, F and Altıntaş, M and Santos, I and Cakmak, I and Magalhães, S}, title = {Population-specific effect of Wolbachia on the cost of fungal infection in spider mites.}, journal = {Ecology and evolution}, volume = {10}, number = {9}, pages = {3868-3880}, pmid = {32489617}, issn = {2045-7758}, abstract = {Many studies have revealed the ability of the endosymbiotic bacterium Wolbachia to protect its arthropod hosts against diverse pathogens. However, as Wolbachia may also increase the susceptibility of its host to infection, predicting the outcome of a particular Wolbachia-host-pathogen interaction remains elusive. Yet, understanding such interactions and their eco-evolutionary consequences is crucial for disease and pest control strategies. Moreover, how natural Wolbachia infections affect artificially introduced pathogens for biocontrol has never been studied. Tetranychus urticae spider mites are herbivorous crop pests, causing severe damage on numerous economically important crops. Due to the rapid evolution of pesticide resistance, biological control strategies using entomopathogenic fungi are being developed. However, although spider mites are infected with various Wolbachia strains worldwide, whether this endosymbiont protects them from fungi is as yet unknown. Here, we compared the survival of two populations, treated with antibiotics or naturally harboring different Wolbachia strains, after exposure to the fungal biocontrol agents Metarhizium brunneum and Beauveria bassiana. To control for potential effects of the bacterial community of spider mites, we also compared the susceptibility of two populations naturally uninfected by Wolbachia, treated with antibiotics or not. In one population, Wolbachia-infected mites had a better survival than uninfected ones in absence of fungi but not in their presence, whereas in the other population Wolbachia increased the mortality induced by B. bassiana. In one naturally Wolbachia-uninfected population, the antibiotic treatment increased the susceptibility of spider mites to M. brunneum, but it had no effect in the other treatments. These results suggest that natural Wolbachia infections may not hamper and may even improve the success of biological control using entomopathogenic fungi. However, they also draw caution on the generalization of such effects, given the complexity of within-host-pathogens interaction and the potential eco-evolutionary consequences of the use of biocontrol agents for Wolbachia-host associations.}, }
@article {pmid32489610, year = {2020}, author = {Detcharoen, M and Arthofer, W and Jiggins, FM and Steiner, FM and Schlick-Steiner, BC}, title = {Wolbachia affect behavior and possibly reproductive compatibility but not thermoresistance, fecundity, and morphology in a novel transinfected host, Drosophila nigrosparsa.}, journal = {Ecology and evolution}, volume = {10}, number = {10}, pages = {4457-4470}, pmid = {32489610}, issn = {2045-7758}, abstract = {Wolbachia, intracellular endosymbionts, are estimated to infect about half of all arthropod species. These bacteria manipulate their hosts in various ways for their maximum benefits. The rising global temperature may accelerate species migration, and thus, horizontal transfer of Wolbachia may occur across species previously not in contact. We transinfected and then cured the alpine fly Drosophila nigrosparsa with Wolbachia strain wMel to study its effects on this species. We found low Wolbachia titer, possibly cytoplasmic incompatibility, and an increase in locomotion of both infected larvae and adults compared with cured ones. However, no change in fecundity, no impact on heat and cold tolerance, and no change in wing morphology were observed. Although Wolbachia increased locomotor activities in this species, we conclude that D. nigrosparsa may not benefit from the infection. Still, D. nigrosparsa can serve as a host for Wolbachia because vertical transmission is possible but may not be as high as in the native host of wMel, Drosophila melanogaster.}, }
@article {pmid32489376, year = {2020}, author = {Khanmohammadi, M and Akhlaghi, L and Razmjou, E and Falak, R and Zolfaghari Emameh, R and Mokhtarian, K and Arshadi, M and Tasbihi, M and Meamar, AR}, title = {Morphological Description, Phylogenetic and Molecular Analysis of Dirofilaria immitis Isolated from Dogs in the Northwest of Iran.}, journal = {Iranian journal of parasitology}, volume = {15}, number = {1}, pages = {57-66}, pmid = {32489376}, issn = {1735-7020}, abstract = {Background: Dirofilariasis is a globally distributed arthropod-borne parasitic disease of mainly canids and felids. We evaluated to extend the knowledge of morpho-molecular characteristics and outer ultrastructure of Dirofilaria immitis isolated from Northwest of Iran.<br><br>Methods: Overall, 67 filarial worms including 41 females and 26 males parasites were collected from the cardiovascular system of the 43 stray dogs in Meshkinshar, Ardebil Province, Northwest of Iran in 2017, and subjected to light and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) as well as carmine alum staining for morpho-molecular and identification. Molecular methods were used for confirmation of morphological findings by sequencing of Cyto-chrome c oxidase subunit I (cox1) gene.<br><br>Results: The partial DNA sequencing of cox1 gene of adult parasites showed considerable homology and close proximity to the previously isolated from Kerman and Meshkinshahr, Iran. The lowest genetic variation and the highest intra-species variability was found in D. immitis and Dirofilaria repens, respectively. No similarity was identified between D. immitis nucleotide sequence and Wolbachia species as its endosymbiont bacteria.<br><br>Conclusion: The SEM technique is an excellent tool for differential recognition of the parasite surface morphology and molecular techniques could differentiate and identify Dirofilaria spp.}, }
@article {pmid32488484, year = {2020}, author = {Semiatizki, A and Weiss, B and Bagim, S and Rohkin-Shalom, S and Kaltenpoth, M and Chiel, E}, title = {Effects, interactions, and localization of Rickettsia and Wolbachia in the house fly parasitoid, Spalangia endius.}, journal = {Microbial ecology}, volume = {80}, number = {3}, pages = {718-728}, doi = {10.1007/s00248-020-01520-x}, pmid = {32488484}, issn = {1432-184X}, support = {435/18//Planning and Budgeting Committee of the Council for Higher Education of Israel/ ; CoG 819585/ERC_/European Research Council/International ; }, abstract = {Many insect species harbor facultative microbial symbionts that affect their biology in diverse ways. Here, we studied the effects, interactions, and localization of two bacterial symbionts-Wolbachia and Rickettsia-in the parasitoid Spalangia endius. We crossed between four S. endius colonies-Wolbachia only (W), Rickettsia only (R), both (WR), and none (aposymbiotic, APS) (16 possible crosses) and found that Wolbachia induces incomplete cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI), both when the males are W or WR. Rickettsia did not cause reproductive manipulations and did not rescue the Wolbachia-induced CI. However, when R females were crossed with W or WR males, significantly less offspring were produced compared with that of control crosses. In non-CI crosses, the presence of Wolbachia in males caused a significant reduction in offspring numbers. Females' developmental time was significantly prolonged in the R colony, with adults starting to emerge one day later than the other colonies. Other fitness parameters did not differ significantly between the colonies. Using fluorescence in situ hybridization microscopy in females, we found that Wolbachia is localized alongside Rickettsia inside oocytes, follicle cells, and nurse cells in the ovaries. However, Rickettsia is distributed also in muscle cells all over the body, in ganglia, and even in the brain.}, }
@article {pmid32485988, year = {2020}, author = {Papadopoulos, C and Karas, PA and Vasileiadis, S and Ligda, P and Saratsis, A and Sotiraki, S and Karpouzas, DG}, title = {Host Species Determines the Composition of the Prokaryotic Microbiota in Phlebotomus Sandflies.}, journal = {Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland)}, volume = {9}, number = {6}, pages = {}, pmid = {32485988}, issn = {2076-0817}, abstract = {Phlebotomine sandflies are vectors of the humans' and mammals' parasite Leishmania spp. Although the role of gut microbiome in the biological cycle of insects is acknowledged, we still know little about the factors modulating the composition of the gut microbiota of sandflies. We tested whether host species impose a strong structural effect on the gut microbiota of Phlebotomus spp. Sandflies were collected from the island of Leros, Greece, and classified to P.papatasi, P. neglectus, P.tobbi, and P.similis, all being negative to Leishmania spp. The prokaryotic gut microbiota was determined via 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing. Phlebotomus species supported distinct microbial communities (p < 0.001). P.papatasi microbiota was the most distinct over-dominated by three Spiroplasma, Wolbachia and Paenibacillus operational taxonomic units (OTUs), while another Wolbachia OTU prevailed in P. neglectus. Conversely, the microbiota of P.tobbi and P.similis was composed of several less dominant OTUs. Archaea showed low presence with the dominant OTUs belonging to methanogenic Euryarcheota, ammonia-oxidizing Thaumarcheota, and Nanoarchaeota. We provide first insights into the composition of the bacterial and archaeal community of Phlebotomus sandflies and showed that, in the absence of Leishmania, host genotype is the major modulator of Phlebotomus sandfly gut microbiota.}, }
@article {pmid32477411, year = {2020}, author = {Mazzucco, R and Nolte, V and Vijayan, T and Schlötterer, C}, title = {Long-Term Dynamics Among Wolbachia Strains During Thermal Adaptation of Their Drosophila melanogaster Hosts.}, journal = {Frontiers in genetics}, volume = {11}, number = {}, pages = {482}, pmid = {32477411}, issn = {1664-8021}, support = {P 27630/FWF_/Austrian Science Fund FWF/Austria ; }, abstract = {Climate change is a major evolutionary force triggering thermal adaptation in a broad range of species. While the consequences of global warming are being studied for an increasing number of species, limited attention has been given to the evolutionary dynamics of endosymbionts in response to climate change. Here, we address this question by studying the dynamics of Wolbachia, a well-studied endosymbiont of Drosophila melanogaster. D. melanogaster populations infected with 13 different Wolbachia strains were exposed to novel hot and cold laboratory environments for up to 180 generations. The short-term dynamics suggested a temperature-related fitness difference resulting in the increase of clade V strains in the cold environment only. Our long-term analysis now uncovers that clade V dominates in all replicates after generation 60 irrespective of temperature treatment. We propose that adaptation of the Drosophila host to either temperature or Drosophila C virus (DCV) infection are the cause of the replicated, temporally non-concordant Wolbachia dynamics. Our study provides an interesting case demonstrating that even simple, well-controlled experiments can result in complex, but repeatable evolutionary dynamics, thus providing a cautionary note on too simple interpretations on the impact of climate change.}, }
@article {pmid32477320, year = {2020}, author = {Sharma, P and Rani, J and Chauhan, C and Kumari, S and Tevatiya, S and Das De, T and Savargaonkar, D and Pandey, KC and Dixit, R}, title = {Altered Gut Microbiota and Immunity Defines Plasmodium vivax Survival in Anopheles stephensi.}, journal = {Frontiers in immunology}, volume = {11}, number = {}, pages = {609}, pmid = {32477320}, issn = {1664-3224}, abstract = {Blood-feeding enriched gut-microbiota boosts mosquitoes' anti-Plasmodium immunity. Here, we ask how Plasmodium vivax alters gut-microbiota, anti-Plasmodial immunity, and impacts tripartite Plasmodium-mosquito-microbiota interactions in the gut lumen. We used a metagenomics and RNAseq strategy to address these questions. In naïve mosquitoes, Elizabethkingia meningitis and Pseudomonas spp. are the dominant bacteria and blood-feeding leads to a heightened detection of Elizabethkingia, Pseudomonas and Serratia 16S rRNA. A parallel RNAseq analysis of blood-fed midguts also shows the presence of Elizabethkingia-related transcripts. After, P. vivax infected blood-meal, however, we do not detect bacterial 16S rRNA until circa 36 h. Intriguingly, the transcriptional expression of a selected array of antimicrobial arsenal cecropins 1-2, defensin-1, and gambicin remained low during the first 36 h-a time frame when ookinetes/early oocysts invaded the gut. We conclude during the preinvasive phase, P. vivax outcompetes midgut-microbiota. This microbial suppression likely negates the impact of mosquito immunity which in turn may enhance the survival of P. vivax. Detection of sequences matching to mosquito-associated Wolbachia opens a new inquiry for its exploration as an agent for &quot;paratransgenesis-based&quot; mosquito control.}, }
@article {pmid32473140, year = {2020}, author = {Burki, T}, title = {Wolbachia, a bacterium fighting on our side.}, journal = {The Lancet. Infectious diseases}, volume = {20}, number = {6}, pages = {662-663}, doi = {10.1016/S1473-3099(20)30384-4}, pmid = {32473140}, issn = {1474-4457}, mesh = {Aedes/*microbiology ; Animals ; Host-Pathogen Interactions ; Humans ; Malaria/*prevention &amp; control/*transmission ; Pest Control, Biological/*methods ; Wolbachia/*physiology ; }, }
@article {pmid32471038, year = {2020}, author = {Tseng, SP and Hsu, PW and Lee, CC and Wetterer, JK and Hugel, S and Wu, LH and Lee, CY and Yoshimura, T and Yang, CS}, title = {Evidence for Common Horizontal Transmission of Wolbachia among Ants and Ant Crickets: Kleptoparasitism Added to the List.}, journal = {Microorganisms}, volume = {8}, number = {6}, pages = {}, pmid = {32471038}, issn = {2076-2607}, support = {N/A//Kyoto University/ ; }, abstract = {While Wolbachia, an intracellular bacterial symbiont, is primarily transmitted maternally in arthropods, horizontal transmission between species has been commonly documented. We examined kleptoparasitism as a potential mechanism for Wolbachia horizontal transmission, using ant crickets and their host ants as the model system. We compared prevalence and diversity of Wolbachia across multiple ant cricket species with different degrees of host specificity/integration level. Our analyses revealed at least three cases of inter-ordinal Wolbachia transfer among ant and ant crickets, and also showed that ant cricket species with high host-integration and host-specificity tend to harbor a higher Wolbachia prevalence and diversity than other types of ant crickets. This study provides empirical evidence that distribution of Wolbachia across ant crickets is largely attributable to horizontal transmission, but also elucidates the role of intimate ecological association in successful Wolbachia horizontal transmission.}, }
@article {pmid32458175, year = {2020}, author = {Zhang, X and Liu, Q and Zhu, H}, title = {Modeling and dynamics of Wolbachia-infected male releases and mating competition on mosquito control.}, journal = {Journal of mathematical biology}, volume = {81}, number = {1}, pages = {243-276}, doi = {10.1007/s00285-020-01509-7}, pmid = {32458175}, issn = {1432-1416}, abstract = {Despite centuries of continuous efforts, mosquito-borne diseases (MBDs) remain enormous health threat of human life worldwide. Lately, the USA government has approved an innovative technology of releasing Wolbachia-infected male mosquitoes to suppress the wild mosquito population. In this paper we first introduce a stage-structured model for natural mosquitos, then we establish a new model considering the releasing of Wolbachia-infected male mosquitoes and the mating competition between the natural male mosquitoes and infected males on the suppression of natural mosquitoes. Dynamical analysis of the two models, including the existence and local stability of the equilibria and bifurcation analysis, reveals the existence of a forward bifurcation or a backward bifurcation with multiple attractors. Moreover, globally dynamical properties are further explored by using Lyapunov function and theory of monotone operators, respectively. Our findings suggest that infected male augmentation itself cannot always guarantee the success of population eradication, but leads to three possible levels of population suppression, so we define the corresponding suppression rate and estimate the minimum release ratio for population eradication. Furthermore, we study how the release ratio of infected males and natural ones, mating competition, the rate of cytoplasmic incompatibility and the basic offspring number affect the suppression rate of natural mosquitoes. Our results show that the successful eradication relies on assessing the reproductive capacity of natural mosquitoes, a selection of suitable Wolbachia strains and an appropriate release amount of infected males. This study will be helpful for public health authorities in designing proper strategies to control vector mosquitoes and prevent the epidemics of MBDs.}, }
@article {pmid32456036, year = {2020}, author = {Yen, PS and Failloux, AB}, title = {A Review: Wolbachia-Based Population Replacement for Mosquito Control Shares Common Points with Genetically Modified Control Approaches.}, journal = {Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland)}, volume = {9}, number = {5}, pages = {}, pmid = {32456036}, issn = {2076-0817}, support = {n_ANR-10-LABX-62-IBEID//French Government's Investissement d'Avenir program, Laboratoire d'Excellence &quot;Integrative Biology of Emerging Infectious Diseases, IBEID&quot;/ ; NHRI-PP-108-0324-01-17-07//National Health Research Institutes/ ; }, abstract = {The growing expansion of mosquito vectors has made mosquito-borne arboviral diseases a global threat to public health, and the lack of licensed vaccines and treatments highlight the urgent need for efficient mosquito vector control. Compared to genetically modified control strategies, the intracellular bacterium Wolbachia, endowing a pathogen-blocking phenotype, is considered an environmentally friendly strategy to replace the target population for controlling arboviral diseases. However, the incomplete knowledge regarding the pathogen-blocking mechanism weakens the reliability of a Wolbachia-based population replacement strategy. Wolbachia infections are also vulnerable to environmental factors, temperature, and host diet, affecting their densities in mosquitoes and thus the virus-blocking phenotype. Here, we review the properties of the Wolbachia strategy as an approach to control mosquito populations in comparison with genetically modified control methods. Both strategies tend to limit arbovirus infections but increase the risk of selecting arbovirus escape mutants, rendering these strategies less reliable.}, }
@article {pmid32455576, year = {2020}, author = {Laidoudi, Y and Marie, JL and Tahir, D and Watier-Grillot, S and Mediannikov, O and Davoust, B}, title = {Detection of Canine Vector-Borne Filariasis and Their Wolbachia Endosymbionts in French Guiana.}, journal = {Microorganisms}, volume = {8}, number = {5}, pages = {}, pmid = {32455576}, issn = {2076-2607}, abstract = {In French Guiana, canine heartworm disease is well known, but the diversity of filarial parasites of dogs remains largely unknown. A total of 98 canine blood samples from Cayenne and Kourou were assessed by a blood wet mount preparation, heartworm antigen test and molecular exploration of filarioid and Wolbachia DNAs, followed by a multiplex species-specific qPCR's identification and a subsequent sequencing analysis. Thereafter, a phylogeny based on maximum likelihood was carried out to facilitate specific identification. Five dogs were microfilaremic. Heartworm antigens were detected in 15 (15.3%) dogs. Of these, six (6.1%) were considered as occult infections as neither microfilariae nor Dirofilaria immitis DNA were detected. The 11 (11.2%) D. immitis isolates corresponded to a low virulent strain. Six of the D. immitis isolates were positive for Wolbachia endosymbionts of D. immitis belonging to the clade C DNA. Acanthocheilonema reconditum DNA was detected in 3 (3.1%) samples. Of these latter, one was found co-infected with the Brugia sp. genotype and the DNA of the clade D of the Wolbachia endosymbiont of Brugia species. This latter was also detected in two filarioid DNA-free samples. Finally, two samples were positive for Cercopithifilaria bainae genotype, which is distinct from those identified in Europe. The present study highlights the urgent need to implement chemoprophylaxis associated with anti-Wolbachia drugs to control these potential zoonoses.}, }
@article {pmid32450914, year = {2020}, author = {Anders, KL and Indriani, C and Ahmad, RA and Tantowijoyo, W and Arguni, E and Andari, B and Jewell, NP and Dufault, SM and Ryan, PA and Tanamas, SK and Rancès, E and O'Neill, SL and Simmons, CP and Utarini, A}, title = {Update to the AWED (Applying Wolbachia to Eliminate Dengue) trial study protocol: a cluster randomised controlled trial in Yogyakarta, Indonesia.}, journal = {Trials}, volume = {21}, number = {1}, pages = {429}, pmid = {32450914}, issn = {1745-6215}, support = {R56 AI070043/AI/NIAID NIH HHS/United States ; R56 AI134724/AI/NIAID NIH HHS/United States ; }, mesh = {Aedes/*microbiology ; Animals ; Dengue/epidemiology/*prevention &amp; control/transmission/virology ; Dengue Virus/*pathogenicity ; Humans ; Incidence ; Indonesia/epidemiology ; Mosquito Vectors/*microbiology ; Pest Control, Biological/methods ; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic ; Time Factors ; Wolbachia/*physiology ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: The AWED (Applying Wolbachia to Eliminate Dengue) trial is a parallel, two-arm, non-blinded cluster randomised controlled trial that is under way in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, with the aim of measuring the efficacy of Wolbachia-infected Aedes aegypti deployments in reducing dengue incidence in an endemic setting. Enrolment began in January 2018 and is ongoing. The original study protocol was published in April 2018. Here, we describe amendments that have been made to the study protocol since commencement of the trial.<br><br>METHODS: The key protocol amendments are (1) a revised study duration with planned end of participant enrolment in August 2020, (2) the addition of new secondary objectives (i) to estimate serotype-specific efficacy of the Wolbachia intervention and (ii) to compare Ae. aegypti abundance in intervention versus untreated clusters, (3) an additional exposure classification for the per-protocol analysis where the Wolbachia exposure index is calculated using only the cluster-level Wolbachia prevalence in the participant's cluster of residence, (4) power re-estimation using a multinomial sampling method that better accounts for randomness in sampling, and (5) the addition of two trial stopping rules to address the potential for persistently low rates of virologically confirmed dengue case enrolment and Wolbachia contamination into untreated clusters. Additional minor changes to the protocol are also described.<br><br>DISCUSSION: The findings from this study will provide the first experimental evidence for the efficacy of Wolbachia in reducing dengue incidence. Enrolment in the trial will conclude this year (2020) and results will be reported shortly thereafter.<br><br>TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov, identifier: NCT03055585. Registered on 14 February 2017. Last updated 22 March 2020.}, }
@article {pmid32443976, year = {2020}, author = {Manzano-Marín, A}, title = {No evidence for Wolbachia as a nutritional co-obligate endosymbiont in the aphid Pentalonia nigronervosa.}, journal = {Microbiome}, volume = {8}, number = {1}, pages = {72}, pmid = {32443976}, issn = {2049-2618}, mesh = {Animals ; *Aphids ; *Buchnera/genetics ; Hemolymph ; Symbiosis ; *Wolbachia ; }, abstract = {Obligate symbiotic associations are present in a wide variety of animals with a nutrient-restricted diet. Aphids (hemiptera: Aphididae) almost-universally host Buchnera aphidicola bacteria in specialised organs (called bacteriomes). These bacteria supply the aphid with essential nutrients lacking from their diet (i.e. essential amino acids and some B vitamins). Some aphid lineages, such as species from the Lacninae subfamily, have evolved co-obligate associations with secondary endosymbionts, deriving from a loss of biotin- and riboflavin-biosynthetic genes. In this study, I re-analyse previously published sequencing data from the banana aphid Pentalonia nigronervosa. I show that the metabolic inference results from De Clerck et al. (Microbiome 3:63, 2015) are incorrect and possibly arise from the use of inadequate methods. Additionally, I discuss how the seemingly biased interpretation of their antibiotic treatment analyses together with an incorrect genome-based metabolic inference resulted in the erroneous suggestion &quot;that a co-obligatory symbiosis between B. aphidicola and Wolbachia occurs in the banana aphid&quot;.}, }
@article {pmid32442441, year = {2020}, author = {Górzyńska, K}, title = {Effects of the Clonostachys epichloë fungal hyperparasite on the symbiotic interaction between Botanophila flies and Epichloë fungus.}, journal = {Journal of invertebrate pathology}, volume = {174}, number = {}, pages = {107396}, doi = {10.1016/j.jip.2020.107396}, pmid = {32442441}, issn = {1096-0805}, abstract = {Botanophila flies are associated with Epichloë fungi in a symbiotic relationship in which the flies benefit from stromata as a food source for both adults and larvae, and the fungus benefits from the transfer of conidia by the flies, resulting in fertilization. Derogations from this pattern indicate that the Epichloë-Botanophila interaction cannot be clearly defined. The situation may be complicated by reports of new elements of the interaction, e.g., Wolbachia bacteria present in Botanophila larvae. The present study investigates the impact of Clonostachys epichloë (Speg.) Schroers, the fungal hyperparasite of Epichloë stromata, on the Botanophila-Epichloë interaction. The interaction between C. epichloë and Botanophila flies associated with Epichloë typhina subsp. clarkii (J.F. White) Leuchtm. &amp; Schardl stromata was studied in the Holcus lanatus L. grass population. C. epichloë was present on 76.5% of stromata, covering on average 44.8 ± 32.1% of its surface and influencing the final perithecial coverage to the same extent as larval feeding. C. epichloë began to appear on stromata much later than the fly eggs and did not affect the preference for Botanophila egg laying. On the other hand, C. epichloë reduced larval hatching success and increased the mortality of the larvae. Clonostachys was responsible for 76.0% of all deaths, overgrowing brood chambers, and its mycelium was present both on and within larvae in all cases. Overall, as a result of the presence of C. epichloë, the number of Botanophila fly offspring decreased by 52.7%. Of the 26 surviving larvae, 10 (38.5%) were affected by C. epichloë, and their weight was significantly lower than that of unaffected larvae. Results show that C. epichloë, a new element of the interaction between E. typhina fungus and Botanophila flies, negatively affects both fungal reproduction and the offspring success of flies. This is the first report on the entomopathogenic activity of C. epichloë against Epichloë-associated Botanophila flies.}, }
@article {pmid32413992, year = {2020}, author = {Ndii, MZ}, title = {Modelling the Use of Vaccine and Wolbachia on Dengue Transmission Dynamics.}, journal = {Tropical medicine and infectious disease}, volume = {5}, number = {2}, pages = {}, pmid = {32413992}, issn = {2414-6366}, support = {48/UN.17.19/PL/2019//Kementerian Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan/ ; }, abstract = {The use of vaccine and Wolbachia has been proposed as strategies against dengue. Research showed that the Wolbachia intervention is highly effective in areas with low to moderate transmission levels. On the other hand, the use of vaccine is strongly effective when it is implemented on seropositive individuals and areas with high transmission levels. The question that arises is could the combination of both strategies result in higher reduction in the number of dengue cases? This paper seeks to answer the aforementioned question by the use of a mathematical model. A deterministic model in the presence of vaccine and Wolbachia has been developed and analysed. Numerical simulations were presented and public health implications were discussed. The results showed that the performance of Wolbachia in reducing the number of dengue cases is better than that of vaccination if the vaccine efficacy is low, otherwise, the use of vaccine is sufficient to reduce dengue incidence and hence the combination of Wolbachia and vaccine is not necessary.}, }
@article {pmid32406757, year = {2020}, author = {Nugent, CM and Elliott, TA and Ratnasingham, S and Adamowicz, SJ}, title = {coil: an R package for cytochrome c oxidase I (COI) DNA barcode data cleaning, translation, and error evaluation.}, journal = {Genome}, volume = {63}, number = {6}, pages = {291-305}, doi = {10.1139/gen-2019-0206}, pmid = {32406757}, issn = {1480-3321}, mesh = {Animals ; DNA Barcoding, Taxonomic/*methods ; DNA, Mitochondrial/genetics ; Electron Transport Complex IV/*genetics ; Frameshift Mutation/genetics ; Humans ; *Phylogeny ; Pseudogenes/*genetics ; }, abstract = {Biological conclusions based on DNA barcoding and metabarcoding analyses can be strongly influenced by the methods utilized for data generation and curation, leading to varying levels of success in the separation of biological variation from experimental error. The 5' region of cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI-5P) is the most common barcode gene for animals, with conserved structure and function that allows for biologically informed error identification. Here, we present coil (https://CRAN.R-project.org/package=coil), an R package for the pre-processing and frameshift error assessment of COI-5P animal barcode and metabarcode sequence data. The package contains functions for placement of barcodes into a common reading frame, accurate translation of sequences to amino acids, and highlighting insertion and deletion errors. The analysis of 10 000 barcode sequences of varying quality demonstrated how coil can place barcode sequences in reading frame and distinguish sequences containing indel errors from error-free sequences with greater than 97.5% accuracy. Package limitations were tested through the analysis of COI-5P sequences from the plant and fungal kingdoms as well as the analysis of potential contaminants: nuclear mitochondrial pseudogenes and Wolbachia COI-5P sequences. Results demonstrated that coil is a strong technical error identification method but is not reliable for detecting all biological contaminants.}, }
@article {pmid32402821, year = {2020}, author = {Zumaquero, L and Simón, F and Carretón, E and Hernández, I and Sandoval, C and Morchón, R}, title = {Prevalence of canine and human dirofilariosis in Puebla, Mexico.}, journal = {Veterinary parasitology}, volume = {282}, number = {}, pages = {109098}, doi = {10.1016/j.vetpar.2020.109098}, pmid = {32402821}, issn = {1873-2550}, abstract = {The objective of this work was to determine the risk of exposure to Dirofilaria immitis in the stray dog population and people living in the metropolitan area of Puebla City, Mexico, using serologic methods. A total of 283 blood salmples were collected from dogs and 254 salmples from people. The canine samples were analyzed using a commercial kit to detect D. immitis antigens and the Knott test to detect microfilariae. Human samples were analyzed by ELISAs to detect antibodies against D. immitis and Wolbachia anti-WSP, as well as Western blot to identify specific bands of the parasite in the adult antigenic extract of D. immitis. Positive results were represented on a GIS map that included layers with geoenvironmental information relevant to parasite transmission in the study area. The prevalence of D. immitis in the canine stray population was 2.12 %, with positive cases found in individuals aged 1-10 years. Human seroprevalence was established at 5.11 %, with women and men similarly affected. By age, a significantly higher seroprevalence was observed in younger individuals (<18 years) than in the rest of the population. The geolocation of the results showed that positive cases were found in the environment (within 2 km) of potentially favorable areas for mosquito breeding. The importance of human influence in the creation and maintenance of favorable conditions for the transmission of canine and human dirofilariosis within an urban area is highlighted, both by the lack of environmental sanitation and by the absence of measures to limit or eliminate the canine reservoir population.}, }
@article {pmid32391935, year = {2020}, author = {Kaur, R and Martinez, J and Rota-Stabelli, O and Jiggins, FM and Miller, WJ}, title = {Age, tissue, genotype and virus infection regulate Wolbachia levels in Drosophila.}, journal = {Molecular ecology}, volume = {29}, number = {11}, pages = {2063-2079}, doi = {10.1111/mec.15462}, pmid = {32391935}, issn = {1365-294X}, abstract = {The bacterial symbiont Wolbachia can protect insects against viral pathogens, and the varying levels of antiviral protection are correlated with the endosymbiont load within the insects. To understand why Wolbachia strains differ in their antiviral effects, we investigated the factors controlling Wolbachia density in five closely related strains in their natural Drosophila hosts. We found that Wolbachia density varied greatly across different tissues and between flies of different ages, and these effects depended on the host-symbiont association. Some endosymbionts maintained largely stable densities as flies aged while others increased, and these effects in turn depended on the tissue being examined. Measuring Wolbachia rRNA levels in response to viral infection, we found that viral infection itself also altered Wolbachia levels, with Flock House virus causing substantial reductions in symbiont loads late in the infection. This effect, however, was virus-specific as Drosophila C virus had little impact on Wolbachia in all of the five host systems. Because viruses have strong tissue tropisms and antiviral protection is thought to be cell-autonomous, these effects are likely to affect the virus-blocking phenomenon. However, we were unable to find any evidence of a correlation between Wolbachia and viral titres within the same tissues. We conclude that Wolbachia levels within flies are regulated in a complex host-symbiont-virus-dependent manner and this trinity is likely to influence the antiviral effects of Wolbachia.}, }
@article {pmid32388920, year = {2020}, author = {Zhu, YX and Song, ZR and Song, YL and Hong, XY}, title = {Double infection of Wolbachia and Spiroplasma alters induced plant defense and spider mite fecundity.}, journal = {Pest management science}, volume = {76}, number = {9}, pages = {3273-3281}, doi = {10.1002/ps.5886}, pmid = {32388920}, issn = {1526-4998}, support = {2019M651864//China Postdoctoral Science Foundation/ ; 31672035//National Natural Science Foundation of China/ ; 31871976//National Natural Science Foundation of China/ ; 1901888//National Natural Science Foundation of China/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; Fertility ; *Mites ; *Spiroplasma ; *Tetranychidae ; *Wolbachia ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Herbivore-associated bacterial symbionts can change plant physiology and influence herbivore fitness. The spider mite Tetranychus truncatus is a notorious pest harboring various bacterial symbionts; however, the effect of bacterial symbionts on host plant physiology remains unclear. Here, we investigated whether infection with the endosymbionts Wolbachia and Spiroplasma altered spider mite performance on tomato plants and affected plant-induced defenses.<br><br>RESULTS: Wolbachia and Spiroplasma were mainly located in the gnathosoma and ovaries of their spider mite hosts. Wolbachia and Spiroplasma significantly improved spider mite reproductive performance in cultivated and wild-type tomato. However, in plants deficient in jasmonic acid (JA) and salicylic acid (SA), there were no significant differences in reproduction between spider mites infected with Wolbachia and Spiroplasma and uninfected mites. The results indicated that the reproduction benefits conferred by endosymbionts may relate to plant defenses. Both spider mites infected with Wolbachia and Spiroplasma and uninfected mites induced similar levels of JA and SA accumulation in tomato, whereas tomato plants damaged by spider mites infected with both Wolbachia and Spiroplasma showed lower expression levels of JA- and SA-responsive genes than those damaged by uninfected spider mites. In addition, mites infected with Wolbachia and Spiroplasma mites consumed more tomato amino acids compared to uninfected spider mites, which may have contributed to host fecundity.<br><br>CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that the reproduction benefits conferred by endosymbionts may be associated with changes in plant defense parameters and the concentrations of plant amino acids. The results highlight the importance of endosymbionts in interactions between spider mites and their host plants. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry.}, }
@article {pmid32384776, year = {2020}, author = {Bryant, KN and Newton, ILG}, title = {The Intracellular Symbiont Wolbachia pipientis Enhances Recombination in a Dose-Dependent Manner.}, journal = {Insects}, volume = {11}, number = {5}, pages = {}, pmid = {32384776}, issn = {2075-4450}, support = {1456545//National Science Foundation/ ; }, abstract = {Wolbachia pipientis is an intracellular alphaproteobacterium that infects 40%-60% of insect species and is well known for host reproductive manipulations. Although Wolbachia are primarily maternally transmitted, evidence of horizontal transmission can be found in incongruent host-symbiont phylogenies and recent acquisitions of the same Wolbachia strain by distantly related species. Parasitoids and predator-prey interactions may indeed facilitate the transfer of Wolbachia between insect lineages, but it is likely that Wolbachia are acquired via introgression in many cases. Many hypotheses exist to explain Wolbachia prevalence and penetrance, such as nutritional supplementation, protection from parasites, protection from viruses, or direct reproductive parasitism. Using classical genetics, we show that Wolbachia increase recombination in infected lineages across two genomic intervals. This increase in recombination is titer-dependent as the wMelPop variant, which infects at higher load in Drosophila melanogaster, increases recombination 5% more than the wMel variant. In addition, we also show that Spiroplasma poulsonii, another bacterial intracellular symbiont of D. melanogaster, does not induce an increase in recombination. Our results suggest that Wolbachia infection specifically alters its host's recombination landscape in a dose-dependent manner.}, }
@article {pmid32358830, year = {2020}, author = {Sandoval-Mojica, AF and Altman, S and Hunter, WB and Pelz-Stelinski, KS}, title = {Peptide conjugated morpholinos for management of the huanglongbing pathosystem.}, journal = {Pest management science}, volume = {76}, number = {9}, pages = {3217-3224}, doi = {10.1002/ps.5877}, pmid = {32358830}, issn = {1526-4998}, support = {2016-70016-24782//National Institute of Food and Agriculture/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; *Citrus ; *Hemiptera ; Morpholinos ; Peptides ; Plant Diseases ; *Rhizobiaceae/genetics ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: 'Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus' (CLas) is the causal agent of the devastating citrus disease Huanglongbing (HLB) and is transmitted by the insect vector Diaphorina citri (Hemiptera: Liviidae). A potential approach for treating CLas infection is the use of synthetic nucleic acid-like oligomers to silence bacterial gene expression. Peptide conjugated morpholinos (PPMOs) targeting essential genes in CLas and the psyllid vector's endosymbiotic bacteria, Wolbachia (-Diaphorina, wDi), were evaluated using in vitro and in vivo assays.<br><br>RESULTS: Expression of the wDi gyrA gene was significantly reduced following incubation of wDi cells with PPMOs. In addition, the viability of isolated wDi cells was greatly reduced when treated with PPMOs as compared to untreated cells. Feeding D. citri adults with a complementary PPMO (CLgyrA-14) showed significantly reduced (70% lower) expression of the CLas gyrA gene. CLas relative density was significantly lower in the psyllids fed with CLgyrA-14, when compared to untreated insects. Psyllids that were treated with CLgyrA-14 were less successful in transmitting the pathogen into uninfected plants, compared to untreated insects.<br><br>CONCLUSION: The expression of essential genes in the D. citri symbiont, wDi and the HLB pathogen were suppressed in response to PPMO treatments. This study demonstrates the potential of PPMOs as a novel strategy for management of bacterial pathogens of fruit trees, such as HLB. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry.}, }
@article {pmid32340230, year = {2020}, author = {Dahmana, H and Mediannikov, O}, title = {Mosquito-Borne Diseases Emergence/Resurgence and How to Effectively Control It Biologically.}, journal = {Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland)}, volume = {9}, number = {4}, pages = {}, pmid = {32340230}, issn = {2076-0817}, abstract = {Deadly pathogens and parasites are transmitted by vectors and the mosquito is considered the most threatening vector in public health, transmitting these pathogens to humans and animals. We are currently witnessing the emergence/resurgence in new regions/populations of the most important mosquito-borne diseases, such as arboviruses and malaria. This resurgence may be the consequence of numerous complex parameters, but the major cause remains the mismanagement of insecticide use and the emergence of resistance. Biological control programmes have rendered promising results but several highly effective techniques, such as genetic manipulation, remain insufficiently considered as a control mechanism. Currently, new strategies based on attractive toxic sugar baits and new agents, such as Wolbachia and Asaia, are being intensively studied for potential use as alternatives to chemicals. Research into new insecticides, Insect Growth Regulators, and repellent compounds is pressing, and the improvement of biological strategies may provide key solutions to prevent outbreaks, decrease the danger to at-risk populations, and mitigate resistance.}, }
@article {pmid32339445, year = {2020}, author = {Lv, N and Peng, J and Chen, XY and Guo, CF and Sang, W and Wang, XM and Ahmed, MZ and Xu, YY and Qiu, BL}, title = {Antagonistic interaction between male-killing and cytoplasmic incompatibility induced by Cardinium and Wolbachia in the whitefly, Bemisia tabaci.}, journal = {Insect science}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1111/1744-7917.12793}, pmid = {32339445}, issn = {1744-7917}, support = {2018B020205003//Key-Area Research and Development Program of Guangdong Province/ ; 31672028//National Natural Science Foundation of China/ ; U1701231//NSFC-Guangdong Joint Research Fund/ ; }, abstract = {Cardinium and Wolbachia are maternally inherited bacterial symbionts of arthropods that can manipulate host reproduction by increasing the fitness of infected females. Here, we report that Cardinium and Wolbachia coinfection induced male-killing and cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI) when they coexisted in a cryptic species of whitefly, Bemisia tabaci Asia II7. Cardinium and Wolbachia symbionts were either singly or simultaneously localized in the bacteriocytes placed in the abdomen of B. tabaci nymphs and adults. Cardinium-Wolbachia coinfection induced male-killing and resulted in a higher female sex ratio in the intraspecific amphigenetic progeny of Asia II7 ICWH and ICWL lines; interestingly, male-killing induction was enhanced with increased Cardinium titer. Moreover, single infection of Wolbachia induced partial CI in the Asia II7 IW line and resulted in reduced fecundity, higher embryonic mortality, and lower female sex ratio. The uninfected Asia II7 IU line had significantly higher fecundity, lower embryonic and nymphal mortalities, and a lower level of CI than both the Wolbachia-infected Asia II7 IW line and the Cardinium-Wolbachia-coinfected Asia II7 ICWH line. Our findings indicate that Cardinium-Wolbachia coinfection induced male-killing, which may have had antagonistic effects on Wolbachia-induced CI in the Asia II7 whiteflies. For the first time, our study revealed that B. tabaci Asia II7 reproduction is co-manipulated by Cardinium and Wolbachia endosymbionts.}, }
@article {pmid32314037, year = {2020}, author = {Yang, J and Wei, S and Su, D and Zhang, Z and Chen, S and Luo, Z and Shen, X and Lai, Y and Jamil, A and Tong, J and Cui, X}, title = {Comparison of the Rhizosphere Soil Microbial Community Structure and Diversity Between Powdery Mildew-Infected and Noninfected Strawberry Plants in a Greenhouse by High-Throughput Sequencing Technology.}, journal = {Current microbiology}, volume = {77}, number = {8}, pages = {1724-1736}, doi = {10.1007/s00284-020-01948-x}, pmid = {32314037}, issn = {1432-0991}, support = {31660089//The National Natural Science Foundation of China/ ; 31960220//The National Natural Science Foundation of China/ ; }, abstract = {The aim of this study was to compare the microbial community structure and diversity in powdery mildew-infected and noninfected strawberry plant rhizosphere soils in the greenhouse based on variations in the 16S rRNA gene V3-V4 and fungal ITS2 regions by Illumina amplicon sequencing. Powdery mildew infection reduced the number of operational taxonomic units (OTUs) and prokaryotic and fungal community richness/diversity indexes in the rhizosphere soils compared with those in healthy plant soils. Furthermore, 3543 prokaryotic and 581 fungal OTUs were obtained at the 97% similarity level. Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Acidobacteria, and Chloroflexi were the dominant bacterial phyla; Woesearchaeota_DHVEG-6, Bathyarchaeota, and Thaumarchaeota were the dominant archaea; and Ascomycota, Basidiomycota, unclassified_fungi, and Zygomycota were the dominant fungal phyla. Their proportions differed significantly among samples. Wolbachia, Devosia, Pseudolabrys, Streptomyces, and Rhizomicrobium were the most abundant bacterial genera; their proportions differed significantly among samples. Most Pseudomonas, Streptomyces, and 'norank' group members might be potential antagonistic microorganisms of powdery mildew pathogens, and Wolbachia and Rickettsia might be pathogen-transmitting vectors. Microascus, Clitopilus, and Ciliophora were the dominant fungi, and their community structures and abundances significantly differed among samples. Microascus, Talaromyces, Zopfiella, and Cryptococcus were relatively more abundant in the powdery mildew-infected strawberry plant rhizosphere soils. Fusarium, Trichoderma, Clitopilus, and 'unclassified' group members may be potential antagonistic populations. The results suggested that powdery mildew-infected strawberry fruits and plants cannot be consumed. This report is the first study to illustrate differences in the rhizosphere soil prokaryotic and fungal communities between powdery mildew-infected and noninfected strawberry plants in a greenhouse.}, }
@article {pmid32314003, year = {2020}, author = {Parker, ES and Newton, ILG and Moczek, AP}, title = {(My Microbiome) Would Walk 10,000 miles: Maintenance and Turnover of Microbial Communities in Introduced Dung Beetles.}, journal = {Microbial ecology}, volume = {80}, number = {2}, pages = {435-446}, doi = {10.1007/s00248-020-01514-9}, pmid = {32314003}, issn = {1432-184X}, support = {1901680//Division of Integrative Organismal Systems/ ; 1256689//Division of Integrative Organismal Systems/ ; 61369//John Templeton Foundation/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; Australian Capital Territory ; Bacteria/*isolation &amp; purification ; Coleoptera/*microbiology ; Introduced Species ; Italy ; *Microbiota ; *Symbiosis ; West Virginia ; }, abstract = {Host-associated microbes facilitate diverse biotic and abiotic interactions between hosts and their environments. Experimental alterations of host-associated microbial communities frequently decrease host fitness, yet much less is known about if and how host-microbiome interactions are altered by natural perturbations, such as introduction events. Here, we begin to assess this question in Onthophagus dung beetles, a species-rich and geographically widely distributed genus whose members rely on vertically transmitted microbiota to support normal development. Specifically, we investigated to what extent microbiome community membership shifts during host introduction events and the relative significance of ancestral associations and novel environmental conditions in the structuring of microbial communities of introduced host species. Our results demonstrate that both evolutionary history and local environmental forces structure the microbial communities of these animals, but that their relative importance is shaped by the specific circumstances that characterize individual introduction events. Furthermore, we identify microbial taxa such as Dysgonomonas that may constitute members of the core Onthophagus microbiome regardless of host population or species, but also Wolbachia which associates with Onthophagus beetles in a species or even population-specific manner. We discuss the implications of our results for our understanding of the evolutionary ecology of symbiosis in dung beetles and beyond.}, }
@article {pmid31667465, year = {2019}, author = {Ryan, PA and Turley, AP and Wilson, G and Hurst, TP and Retzki, K and Brown-Kenyon, J and Hodgson, L and Kenny, N and Cook, H and Montgomery, BL and Paton, CJ and Ritchie, SA and Hoffmann, AA and Jewell, NP and Tanamas, SK and Anders, KL and Simmons, CP and O'Neill, SL}, title = {Establishment of wMel Wolbachia in Aedes aegypti mosquitoes and reduction of local dengue transmission in Cairns and surrounding locations in northern Queensland, Australia.}, journal = {Gates open research}, volume = {3}, number = {}, pages = {1547}, pmid = {31667465}, issn = {2572-4754}, support = {/WT_/Wellcome Trust/United Kingdom ; }, abstract = {Background: The wMel strain of Wolbachia has been successfully introduced into Aedes aegypti mosquitoes and subsequently shown in laboratory studies to reduce transmission of a range of viruses including dengue, Zika, chikungunya, yellow fever, and Mayaro viruses that cause human disease. Here we report the entomological and epidemiological outcomes of staged deployment of Wolbachia across nearly all significant dengue transmission risk areas in Australia. Methods: The wMel strain of Wolbachia was backcrossed into the local Aedes aegypti genotype (Cairns and Townsville backgrounds) and mosquitoes were released in the field by staff or via community assisted methods. Mosquito monitoring was undertaken and mosquitoes were screened for the presence of Wolbachia. Dengue case notifications were used to track dengue incidence in each location before and after releases. Results: Empirical analyses of the Wolbachia mosquito releases, including data on the density, frequency and duration of Wolbachia mosquito releases, indicate that Wolbachia can be readily established in local mosquito populations, using a variety of deployment options and over short release durations (mean release period 11 weeks, range 2-22 weeks). Importantly, Wolbachia frequencies have remained stable in mosquito populations since releases for up to 8 years. Analysis of dengue case notifications data demonstrates near-elimination of local dengue transmission for the past five years in locations where Wolbachia has been established. The regression model estimate of Wolbachia intervention effect from interrupted time series analyses of case notifications data prior to and after releases, indicated a 96% reduction in dengue incidence in Wolbachia treated populations (95% confidence interval: 84 - 99%). Conclusion: Deployment of the wMel strain of Wolbachia into local Ae. aegypti populations across the Australian regional cities of Cairns and most smaller regional communities with a past history of dengue has resulted in the reduction of local dengue transmission across all deployment areas.}, }
@article {pmid32307514, year = {2020}, author = {Lau, MJ and Ross, PA and Endersby-Harshman, NM and Hoffmann, AA}, title = {Impacts of Low Temperatures on Wolbachia (Rickettsiales: Rickettsiaceae)-Infected Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae).}, journal = {Journal of medical entomology}, volume = {57}, number = {5}, pages = {1567-1574}, pmid = {32307514}, issn = {1938-2928}, support = {/WT_/Wellcome Trust/United Kingdom ; 108508/WT_/Wellcome Trust/United Kingdom ; }, mesh = {Aedes/*microbiology/physiology ; Animals ; *Cold Temperature ; Female ; Fertility ; Wolbachia/*virology ; }, abstract = {In recent decades, the occurrence and distribution of arboviral diseases transmitted by Aedes aegypti mosquitoes has increased. In a new control strategy, populations of mosquitoes infected with Wolbachia are being released to replace existing populations and suppress arboviral disease transmission. The success of this strategy can be affected by high temperature exposure, but the impact of low temperatures on Wolbachia-infected Ae. aegypti is unclear, even though low temperatures restrict the abundance and distribution of this species. In this study, we considered low temperature cycles relevant to the spring season that are close to the distribution limits of Ae. aegypti, and tested the effects of these temperature cycles on Ae. aegypti, Wolbachia strains wMel and wAlbB, and Wolbachia phage WO. Low temperatures influenced Ae. aegypti life-history traits, including pupation, adult eclosion, and fertility. The Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes, especially wAlbB, performed better than uninfected mosquitoes. Temperature shift experiments revealed that low temperature effects on life history and Wolbachia density depended on the life stage of exposure. Wolbachia density was suppressed at low temperatures but densities recovered with adult age. In wMel Wolbachia there were no low temperature effects specific to Wolbachia phage WO. The findings suggest that Wolbachia-infected Ae. aegypti are not adversely affected by low temperatures, indicating that the Wolbachia replacement strategy is suitable for areas experiencing cool temperatures seasonally.}, }
@article {pmid32302295, year = {2020}, author = {Tantowijoyo, W and Andari, B and Arguni, E and Budiwati, N and Nurhayati, I and Fitriana, I and Ernesia, I and Daniwijaya, EW and Supriyati, E and Yusdiana, DH and Victorius, M and Wardana, DS and Ardiansyah, H and Ahmad, RA and Ryan, PA and Simmons, CP and Hoffmann, AA and Rancès, E and Turley, AP and Johnson, P and Utarini, A and O'Neill, SL}, title = {Stable establishment of wMel Wolbachia in Aedes aegypti populations in Yogyakarta, Indonesia.}, journal = {PLoS neglected tropical diseases}, volume = {14}, number = {4}, pages = {e0008157}, pmid = {32302295}, issn = {1935-2735}, mesh = {Aedes/*microbiology/virology ; Animals ; Arboviruses ; Australia ; Biological Control Agents ; Disease Transmission, Infectious/prevention &amp; control ; Female ; Indonesia ; Male ; Mosquito Vectors/*microbiology ; Wolbachia/*physiology ; }, abstract = {The successful establishment of the wMel strain of Wolbachia for the control of arbovirus transmission by Aedes aegypti has been proposed and is being implemented in a number of countries. Here we describe the successful establishment of the wMel strain of Wolbachia in four sites in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. We demonstrate that Wolbachia can be successfully introgressed after transient releases of wMel-infected eggs or adult mosquitoes. We demonstrate that the approach is acceptable to communities and that Wolbachia maintains itself in the mosquito population once deployed. Finally, our data show that spreading rates of Wolbachia in the Indonesian setting are slow which may reflect more limited dispersal of Aedes aegypti than seen in other sites such as Cairns, Australia.}, }
@article {pmid32299043, year = {2020}, author = {Mendiola, SY and Civitello, DJ and Gerardo, NM}, title = {An integrative approach to symbiont-mediated vector control for agricultural pathogens.}, journal = {Current opinion in insect science}, volume = {39}, number = {}, pages = {57-62}, doi = {10.1016/j.cois.2020.02.007}, pmid = {32299043}, issn = {2214-5753}, mesh = {Animals ; Crops, Agricultural/*microbiology ; Gene Silencing ; Insect Control/*methods ; Insect Vectors/*microbiology ; Plant Diseases/microbiology/prevention &amp; control ; RNA Interference ; Vector Borne Diseases/*microbiology/prevention &amp; control ; Wolbachia ; }, abstract = {Vector-borne pathogens pose significant threats to agricultural productivity. Methods that exploit associations between insects and their symbiotic microbes, dubbed symbiont-mediated vector control, are emerging as viable alternatives to insecticides for the control of vector-borne agricultural plant pathogens. The development of methods for effective microbial manipulation, such as RNA interference and paratransgenesis, may facilitate symbiont-mediated vector control tactics aimed at either suppressing insect populations or at manipulating vector competence, an insect vector's ability to acquire, harbor, and transmit pathogens. As suppression strategies transition from the laboratory to the field, the need for methods to evaluate their viability and predict their outcomes is apparent. Mathematical models of symbiont impact on agricultural disease can inform the development of symbiont-mediated vector control. We propose an integrative approach, combining theoretical and empirical experiments to identify the best practices for achieving meaningful improvements to crop health and productivity.}, }
@article {pmid32298447, year = {2020}, author = {Seifert, B}, title = {The Gene and Gene Expression (GAGE) Species Concept: An Universal Approach for All Eukaryotic Organisms.}, journal = {Systematic biology}, volume = {69}, number = {5}, pages = {1033-1038}, doi = {10.1093/sysbio/syaa032}, pmid = {32298447}, issn = {1076-836X}, mesh = {Classification/*methods ; Eukaryota/*classification/*genetics ; *Gene Expression ; Genes/*genetics ; *Genetic Speciation ; }, abstract = {The Gene and Gene Expression (GAGE) species concept, a new version of the Pragmatic Species Concept of Seifert (2014), is proposed as a concept applicable to any described recent or fossil eukaryotic organism independent from its mode of reproduction or evolutionary history. In addition to presenting the concept as such, the article also provides practical recommendations for taxonomists when delimiting species and describing taxa. The wording of the new concept contains a heading core sentence plus five attached sentences addressing essential conditions for its translation into a sound taxonomic practice: &quot;Species are separable clusters that have passed a threshold of evolutionary divergence and are exclusively defined by nuclear DNA sequences and/or their expression products. Nuclear DNA sequences and their expression products are different character systems but have a highly correlated indicative function. Character systems with the least risk of epigenetic or ontogenetic modification have superior indicative value when conflicts between character systems of integrative studies arise. All character systems have to be described by an adequate numerics allowing cluster formation and determination of thresholds. Thresholds for each character system should be fixed by consensus among the experts under the principle of avoiding oversplitting or lumping. Clusters must not be the expression of intraspecific polymorphism.&quot; Recognizing the distortions and conflicts caused to taxonomy through barcoding or through assessment on the basis of association with other organisms, the GAGE species concept strongly downgrades the use of cytoplasmic DNA of endosymbiotic origin (mtDNA, cpDNA) or DNA of closely associated microbes (e.g., Wolbachia bacteria) for final taxonomic decision-making. Recognizing the distortion of phylogenies by the high frequency of reticulate evolution, it is argued that delimiting and naming species has to be separated from constructing bifurcating phylogenetic trees. [Cytoplasmic DNA; lumping; nuclear DNA; numeric taxonomy; oversplitting; reticulate evolution.].}, }
@article {pmid32282862, year = {2020}, author = {Flores, HA and Taneja de Bruyne, J and O'Donnell, TB and Tuyet Nhu, V and Thi Giang, N and Thi Xuan Trang, H and Thi Thuy Van, H and Thi Long, V and Thi Dui, L and Le Anh Huy, H and Thi Le Duyen, H and Thi Van Thuy, N and Thanh Phong, N and Van Vinh Chau, N and Thi Hue Kien, D and Thuy Vi, T and Wills, B and O'Neill, SL and Simmons, CP and Carrington, LB}, title = {Multiple Wolbachia strains provide comparative levels of protection against dengue virus infection in Aedes aegypti.}, journal = {PLoS pathogens}, volume = {16}, number = {4}, pages = {e1008433}, pmid = {32282862}, issn = {1553-7374}, support = {102591/Z/13/Z/WT_/Wellcome Trust/United Kingdom ; }, mesh = {Aedes/genetics/metabolism/*microbiology/*virology ; Animals ; Dengue Virus/*physiology ; Female ; Male ; Mosquito Vectors/genetics/metabolism/*microbiology/*virology ; Pest Control, Biological ; Virus Replication ; Wolbachia/*physiology ; }, abstract = {The insect bacterium Wolbachia pipientis is being introgressed into Aedes aegypti populations as an intervention against the transmission of medically important arboviruses. Here we compare Ae. aegypti mosquitoes infected with wMelCS or wAlbB to the widely used wMel Wolbachia strain on an Australian nuclear genetic background for their susceptibility to infection by dengue virus (DENV) genotypes spanning all four serotypes. All Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes were more resistant to intrathoracic DENV challenge than their wildtype counterparts. Blocking of DENV replication was greatest by wMelCS. Conversely, wAlbB-infected mosquitoes were more susceptible to whole body infection than wMel and wMelCS. We extended these findings via mosquito oral feeding experiments, using viremic blood from 36 acute, hospitalised dengue cases in Vietnam, additionally including wMel and wildtype mosquitoes on a Vietnamese nuclear genetic background. As above, wAlbB was less effective at blocking DENV replication in the abdomen compared to wMel and wMelCS. The transmission potential of all Wolbachia-infected mosquito lines (measured by the presence/absence of infectious DENV in mosquito saliva) after 14 days, was significantly reduced compared to their wildtype counterparts, and lowest for wMelCS and wAlbB. These data support the use of wAlbB and wMelCS strains for introgression field trials and the biocontrol of DENV transmission. Furthermore, despite observing significant differences in transmission potential between wildtype mosquitoes from Australia and Vietnam, no difference was observed between wMel-infected mosquitoes from each background suggesting that Wolbachia may override any underlying variation in DENV transmission potential.}, }
@article {pmid32278312, year = {2020}, author = {Patterson, EI and Villinger, J and Muthoni, JN and Dobel-Ober, L and Hughes, GL}, title = {Exploiting insect-specific viruses as a novel strategy to control vector-borne disease.}, journal = {Current opinion in insect science}, volume = {39}, number = {}, pages = {50-56}, pmid = {32278312}, issn = {2214-5753}, support = {R21 AI129507/AI/NIAID NIH HHS/United States ; R21 AI138074/AI/NIAID NIH HHS/United States ; BB/T001240/1/BB_/Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council/United Kingdom ; }, mesh = {Aedes/virology ; Animals ; Arboviruses/growth &amp; development ; Biological Control Agents/isolation &amp; purification ; Flavivirus/genetics/isolation &amp; purification/physiology ; Flavivirus Infections/prevention &amp; control/transmission ; Insect Control/*methods ; *Insect Viruses/genetics/isolation &amp; purification/physiology ; Insecta/virology ; Mosquito Vectors/*virology ; Phylogeny ; Vector Borne Diseases/*prevention &amp; control/transmission ; }, abstract = {Novel insect-specific viruses (ISVs) are being discovered in many important vectors due to advances in sequencing technology and a growing awareness of the virome. Several in vitro and in vivo studies indicate that ISVs are capable of modulating pathogenic arboviruses. In addition, there is growing evidence that both vertical and horizonal transmission strategies maintain ISVs in vector populations. As such there is potential to exploit ISVs for stand-alone vector control strategies and deploying them in synergy with other symbiont control approaches such as Wolbachia-mediated control. However, before the applied potential can be realized, a greater understanding of their basic biology is required, including their species range, ability to be maintained and transmitted in native and non-native vector hosts, and the effect of infection on a range of pathogens.}, }
@article {pmid32265562, year = {2020}, author = {Crawford, JE and Clarke, DW and Criswell, V and Desnoyer, M and Cornel, D and Deegan, B and Gong, K and Hopkins, KC and Howell, P and Hyde, JS and Livni, J and Behling, C and Benza, R and Chen, W and Dobson, KL and Eldershaw, C and Greeley, D and Han, Y and Hughes, B and Kakani, E and Karbowski, J and Kitchell, A and Lee, E and Lin, T and Liu, J and Lozano, M and MacDonald, W and Mains, JW and Metlitz, M and Mitchell, SN and Moore, D and Ohm, JR and Parkes, K and Porshnikoff, A and Robuck, C and Sheridan, M and Sobecki, R and Smith, P and Stevenson, J and Sullivan, J and Wasson, B and Weakley, AM and Wilhelm, M and Won, J and Yasunaga, A and Chan, WC and Holeman, J and Snoad, N and Upson, L and Zha, T and Dobson, SL and Mulligan, FS and Massaro, P and White, BJ}, title = {Efficient production of male Wolbachia-infected Aedes aegypti mosquitoes enables large-scale suppression of wild populations.}, journal = {Nature biotechnology}, volume = {38}, number = {4}, pages = {482-492}, pmid = {32265562}, issn = {1546-1696}, mesh = {Aedes/growth &amp; development/*microbiology/*physiology ; Animal Migration ; Animals ; California ; Female ; Larva/growth &amp; development/microbiology/physiology ; Male ; Mosquito Control/*methods/statistics &amp; numerical data ; Mosquito Vectors/growth &amp; development/*microbiology/*physiology ; Population Dynamics ; Sex Characteristics ; Wolbachia/*physiology ; }, abstract = {The range of the mosquito Aedes aegypti continues to expand, putting more than two billion people at risk of arboviral infection. The sterile insect technique (SIT) has been used to successfully combat agricultural pests at large scale, but not mosquitoes, mainly because of challenges with consistent production and distribution of high-quality male mosquitoes. We describe automated processes to rear and release millions of competitive, sterile male Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes, and use of these males in a large-scale suppression trial in Fresno County, California. In 2018, we released 14.4 million males across three replicate neighborhoods encompassing 293 hectares. At peak mosquito season, the number of female mosquitoes was 95.5% lower (95% CI, 93.6-96.9) in release areas compared to non-release areas, with the most geographically isolated neighborhood reaching a 99% reduction. This work demonstrates the high efficacy of mosquito SIT in an area ninefold larger than in previous similar trials, supporting the potential of this approach in public health and nuisance-mosquito eradication programs.}, }
@article {pmid32253286, year = {2020}, author = {Singh, R and Linksvayer, TA}, title = {Wolbachia-infected ant colonies have increased reproductive investment and an accelerated life cycle.}, journal = {The Journal of experimental biology}, volume = {223}, number = {Pt 9}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1242/jeb.220079}, pmid = {32253286}, issn = {1477-9145}, abstract = {Wolbachia is a widespread genus of maternally transmitted endosymbiotic bacteria that often manipulates the reproductive strategy and life history of its hosts to favor its own transmission. Wolbachia-mediated phenotypic effects are well characterized in solitary hosts, but effects in social hosts are unclear. The invasive pharaoh ant, Monomorium pharaonis, shows natural variation in Wolbachia infection between colonies and can be readily bred under laboratory conditions. We previously showed that Wolbachia-infected pharaoh ant colonies had more queen-biased sex ratios than uninfected colonies, which is expected to favor the spread of maternally transmitted Wolbachia Here, we further characterize the effects of Wolbachia on the short- and longer-term reproductive and life history traits of pharaoh ant colonies. First, we characterized the reproductive differences between naturally infected and uninfected colonies at three discrete time points and found that infected colonies had higher reproductive investment (i.e. infected colonies produced more new queens), particularly when existing colony queens were 3 months old. Next, we compared the long-term growth and reproduction dynamics of infected and uninfected colonies across their whole life cycle. Infected colonies had increased colony-level growth and early colony reproduction, resulting in a shorter colony life cycle, when compared with uninfected colonies.}, }
@article {pmid32243448, year = {2020}, author = {Ross, PA and Axford, JK and Callahan, AG and Richardson, KM and Hoffmann, AA}, title = {Persistent deleterious effects of a deleterious Wolbachia infection.}, journal = {PLoS neglected tropical diseases}, volume = {14}, number = {4}, pages = {e0008204}, pmid = {32243448}, issn = {1935-2735}, mesh = {Aedes/*microbiology ; Animals ; Dengue/prevention &amp; control ; Drosophila melanogaster ; *Evolution, Molecular ; Female ; Host Microbial Interactions ; Linear Models ; Male ; Mosquito Control ; Mosquito Vectors/*microbiology ; Pest Control, Biological/*methods ; Population Dynamics ; Wolbachia/pathogenicity/*physiology ; }, abstract = {Wolbachia are being used to reduce dengue transmission by Aedes aegypti mosquitoes around the world. To date releases have mostly involved Wolbachia strains with limited fitness effects but strains with larger fitness costs could be used to suppress mosquito populations. However, such infections are expected to evolve towards decreased deleterious effects. Here we investigate potential evolutionary changes in the wMelPop infection transferred from Drosophila melanogaster to Aedes aegypti more than ten years (~120 generations) ago. We show that most deleterious effects of this infection have persisted despite strong selection to ameliorate them. The wMelPop-PGYP infection is difficult to maintain in laboratory colonies, likely due to the persistent deleterious effects coupled with occasional maternal transmission leakage. Furthermore, female mosquitoes can be scored incorrectly as infected due to transmission of Wolbachia through mating. Infection loss in colonies was not associated with evolutionary changes in the nuclear background. These findings suggest that Wolbachia transinfections with deleterious effects may have stable phenotypes which could ensure their long-term effectiveness if released in natural populations to reduce population size.}, }
@article {pmid32211166, year = {2020}, author = {Paredes-Montero, JR and Zia-Ur-Rehman, M and Hameed, U and Haider, MS and Herrmann, HW and Brown, JK}, title = {Genetic variability, community structure, and horizontal transfer of endosymbionts among three Asia II-Bemisia tabaci mitotypes in Pakistan.}, journal = {Ecology and evolution}, volume = {10}, number = {6}, pages = {2928-2943}, pmid = {32211166}, issn = {2045-7758}, abstract = {Endosymbionts associated with the whitefly Bemisia tabaci cryptic species are known to contribute to host fitness and environmental adaptation. The genetic diversity and population complexity were investigated for endosymbiont communities of B. tabaci occupying different micro-environments in Pakistan. Mitotypes of B. tabaci were identified by comparative sequence analysis of the mitochondria cytochrome oxidase I (mtCOI) gene sequence. Whitefly mitotypes belonged to the Asia II-1, -5, and -7 mitotypes of the Asia II major clade. The whitefly-endosymbiont communities were characterized based on 16S ribosomal RNA operational taxonomic unit (OTU) assignments, resulting in 43 OTUs. Most of the OTUs occurred in the Asia II-1 and II-7 mitotypes (r2 = .9, p < .005), while the Asia II-5 microbiome was less complex. The microbiome OTU groups were mitotype-specific, clustering with a basis in phylogeographical distribution and the corresponding ecological niche of their whitefly host, suggesting mitotype-microbiome co-adaptation. The primary endosymbiont Portiera was represented by a single, highly homologous OTU (0%-0.67% divergence). Two of six Arsenophonus OTUs were uniquely associated with Asia II-5 and -7, and one occurred exclusively in Asia II-1, two only in Asia II-5, and one in both Asia II-1 and -7. Four other secondary endosymbionts, Cardinium, Hemipteriphilus, Rickettsia, and Wolbachia OTUs, were found at ≤29% frequencies. The most prevalent Arsenophonus OTU was found in all three Asia II mitotypes (55% frequency), whereas the same strain of Cardinium and Wolbachia was found in both Asia II-1 and -5, and a single Hemipteriphilus OTU occurred in Asia II-1 and -7. This pattern is indicative of horizontal transfer, suggestive of a proximity between mitotypes sufficient for gene flow at overlapping mitotype ecological niches.}, }
@article {pmid32207826, year = {2020}, author = {Guz, N and Arshad, M and Cagatay, NS and Dageri, A and Ullah, MI}, title = {Detection of Wolbachia (Rickettsiales: Anaplasmataceae) and Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus (Rhizobiales: Rhizobiaceae) Associated With Diaphorina citri (Hemiptera: Liviidae) Collected From Citrus reticulata (Sapindales: Rutaceae) and Alternate Host, Cordia myxa (Boraginales: Boraginaceae).}, journal = {Journal of economic entomology}, volume = {113}, number = {3}, pages = {1486-1492}, doi = {10.1093/jee/toaa043}, pmid = {32207826}, issn = {1938-291X}, mesh = {*Anaplasmataceae ; Animals ; *Boraginaceae ; *Citrus ; *Cordia ; *Hemiptera ; Plant Diseases ; *Rhizobiaceae ; Rickettsiales ; *Rutaceae ; *Wolbachia ; }, abstract = {The Asian citrus psyllid, Diaphorina citri Kuwayama (Hemiptera: Liviidae), is an important insect pest of the citrus crop worldwide. It vectors the pathogen 'Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus' (CLas) that causes a serious disease known as citrus greening. Here, we tested the infection frequency of Wolbachia and CLas from 100 D. citri individuals collected from two host plants belonging to families Rutaceae (Citrus reticulata Blanco) and Boraginaceae (Cordia myxa L.) using molecular methods. The following trend of endosymbionts infection in adult D. citri was found; 85.4% (35/41) by Wolbachia, and 19.5% (8/41) by CLas collected from C. reticulata plants and 65.4% (17/26) by Wolbachia, and 15.4% (4/26) by CLas in case of C. myxa plant. However, 61.5% (8/13) nymphs collected from C. reticulata and 20.0% (4/20) collected from C. myxa plants were infected by Wolbachia, while no nymph was infected by CLas collected from either host plants. Findings from this work represent the first report of CLas presence in D. citri feeding on C. myxa plants. By studying the presence of CLas with other endosymbiotic bacteria, future basic and applied research to develop control strategies can be prioritized.}, }
@article {pmid32198842, year = {2020}, author = {Bing, XL and Zhao, DS and Peng, CW and Huang, HJ and Hong, XY}, title = {Similarities and spatial variations of bacterial and fungal communities in field rice planthopper (Hemiptera: Delphacidae) populations.}, journal = {Insect science}, volume = {27}, number = {5}, pages = {947-963}, doi = {10.1111/1744-7917.12782}, pmid = {32198842}, issn = {1744-7917}, support = {804015//Nanjing Agricultural University/ ; 80900224//Nanjing Agricultural University/ ; 31672035//National Natural Science Foundation of China/ ; 31871976//National Natural Science Foundation of China/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; Bacteria/classification/*isolation &amp; purification ; China ; Environment ; Female ; Fungi/classification/*isolation &amp; purification ; Hemiptera/*microbiology ; Male ; *Microbiota ; Mycobiome ; Phylogeny ; RNA, Bacterial/analysis ; RNA, Fungal/analysis ; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S/analysis ; Sex Factors ; Species Specificity ; Tissue Distribution ; }, abstract = {Rice planthoppers are notorious plant sap-feeding pests which cause serious damage. While several microbes in rice planthoppers have been broadly characterized, the abundance and diversity of bacteria and fungi in field planthoppers are largely unknown. This study investigated the bacterial and fungal community compositions of Chinese wild rice planthoppers Laodelphax striatellus and Sogatella furcifera using parallel 16S rRNA gene amplicon and internal transcribed space region sequencing. The bacteria varied significantly between the species and were partitioned significantly by sex, tissues and host environments in each species. The majority of bacteria were affiliated with the genera Wolbachia, Cardinium, Rickettsia and Pantoea. The abundance of Wolbachia was negatively correlated with that of Cardinium in both planthopper species. Compared with bacteria, the abundance and diversity of fungi did not differ between sexes but both were enriched in the gut. The bacterial community as a whole showed no significant correlation with the fungal community. The majority of fungi were related to Sarocladium, Alternaria, Malassezia, Aspergillus and Curvularia. A phylogenetic analysis revealed that these fungi were closely related to botanic symbionts or pathogens. Our results provide novel insights into the bacteria and fungi of rice planthoppers.}, }
@article {pmid32191724, year = {2020}, author = {Dionysopoulou, NK and Papanastasiou, SA and Kyritsis, GA and Papadopoulos, NT}, title = {Effect of host fruit, temperature and Wolbachia infection on survival and development of Ceratitis capitata immature stages.}, journal = {PloS one}, volume = {15}, number = {3}, pages = {e0229727}, pmid = {32191724}, issn = {1932-6203}, mesh = {Animals ; Ceratitis capitata/*growth &amp; development/*microbiology ; Fruit/*parasitology ; Larva/growth &amp; development ; *Life Cycle Stages ; Proportional Hazards Models ; Pupa/growth &amp; development ; Survival Analysis ; *Temperature ; Wolbachia/*physiology ; }, abstract = {The Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata (Diptera: Tephritidae), holds an impressive record of successful invasions promoted by the growth and development of international fruit trade. Hence, survival of immatures within infested fruit that are subjected to various conditions during transportation seems to be a crucial feature that promotes invasion success. Wolbachia pipientis is a common endosymbiont of insects and other arthropods generating several biological effects on its hosts. Existing information report the influence of Wolbachia on the fitness traits of insect host species, including the Mediterranean fruit fly. However, little is known regarding effects of Wolbachia infection on immature development in different host fruits and temperatures. This study was conducted to determine the development and survival of immature stages of four different Mediterranean fruit fly populations, either infected or uninfected with Wolbachia, in two hosts (apples, bitter oranges) under three constant temperatures (15, 25 and 30°C), constant relative humidity (45-55 ± 5%), and a photoperiod of 14L:10D. Our findings demonstrate both differential response of two fruit fly lines to Wolbachia infection and differential effects of the two Wolbachia strains on the same Mediterranean fruit fly line. Larva-to-pupa and larva-to-adult survival followed similar patterns and varied a lot among the four medfly populations, the two host fruits and the different temperatures. Pupation rates and larval developmental time were higher for larvae implanted in apples compared to bitter oranges. The survival rates of wildish medflies were higher than those of the laboratory adapted ones, particularly in bitter oranges. The Wolbachia infected medflies, expressed lower survival rates and higher developmental times, especially the wCer4 infected line. High temperatures constrained immature development and were lethal for the Wolbachia infected wCer4 medfly line. Lower temperatures inferred longer developmental times to immature stages of all medfly populations tested, in both host fruits. Implications on the ecology and survival of the fly in nature are discussed.}, }
@article {pmid32189066, year = {2020}, author = {Fallon, AM}, title = {Computational evidence for antitoxins associated with RelE/ParE, RatA, Fic, and AbiEii-family toxins in Wolbachia genomes.}, journal = {Molecular genetics and genomics : MGG}, volume = {295}, number = {4}, pages = {891-909}, doi = {10.1007/s00438-020-01662-0}, pmid = {32189066}, issn = {1617-4623}, mesh = {Animals ; Chromosomes, Bacterial/genetics ; Culicidae/microbiology ; DNA Topoisomerase IV/genetics ; Genome, Bacterial/genetics ; Humans ; Male ; Parthenogenesis/*genetics ; Pest Control ; Reproduction/*genetics ; Symbiosis/genetics ; Toxin-Antitoxin Systems/*genetics ; Wolbachia/*genetics/pathogenicity ; }, abstract = {Wolbachia is an obligate intracellular Gram-negative alpha-proteobacterium that has diverse effects on reproduction of arthropod hosts, including cytoplasmic incompatibility, male killing, feminization, and parthenogenesis. Some of these effects have important potential for control of insect pests, including mosquitoes that vector pathogens of humans. In mosquitoes, and in most other arthropods, elimination of Wolbachia by antibiotic treatment has no effect on host survival and reverses the Wolbachia-associated phenotype. Elimination of Wolbachia strain wFol, which enables parthenogenetic reproduction of the Collembolan, Folsomia candida, would result in population extinction. However, F. candida adults remain viable and resume reproduction when antibiotics are removed, suggesting that wFol survives antibiotic treatment in a quiescent persister state similar to that induced by chromosomally encoded toxin-antitoxin (TA) modules in free-living bacteria. Computational approaches were used to document the presence of antitoxin genes upstream of Wolbachia RelE/ParE, Fic, and AbiEii toxin genes. Moreover, this analysis revealed that Wolbachia RatA toxin is encoded by a single copy gene associated with an ssrS noncoding RNA gene. Documentation of potentially functional TA modules expands our understanding of the metabolic capabilities of Wolbachia, and provides an explanation for variable and sometimes contradictory results of antibiotic treatments. The presence of chromosomal TA modules in Wolbachia genomes suggests that wFol, and potentially other strains of Wolbachia, can enter a quiescent persister state.}, }
@article {pmid32187233, year = {2020}, author = {Wu, X and Lindsey, ARI and Chatterjee, P and Werren, JH and Stouthamer, R and Yi, SV}, title = {Distinct epigenomic and transcriptomic modifications associated with Wolbachia-mediated asexuality.}, journal = {PLoS pathogens}, volume = {16}, number = {3}, pages = {e1008397}, pmid = {32187233}, issn = {1553-7374}, mesh = {Animals ; *DNA Methylation ; *DNA, Protozoan/genetics/metabolism ; Epigenome/*physiology ; *Gene Expression Regulation ; Genome-Wide Association Study ; Transcriptome/*physiology ; Wasps/parasitology ; *Wolbachia/genetics/metabolism ; }, abstract = {Wolbachia are maternally transmitted intracellular bacteria that induce a range of pathogenic and fitness-altering effects on insect and nematode hosts. In parasitoid wasps of the genus Trichogramma, Wolbachia infection induces asexual production of females, thus increasing transmission of Wolbachia. It has been hypothesized that Wolbachia infection accompanies a modification of the host epigenome. However, to date, data on genome-wide epigenomic changes associated with Wolbachia are limited, and are often confounded by background genetic differences. Here, we took sexually reproducing Trichogramma free of Wolbachia and introgressed their genome into a Wolbachia-infected cytoplasm, converting them to Wolbachia-mediated asexuality. Wolbachia was then cured from replicates of these introgressed lines, allowing us to examine the genome-wide effects of wasps newly converted to asexual reproduction while controlling for genetic background. We thus identified gene expression and DNA methylation changes associated with Wolbachia-infection. We found no overlaps between differentially expressed genes and differentially methylated genes, indicating that Wolbachia-infection associated DNA methylation change does not directly modulate levels of gene expression. Furthermore, genes affected by these mechanisms exhibit distinct evolutionary histories. Genes differentially methylated due to the infection tended to be evolutionarily conserved. In contrast, differentially expressed genes were significantly more likely to be unique to the Trichogramma lineage, suggesting host-specific transcriptomic responses to infection. Nevertheless, we identified several novel aspects of Wolbachia-associated DNA methylation changes. Differentially methylated genes included those involved in oocyte development and chromosome segregation. Interestingly, Wolbachia-infection was associated with higher levels of DNA methylation. Additionally, Wolbachia infection reduced overall variability in gene expression, even after accounting for the effect of DNA methylation. We also identified specific cases where alternative exon usage was associated with DNA methylation changes due to Wolbachia infection. These results begin to reveal distinct genes and molecular pathways subject to Wolbachia induced epigenetic modification and/or host responses to Wolbachia-infection.}, }
@article {pmid32174906, year = {2020}, author = {van den Bosch, TJM and Welte, CU}, title = {The Microbial Diversity of Cabbage Pest Delia radicum Across Multiple Life Stages.}, journal = {Frontiers in microbiology}, volume = {11}, number = {}, pages = {315}, pmid = {32174906}, issn = {1664-302X}, abstract = {The cabbage root fly Delia radicum is a worldwide pest that causes yield losses of many common cabbage crops. The bacteria associated with D. radicum are suggested to influence the pest status of their host. In this study, we characterized insect-associated bacteria of D. radicum across multiple life stages and of their diet plant (turnip, Brassica rapa subsp. rapa) by sequencing the V3-V4 region of 16S rRNA genes using the Illumina MiSeq platform. In total, over 1.2M paired-end reads were obtained, identifying 1006 bacterial amplicon sequence variants (ASVs) in samples obtained from the eggs, larvae, pupae and adults of D. radicum, as well as turnips that were either fresh or infested with D. radicum larvae. The microbial community in D. radicum was dominated by Wolbachia, a common endosymbiont of arthropods which we found in all of the investigated insect samples, with the pupal stage having the highest relative abundance. Moderate amounts of Firmicutes were found only in adult D. radicum flies, but not in previous life stages. Actinobacteria were mostly found on the eggs and on the skin of fresh plants on which the eggs were deposited. These plants also harbored a large amount of Pseudomonas. The bacterial diversity of the healthy turnip was low, whereas the microbial community of decaying turnips that were heavily infested by D. radicum larvae and showing symptoms of advanced soft rot was characterized by a high bacterial diversity. Taken together, this work provides insights into the bacterial communities associated with the cabbage pest D. radicum and its associated disease symptoms.}, }
@article {pmid32168905, year = {2020}, author = {Rossitto De Marchi, B and Smith, HA}, title = {Bacterial Endosymbiont Diversity Among Bemisia tabaci (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) Populations in Florida.}, journal = {Insects}, volume = {11}, number = {3}, pages = {}, pmid = {32168905}, issn = {2075-4450}, abstract = {The sweetpotato whitefly, Bemisia tabaci (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae), is a pest of many economically important agricultural crops and a vector of plant viruses. Bemisia tabaci harbors facultative endosymbiont species that have been implicated in pest status, including tolerance to insecticides, virus transmission efficiency and tolerance to high-temperatures. The facultative endosymbionts reported in B. tabaci include Arsenophonus, Hamiltonella, Wolbachia, Cardinium, Fritschea and Rickettsia. We collected whitefly populations from weed and crop hosts in south Florida and identified the whitefly species as well as the facultative endosymbionts present in these populations by molecular analysis. In addition, a phylogenetic analysis of whiteflies and their endosymbionts was performed. The only facultative endosymbionts found among the B. tabaci populations collected in Florida were Hamiltonella and Rickettsia. The phylogenetic analysis revealed the low genetic diversity of whiteflies and their endosymbionts. Additionally, the phylogenetic tree clustered Rickettsia from Florida in the R1 genetic group. The results will aid to understand the role of the bacterial endosymbionts in the whitefly host.}, }
@article {pmid32164779, year = {2020}, author = {Hu, Y and Xi, Z and Liu, X and Wang, J and Guo, Y and Ren, D and Wu, H and Wang, X and Chen, B and Liu, Q}, title = {Correction to: Identification and molecular characterization of Wolbachia strains in natural populations of Aedes albopictus in China.}, journal = {Parasites &amp; vectors}, volume = {13}, number = {1}, pages = {124}, pmid = {32164779}, issn = {1756-3305}, abstract = {Following publication of the original article [1], the corresponding author flagged that the article had published with two errors.}, }
@article {pmid32163151, year = {2020}, author = {Morrow, JL and Schneider, DI and Klasson, L and Janitz, C and Miller, WJ and Riegler, M}, title = {Parallel Sequencing of Wolbachia wCer2 from Donor and Novel Hosts Reveals Multiple Incompatibility Factors and Genome Stability after Host Transfers.}, journal = {Genome biology and evolution}, volume = {12}, number = {5}, pages = {720-735}, pmid = {32163151}, issn = {1759-6653}, abstract = {The application of Wolbachia in insect pest and vector control requires the establishment of genotypically stable host associations. The cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI) inducing Wolbachia strain wCer2 naturally occurs in the cherry fruit fly Rhagoletis cerasi as co-infection with other strains and was transferred to other fruit fly species by embryonic microinjections. We obtained wCer2 genome data from its native and three novel hosts, Drosophila simulans, Drosophila melanogaster, and Ceratitis capitata and assessed its genome stability, characteristics, and CI factor (cif) genes. De novo assembly was successful from Wolbachia cell-enriched singly infected D. simulans embryos, with minimal host and other bacterial genome traces. The low yield of Wolbachia sequence reads from total genomic extracts of one multiply infected R. cerasi pupa and one singly infected C. capitata adult limited de novo assemblies but was sufficient for comparative analyses. Across hosts wCer2 was stable in genome synteny and content. Polymorphic nucleotide sites were found in wCer2 of each host; however, only one nucleotide was different between R. cerasi and C. capitata, and none between replicated D. simulans lines. The wCer2 genome is highly similar to wAu (D. simulans), wMel (D. melanogaster), and wRec (Drosophila recens). In contrast to wMel and wRec (each with one cif gene pair) and wAu (without any cif genes), wCer2 has three pairs of Type I cif genes, and one Type V cifB gene without a cifA complement. This may explain previously reported CI patterns of wCer2, including incomplete rescue of its own CI modification in three novel host species.}, }
@article {pmid32155143, year = {2020}, author = {Mancini, MV and Herd, CS and Ant, TH and Murdochy, SM and Sinkins, SP}, title = {Wolbachia strain wAu efficiently blocks arbovirus transmission in Aedes albopictus.}, journal = {PLoS neglected tropical diseases}, volume = {14}, number = {3}, pages = {e0007926}, pmid = {32155143}, issn = {1935-2735}, support = {108508/Z/15/Z/WT_/Wellcome Trust/United Kingdom ; 202888/Z/16/Z/WT_/Wellcome Trust/United Kingdom ; }, mesh = {Aedes/*microbiology/*virology ; Animals ; *Antibiosis ; Arbovirus Infections/prevention &amp; control ; Arboviruses/*growth &amp; development ; Disease Transmission, Infectious/prevention &amp; control ; Drosophila/microbiology ; Female ; Male ; Mosquito Vectors/microbiology/virology ; Wolbachia/*growth &amp; development/isolation &amp; purification ; }, abstract = {The global incidence of arboviral diseases transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes, including dengue, chikungunya, yellow fever, and Zika, has increased dramatically in recent decades. The release of Aedes aegypti carrying the maternally inherited symbiont Wolbachia as an intervention to control arboviruses is being trialled in several countries. However, these efforts are compromised in many endemic regions due to the co-localization of the secondary vector Aedes albopictus, the Asian tiger mosquito. Ae. albopictus has an expanding global distribution following incursions into a number of new territories. To date, only the wMel and wPip strains of Wolbachia have been reported to be transferred into and characterized in this vector. A Wolbachia strain naturally infecting Drosophila simulans, wAu, was selected for transfer into a Malaysian Ae. albopictus line to create a novel triple-strain infection. The newly generated line showed self-compatibility, moderate fitness cost and complete resistance to Zika and dengue infections.}, }
@article {pmid32144639, year = {2020}, author = {Duan, DY and Liu, GH and Cheng, TY}, title = {Microbiome analysis of the saliva and midgut from partially or fully engorged female adult Dermacentor silvarum ticks in China.}, journal = {Experimental &amp; applied acarology}, volume = {80}, number = {4}, pages = {543-558}, pmid = {32144639}, issn = {1572-9702}, support = {No. 2018JJ2167//the Natural Science Foundation of Hunan Province, China/ ; No. SYL201802016//the Double First-Class Construction Project of Hunan Agricultural University/ ; No. 18QN24//the Youth Science Foundation of Hunan Agricultural University/ ; No. 31902294//the National Science Foundation for Young Scientists of China/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; China ; Dermacentor/*microbiology ; Female ; Gastrointestinal Tract/*microbiology ; *Microbiota ; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S ; Saliva/*microbiology ; }, abstract = {Dermacentor silvarum is widely distributed in northern China and transmits several pathogens that cause diseases in humans and domestic animals. We analysed the comprehensive bacterial community of the saliva and midgut from partially and fully engorged female adult D. silvarum. Dermacentor silvarum samples were collected from Guyuan, China. Bacterial DNA was extracted from the saliva and midgut contents of partially or fully engorged female adult D. silvarum. Sequencing of the V3-V4 hypervariable regions of the 16S rRNA genes was performed using the IonS5TMXL platform. The bacterial diversity in saliva was higher than in the midgut. The bacterial diversity of saliva from fully engorged ticks was greater than in partially engorged tick saliva. The bacterial diversity in midguts from partially engorged ticks was greater than in fully engorged tick midguts. Proteobacteria was the most dominant bacterial phylum in all of the samples. Twenty-nine bacterial genera were detected in all of the samples. Rickettsia, Anaplasma, and Stenotrophomonas were the main genera. The symbionts Coxiella, Arsenophonus, and Wolbachia were also detected in all of the samples. Eight bacterial species were identified in all of the experimental samples. Anaplasma marginale was reported for the first time in D. silvarum.}, }
@article {pmid32144396, year = {2020}, author = {Epis, S and Varotto-Boccazzi, I and Crotti, E and Damiani, C and Giovati, L and Mandrioli, M and Biggiogera, M and Gabrieli, P and Genchi, M and Polonelli, L and Daffonchio, D and Favia, G and Bandi, C}, title = {Chimeric symbionts expressing a Wolbachia protein stimulate mosquito immunity and inhibit filarial parasite development.}, journal = {Communications biology}, volume = {3}, number = {1}, pages = {105}, pmid = {32144396}, issn = {2399-3642}, abstract = {Wolbachia can reduce the capability of mosquitoes to transmit infectious diseases to humans and is currently exploited in campaigns for the control of arboviruses, like dengue and Zika. Under the assumption that Wolbachia-mediated activation of insect immunity plays a role in the reduction of mosquito vectorial capacity, we focused our attention on the Wolbachia surface protein (WSP), a potential inductor of innate immunity. We hypothesized that the heterologous expression of this protein in gut- and tissue-associated symbionts may reduce parasite transmission. We thus engineered the mosquito bacterial symbiont Asaia to express WSP (AsaiaWSP). AsaiaWSP induced activation of the host immune response in Aedes aegypti and Anopheles stephensi mosquitoes, and inhibited the development of the heartworm parasite Dirofilaria immitis in Ae. aegypti. These results consolidate previous evidence on the immune-stimulating property of WSP and make AsaiaWSP worth of further investigations as a potential tool for the control of mosquito-borne diseases.}, }
@article {pmid32142516, year = {2020}, author = {O'Driscoll, M and Imai, N and Ferguson, NM and Hadinegoro, SR and Satari, HI and Tam, CC and Dorigatti, I}, title = {Spatiotemporal variability in dengue transmission intensity in Jakarta, Indonesia.}, journal = {PLoS neglected tropical diseases}, volume = {14}, number = {3}, pages = {e0008102}, pmid = {32142516}, issn = {1935-2735}, support = {MR/R015600/1/MRC_/Medical Research Council/United Kingdom ; U01 GM110721/GM/NIGMS NIH HHS/United States ; }, mesh = {Adolescent ; Adult ; Age Distribution ; Aged ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Cities/epidemiology ; Dengue/*epidemiology/*transmission ; Disease Notification/statistics &amp; numerical data ; *Disease Transmission, Infectious ; Female ; Humans ; Indonesia/epidemiology ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Models, Theoretical ; Spatio-Temporal Analysis ; Young Adult ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Approximately 70% of the global burden of dengue disease occurs on the Asian continent, where many large urban centres provide optimal environments for sustained endemic transmission and periodic epidemic cycles. Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia, is a densely populated megacity with hyperendemic dengue transmission. Characterization of the spatiotemporal distribution of dengue transmission intensity is of key importance for optimal implementation of novel control and prevention programmes, including vaccination. In this paper we use mathematical models to provide the first detailed description of spatial and temporal variability in dengue transmission intensity in Jakarta.<br><br>We applied catalytic models in a Bayesian framework to age-stratified dengue case notification data to estimate dengue force of infection and reporting probabilities in 42 subdistricts of Jakarta. The model was fitted to yearly and average annual data covering a 10-year period between 2008 and 2017. We estimated a long-term average annual transmission intensity of 0.130 (95%CrI: 0.129-0.131) per year in Jakarta province, ranging from 0.090 (95%CrI: 0.077-0.103) to 0.164 (95%CrI: 0.153-0.174) across subdistricts. Annual average transmission intensity in Jakarta province during the 10-year period ranged from 0.012 (95%CrI: 0.011-0.013) in 2017 to 0.124 (95%CrI: 0.121-0.128) in 2016.<br><br>CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: While the absolute number of dengue case notifications cannot be relied upon as a measure of endemicity, the age-distribution of reported dengue cases provides valuable insights into the underlying nature of transmission. Our estimates from yearly and average annual case notification data represent the first detailed estimates of dengue transmission intensity in Jakarta's subdistricts. These will be important to consider when assessing the population-level impact and cost-effectiveness of potential control and prevention programmes in Jakarta province, such as the controlled release of Wolbachia-carrying mosquitoes and vaccination.}, }
@article {pmid32141700, year = {2020}, author = {Glowska, E and Filutowska, ZK and Dabert, M and Gerth, M}, title = {Microbial composition of enigmatic bird parasites: Wolbachia and Spiroplasma are the most important bacterial associates of quill mites (Acariformes: Syringophilidae).}, journal = {MicrobiologyOpen}, volume = {9}, number = {5}, pages = {e964}, pmid = {32141700}, issn = {2045-8827}, abstract = {BACKGROUND: The microbiome is an integral component of many animal species, potentially affecting behavior, physiology, and other biological properties. Despite this importance, bacterial communities remain vastly understudied in many groups of invertebrates, including mites. Quill mites (Acariformes: Syringophilidae) are a poorly known group of permanent bird ectoparasites that occupy quills of feathers and feed on bird subcutaneous tissue and fluids. Most of the known species have strongly female-biased sex ratio, and it was hypothesized that this is caused by endosymbiotic bacteria. Previously, Anaplasma phagocytophilum (Foggie) and a high diversity of Wolbachia strains were detected in quill mites via targeted PCR screens. Here, we use an unbiased 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing approach to determine other bacteria that potentially impact quill mite biology.<br><br>RESULTS: We performed 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing of 126 quill mite individuals from eleven species parasitizing twelve species (four families) of passeriform birds. In addition to Wolbachia, we found Spiroplasma as potential symbiont of quill mites. Consistently, high Spiroplasma titers were only found in individuals of two mite species associated with finches of the genus Carduelis, suggesting a history of horizontal transfers of Spiroplasma via the bird host. Furthermore, there was evidence for Spiroplasma negatively affecting Wolbachia titers. We found no evidence for the previously reported Anaplasma in quill mites, but detected sequences of high similarity to the potential pathogens Brucella and Bartonella at low abundances. Other amplicon sequence variants (ASVs) could be assigned to a diverse number of bacterial taxa, including several that were previously isolated from bird skin. Further, many frequently found ASVs were assigned to taxa that show a very broad distribution with no strong prior evidence for symbiotic association with animals. We interpret these findings as evidence for a scarcity of resident microbial associates (other than inherited symbionts) in quill mites.}, }
@article {pmid32138145, year = {2020}, author = {Bubici, G and Prigigallo, MI and Garganese, F and Nugnes, F and Jansen, M and Porcelli, F}, title = {First Report of Aleurocanthus spiniferus on Ailanthus altissima: Profiling of the Insect Microbiome and MicroRNAs.}, journal = {Insects}, volume = {11}, number = {3}, pages = {}, pmid = {32138145}, issn = {2075-4450}, support = {CoBIAs/AGG2016//Apulia region, Italy/ ; }, abstract = {We report the first occurrence of the orange spiny whitefly (Aleurocanthus spiniferus; OSW) on the tree of heaven (Ailanthus altissima) in Bari, Apulia region, Italy. After our first observation in 2016, the infestation recurred regularly during the following years and expanded to the neighboring trees. Since then, we have also found the insect on numerous patches of the tree of heaven and other plant species in the Bari province. Nevertheless, the tree of heaven was not particularly threatened by the insect, so that a possible contribution by OSW for the control of such an invasive plant cannot be hypothesized hitherto. This work was also aimed at profiling the microbiome of OSW feeding on A. altissima. For this purpose, we used the denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) and the deep sequencing of small RNAs (sRNAs). Both techniques unveiled the presence of &quot;Candidatus Portiera&quot; (primary endosymbiont), Wolbachia sp. and Rickettsia sp., endosymbionts already reported for other Aleyrodidae. Deep sequencing data were analyzed by four computational pipelines in order to understand the reliability of the detection of fungi, bacteria, and viruses: Kraken, Kaiju, Velvet, and VelvetOptimiser. Some contigs assembled by Velvet or VelvetOptimiser were associated with insects, but not necessarily in the Aleurocanthus genus or Aleyrodidae family, suggesting the non-specificity of sRNAs or possible traces of parasitoids in the sample (e.g., Eretmocerus sp.). Finally, deep sequencing data were used to describe the microtranscriptome of OSW: 56 canonical and at least four high-confidence novel microRNAs (miRNAs) were identified. The overall miRNA abundance in OSW was in agreement with previous works on Bemisia tabaci, and bantam-3p, miR-276a-3p, miR-317-3p, miR-750-3p, and mir-8-3p were the most represented miRNAs.}, }
@article {pmid32132880, year = {2020}, author = {Nikolouli, K and Sassù, F and Mouton, L and Stauffer, C and Bourtzis, K}, title = {Combining sterile and incompatible insect techniques for the population suppression of Drosophila suzukii.}, journal = {Journal of pest science}, volume = {93}, number = {2}, pages = {647-661}, pmid = {32132880}, issn = {1612-4758}, abstract = {The spotted wing Drosophila, Drosophila suzukii, has recently invaded Europe and the Americas, and it is a major threat for a wide variety of commercial soft fruits both in open field and greenhouse production systems. D. suzukii infests a wide range of ripening fruits, leading to substantial yield and revenue losses. As the application of insecticides close to the harvest period poses great concerns, the development of an efficient environment-friendly control approach to fight D. suzukii is necessary. In this study, we exploited the sterile insect technique (SIT) in combination with Wolbachia symbiosis as a population suppression approach that can constitute a potential component of an area-wide integrated pest management program. We aimed to establish a combined SIT/incompatible insect technique (IIT) protocol that would require lower irradiation doses as a complementary tool for D. suzukii management. Two D. suzukii lines trans-infected with the Wolbachia wHa and wTei strains were irradiated at doses four times less than usual (e.g., 45 Gy), and the egg hatching and adult emergence were determined. Our results indicated that wHa and wTei females as well as wHa males were sterile at this low dose. The longevity, adult emergence and flight ability of adults were evaluated, and no major effect caused by irradiation was detected. Our data indicate that a SIT/IIT protocol can be a competent approach for D. suzukii management.}, }
@article {pmid32130504, year = {2020}, author = {Gallo-Franco, JJ and Toro-Perea, N}, title = {Variations in the Bacterial Communities in Anastrepha obliqua (Diptera: Tephritidae) According to the Insect Life Stage and Host Plant.}, journal = {Current microbiology}, volume = {77}, number = {7}, pages = {1283-1291}, doi = {10.1007/s00284-020-01939-y}, pmid = {32130504}, issn = {1432-0991}, mesh = {Animals ; Bacteria/classification/genetics ; Fruit/microbiology ; Larva/*microbiology ; Magnoliopsida/*microbiology ; Metagenome/*genetics ; Microbiota/*genetics ; Tephritidae/*microbiology ; }, abstract = {Insects have established close relationships with a wide variety of microorganisms, which play a key role in insect ecology and evolution. Fruit flies in the Tephritidae family have economic importance at the global level, including species such as Anastrepha obliqua, which is an important pest in the neotropical region. Although several studies have been performed on the microbiota associated with fruit flies, there are still large gaps in our knowledge about the bacterial communities on the genus Anastrepha. During this study, we used high-throughput sequencing to characterize the bacterial communities of the polyphagous fly A. obliqua, and we evaluated the effect of the life stage (larvae and adults) and host plant (three plant species) on the structure of these communities. Our results show that the bacterial communities in A. obliqua appears to be structured according to the insect life stage and the host plant. The predominant genera belonging to the phylum Proteobacteria were Wolbachia and Enterobacter in both larvae and adults, and they displayed differences in abundance between them, with Wolbachia sp. being more abundant in larvae and Enterobacter sp. being more abundant in adults. Differences in the structures of the bacterial communities were also observed according to the host plant with higher abundance of Enterobacter and Acetobacter bacteria in mango and plum fruits. Based on our results, it can be hypothesized that the bacterial communities on A. obliqua reorganize according to the needs of these insects during their different life stages and could also play an important role in the establishment of this fly species on different host plants. This study represents the first approach to understanding microorganism-insect interactions in fruit flies in Colombia.}, }
@article {pmid32128956, year = {2020}, author = {Li, Y and Liu, X and Wang, N and Zhang, Y and Hoffmann, AA and Guo, H}, title = {Background-dependent Wolbachia-mediated insecticide resistance in Laodelphax striatellus.}, journal = {Environmental microbiology}, volume = {22}, number = {7}, pages = {2653-2663}, doi = {10.1111/1462-2920.14974}, pmid = {32128956}, issn = {1462-2920}, support = {31672027//the National Natural Science Foundation of China/International ; 31972265//the National Natural Science Foundation of China/International ; //a Fellowship from the National Health and Medical Research Council/International ; cx(16)1001//the Independent Innovation Fund of Agricultural Science and Technology in Jiangsu province, China/International ; }, mesh = {Animals ; China ; Hemiptera/*drug effects/microbiology ; Insecticide Resistance/*physiology ; Insecticides/*pharmacology ; Thiadiazines/*pharmacology ; Wolbachia/*metabolism ; }, abstract = {Although facultative endosymbionts are now known to protect insect hosts against pathogens and parasitoids, the effects of endosymbionts on insecticide resistance are still unclear. Here we show that Wolbachia are associated with increased resistance to the commonly used insecticide, buprofezin, in the small brown planthopper (Laodelphax striatellus) in some genetic backgrounds while having no effect in other backgrounds. In three Wolbachia-infected lines from experimental buprofezin-resistant strains and one line from a buprofezin-susceptible line established from Chuxiong, Yunnan province, China, susceptibility to buprofezin increased after removal of Wolbachia. An increase in susceptibility was also evident in a Wolbachia-infected line established from a field population in Rugao, Jiangsu province. However, no increase was evident in two field populations from Nanjing and Fengxian, Jiangsu province, China. When Wolbachia was introgressed into different genetic backgrounds, followed by Wolbachia removal, the data pointed to Wolbachia effects that depend on the nuclear background as well as on the Wolbachia strain. However, there was no relationship between Wolbachia density and the component of buprofezin resistance associated with the symbiont. The results suggest that Wolbachia effects associated with chemical resistance are complex and unpredictable, but also that they can be substantial.}, }
@article {pmid32126342, year = {2020}, author = {Turner, JD and Marriott, AE and Hong, D and O' Neill, P and Ward, SA and Taylor, MJ}, title = {Novel anti-Wolbachia drugs, a new approach in the treatment and prevention of veterinary filariasis?.}, journal = {Veterinary parasitology}, volume = {279}, number = {}, pages = {109057}, doi = {10.1016/j.vetpar.2020.109057}, pmid = {32126342}, issn = {1873-2550}, mesh = {Animals ; *Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Dirofilaria immitis/*drug effects ; Dirofilaria repens/*drug effects ; Dirofilariasis/*prevention &amp; control ; Doxycycline/*pharmacology ; Filaricides/*pharmacology ; Wolbachia ; }, abstract = {Filarial nematodes are tissue-dwelling parasitic worms that can cause a range of disfiguring pathologies in humans and potentially lethal infections of companion animals. The bacterial endosymbiont, Wolbachia, is present within most human and veterinary filarial pathogens, including the causative agent of heartworm disease, Dirofilaria immitis. Doxycycline-mediated drug targeting of Wolbachia leads to sterility, clearance of microfilariae and gradual death of adult filariae. This mode of action is attractive in the treatment of filariasis because it avoids severe host inflammatory adverse reactions invoked by rapid-killing anthelmintic agents. However, doxycycline needs to be taken for four weeks to exert curative activity. In this review, we discuss the evidence that Wolbachia drug targeting is efficacious in blocking filarial larval development as well as in the treatment of chronic filarial disease. We present the current portfolio of next-generation anti-Wolbachia candidates discovered through phenotypic screening of chemical libraries and validated in a range of in vitro and in vivo filarial infection models. Several novel chemotypes have been identified with selected narrow-spectrum anti-Wolbachia specificity and superior time-to-kill kinetics compared with doxycycline. We discuss the opportunities of developing these novel anti-Wolbachia agents as either cures, adjunct therapies or new preventatives for the treatment of veterinary filariasis.}, }
@article {pmid32123899, year = {2020}, author = {Ourry, M and Lopez, V and Hervé, M and Lebreton, L and Mougel, C and Outreman, Y and Poinsot, D and Cortesero, AM}, title = {Long-lasting effects of antibiotics on bacterial communities of adult flies.}, journal = {FEMS microbiology ecology}, volume = {96}, number = {4}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1093/femsec/fiaa028}, pmid = {32123899}, issn = {1574-6941}, mesh = {Animals ; *Anti-Bacterial Agents/pharmacology ; Bacteria/genetics ; *Microbiota ; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S/genetics ; Tetracycline/pharmacology ; }, abstract = {Insect symbionts benefit their host and their study requires large spectrum antibiotic use like tetracycline to weaken or suppress symbiotic communities. While antibiotics have a negative impact on insect fitness, little is known about antibiotic effects on insect microbial communities and how long they last. We characterized the bacterial communities of adult cabbage root fly Delia radicum in a Wolbachia-free population and evaluated the effect of tetracycline treatment on these communities over several generations. Three D. radicum generations were used: the first- and second-generation flies either ingested tetracycline or not, while the third-generation flies were untreated but differed with their parents and/or grandparents that had or had not been treated. Fly bacterial communities were sequenced using a 16S rRNA gene. Tetracycline decreased fly bacterial diversity and induced modifications in both bacterial abundance and relative frequencies, still visible on untreated offspring whose parents and/or grandparents had been treated, therefore demonstrating long-lasting transgenerational effects on animal microbiomes after antibiotic treatment. Flies with an antibiotic history shared bacterial genera, potentially tetracycline resistant and heritable. Next, the transmission should be investigated by comparing several insect development stages and plant compartments to assess vertical and horizontal transmissions of D. radicum bacterial communities.}, }
@article {pmid32112519, year = {2020}, author = {Zhou, JC and Liu, QQ and Wang, QR and Ning, SF and Che, WN and Dong, H}, title = {Optimal clutch size for quality control of bisexual and Wolbachia-infected thelytokous lines of Trichogramma dendrolimi Matsumura (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae) mass reared on eggs of a substitutive host, Antheraea pernyi Guérin-Méneville (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae).}, journal = {Pest management science}, volume = {76}, number = {8}, pages = {2635-2644}, doi = {10.1002/ps.5805}, pmid = {32112519}, issn = {1526-4998}, support = {2017YFD0201805//National Key Research and Development Program of China/ ; 2016YFD0300704//National Key Research and Development Program of China/ ; 2017YFD0201000//National Key Research and Development Program of China/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; China ; Clutch Size ; Female ; *Hymenoptera ; Male ; *Moths ; Ovum ; Quality Control ; *Wolbachia ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Trichogramma dendrolimi has been widely used in augmentative biocontrol of lepidopteran pests in China. In mass production of T. dendrolimi using Antheraea pernyi eggs as substitutive hosts, which are large in size, as clutch size is a parameter of importance to produce high quality parasitoids. Here, we aimed to determine the optimal clutch size for the bisexual Wolbachia-uninfected line (TdB) and Wolbachia-infected thelytokous line (TdT) of T. dendrolimi reared on A. pernyi eggs.<br><br>RESULTS: A medium clutch size of 42.75 to 62.27 for TdB and 52.93 to 57.14 for TdT was optimal to maximize fitness-correlated traits of parasitoid individual. The optimal clutch sizes with maximized parameters included adult emergence rate, adult body size, adult longevity, fecundity, and sum of fecundity of all females per brood were 58.31 (86.00%), 42.75 (231.11 μm), 50.92 (2.69 days), 62.27 (150.89 eggs), and 83.25 (7926.33 eggs) for TdB and 57.14 (94.54%), 52.93 (236.97 μm), 53.64 (2.62 days), 56.80 (161.01 eggs), and 70.10 (8579.71 eggs) for TdT. The TdT had a shorter adult longevity, longer development time, and higher adult emergence rate than did its non-infected bisexual counterpart.<br><br>CONCLUSION: A medium brood size in a A. pernyi egg host was optimal to produce offspring parasitoids with higher fitness parameters for both bisexual Wolbachia-uninfected and thelytokous Wolbachia-infected lines of T. dendrolimi. The determination of optimal clutch size for T. dendrolimi will provide the reference for the quality control of T. dendrolimi production and improvement of the field performance of the wasps. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry.}, }
@article {pmid32092972, year = {2020}, author = {Kaczmarczyk-Ziemba, A and Zagaja, M and Wagner, GK and Pietrykowska-Tudruj, E and Staniec, B}, title = {First Insight into Microbiome Profiles of Myrmecophilous Beetles and Their Host, Red Wood Ant Formica polyctena (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)-A Case Study.}, journal = {Insects}, volume = {11}, number = {2}, pages = {}, pmid = {32092972}, issn = {2075-4450}, support = {EZ.0290.1.28.2017//State Forests National Forest Holding/ ; NB 520-3/2017//Polesie National Park/ ; }, abstract = {Formica polyctena belongs to the red wood ant species group. Its nests provide a stable, food rich, and temperature and humidity controlled environment, utilized by a wide range of species, called myrmecophiles. Here, we used the high-throughput sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene on the Illumina platform for identification of the microbiome profiles of six selected myrmecophilous beetles (Dendrophilus pygmaeus, Leptacinus formicetorum, Monotoma angusticollis, Myrmechixenus subterraneus, Ptenidium formicetorum and Thiasophila angulata) and their host F. polyctena. Analyzed bacterial communities consisted of a total of 23 phyla, among which Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, and Firmicutes were the most abundant. Two known endosymbionts-Wolbachia and Rickettsia-were found in the analyzed microbiome profiles and Wolbachia was dominant in bacterial communities associated with F. polyctena, M. subterraneus, L. formicetorum and P. formicetorum (>90% of reads). In turn, M. angusticollis was co-infected with both Wolbachia and Rickettsia, while in the microbiome of T. angulata, the dominance of Rickettsia has been observed. The relationships among the microbiome profiles were complex, and no relative abundance pattern common to all myrmecophilous beetles tested was observed. However, some subtle, species-specific patterns have been observed for bacterial communities associated with D. pygmaeus, M. angusticollis, and T. angulata.}, }
@article {pmid32091199, year = {2020}, author = {Hawryluk, NA}, title = {Macrofilaricides: An Unmet Medical Need for Filarial Diseases.}, journal = {ACS infectious diseases}, volume = {6}, number = {4}, pages = {662-671}, doi = {10.1021/acsinfecdis.9b00469}, pmid = {32091199}, issn = {2373-8227}, mesh = {Africa South of the Sahara ; Animals ; Anti-Bacterial Agents/administration &amp; dosage ; Filaricides/*chemistry/*pharmacology ; Helminthiasis/classification/*drug therapy/parasitology ; Humans ; India ; Life Cycle Stages/drug effects ; Neglected Diseases/drug therapy/parasitology ; Wolbachia/drug effects/physiology ; }, abstract = {Neglected parasitic helminth diseases such as onchocerciasis and lymphatic filariasis affect an estimated 145 million people worldwide, creating a serious health burden in endemic areas such as sub-Saharan Africa and India. Although these diseases are not usually lethal, these filarial nematodes, transmitted by blood-feeding insect vectors, cause severe debilitation and cause chronic disability to infected individuals. The adult worms can reproduce from 5 to up to 14 years, releasing millions of microfilariae, juvenile worms, over an infected individual's lifetime. The current treatments for controlling human filarial infections is focused on killing microfilariae, the earliest larval stage. Currently, there is an unmet medical need for treatments consisting of a macrofilaricidal regimen, one that targets the adult stage of the parasite, to increase the rate of elimination, allow for safe use in coendemic regions of Onchocerca volvulus and Loa loa, and to provide a rapid method to resolve reinfections. Herein, recent approaches for targeting human filarial diseases are discussed, including direct acting agents to target parasitic nematodes and antibacterial approaches to target the endosymbiotic bacteria, Wolbachia.}, }
@article {pmid32078985, year = {2020}, author = {Liberti, J and Engel, P}, title = {The gut microbiota - brain axis of insects.}, journal = {Current opinion in insect science}, volume = {39}, number = {}, pages = {6-13}, doi = {10.1016/j.cois.2020.01.004}, pmid = {32078985}, issn = {2214-5753}, mesh = {Animals ; Bees/*microbiology ; Behavior ; *Brain/microbiology/physiology ; Disease Models, Animal ; Drosophila/microbiology ; *Gastrointestinal Microbiome ; Host Microbial Interactions ; Hypocreales/pathogenicity ; Insecta/*microbiology ; Mental Disorders/microbiology ; Neurophysiology ; Symbiosis ; Wolbachia/pathogenicity ; }, abstract = {Research on the connections between gut microbes and the neurophysiology and behavior of their animal hosts has grown exponentially in just a few years. Most studies have focused on mammalian models as their relevance to human health is widely established. However, evidence is accumulating that insect behavior may be governed by molecular mechanisms that are partly homologous to those of mammals, and therefore relevant for the understanding of their behavioral dysfunctions. Social insects in particular may provide experimentally amenable models to disentangle the contributions of individual bacterial symbionts to the gut microbiota - brain axis. In this review, we summarize findings from recent research on the neurological and behavioral effects of the gut microbiota of insects and propose an integrated approach to unravel the extended behavioral phenotypes of gut microbes in the honey bee.}, }
@article {pmid32078642, year = {2020}, author = {Zhang, D and Wang, Y and He, K and Yang, Q and Gong, M and Ji, M and Chen, L}, title = {Wolbachia limits pathogen infections through induction of host innate immune responses.}, journal = {PloS one}, volume = {15}, number = {2}, pages = {e0226736}, pmid = {32078642}, issn = {1932-6203}, mesh = {Animals ; *Culex/immunology/microbiology ; Immunity, Innate ; *Mosquito Vectors/immunology/microbiology ; Symbiosis ; Wolbachia/*immunology ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Wolbachia has been reported to suppress a variety of pathogen infections in mosquitoes, but the mechanism is undefined. Two possibilities have been proposed. One is that Wolbachia activates host immune responses, and the other one is that Wolbachia competes with pathogens for limited nutrients.<br><br>In this study, we compared host immune responses and the densities of two different strains of Wolbachia in naturally occurring parental and artificially created hybrid host genetic backgrounds. No significant difference in Wolbachia density was found between these hosts. We found that Wolbachia could activate host innate immune responses when the host genetic profile was different from that of its natural host. When these hosts were challenged with pathogenic bacteria, mosquitoes in new host-Wolbachia symbioses had a higher survival rate than in old host-Wolbachia symbioses.<br><br>CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: The presence of Wolbachia per se does not necessarily affect pathogen infections, suggesting that a competition for limited nutrients is not the main reason for Wolbachia-mediated pathogen suppression. Instead, host immune responses are responsible for it. The elucidation of an immunity nature of PI is important to guide future practice: Wolbachia may be genetically engineered to be more immunogenic, it is desired to search and isolate more strains of Wolbachia, and test more host-Wolbachia symbioses for future applications. Our results also suggest Wolbachia-based PI may be applied to naturally Wolbachia-infected mosquito populations, and extend to the control of a broader range of mosquito-borne diseases.}, }
@article {pmid32076535, year = {2020}, author = {Ross, PA and Callahan, AG and Yang, Q and Jasper, M and Arif, MAK and Afizah, AN and Nazni, WA and Hoffmann, AA}, title = {An elusive endosymbiont: Does Wolbachia occur naturally in Aedes aegypti?.}, journal = {Ecology and evolution}, volume = {10}, number = {3}, pages = {1581-1591}, pmid = {32076535}, issn = {2045-7758}, abstract = {Wolbachia are maternally inherited endosymbiotic bacteria found within many insect species. Aedes mosquitoes experimentally infected with Wolbachia are being released into the field for Aedes-borne disease control. These Wolbachia infections induce cytoplasmic incompatibility which is used to suppress populations through incompatible matings or replace populations through the reproductive advantage provided by this mechanism. However, the presence of naturally occurring Wolbachia in target populations could interfere with both population replacement and suppression programs depending on the compatibility patterns between strains. Aedes aegypti were thought to not harbor Wolbachia naturally but several recent studies have detected Wolbachia in natural populations of this mosquito. We therefore review the evidence for natural Wolbachia infections in A. aegypti to date and discuss limitations of these studies. We draw on research from other mosquito species to outline the potential implications of natural Wolbachia infections in A. aegypti for disease control. To validate previous reports, we obtained a laboratory population of A. aegypti from New Mexico, USA, that harbors a natural Wolbachia infection, and we conducted field surveys in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, where a natural Wolbachia infection has also been reported. However, we were unable to detect Wolbachia in both the laboratory and field populations. Because the presence of naturally occurring Wolbachia in A. aegypti could have profound implications for Wolbachia-based disease control programs, it is important to continue to accurately assess the Wolbachia status of target Aedes populations.}, }
@article {pmid32066253, year = {2020}, author = {Tan, FHP and Liu, G and Lau, SA and Jaafar, MH and Park, YH and Azzam, G and Li, Y and Liong, MT}, title = {Lactobacillus probiotics improved the gut microbiota profile of a Drosophila melanogaster Alzheimer's disease model and alleviated neurodegeneration in the eye.}, journal = {Beneficial microbes}, volume = {11}, number = {1}, pages = {79-89}, doi = {10.3920/BM2019.0086}, pmid = {32066253}, issn = {1876-2891}, mesh = {*Alzheimer Disease/drug therapy/microbiology ; Animals ; Biomarkers ; Disease Models, Animal ; Drosophila melanogaster ; Gastrointestinal Microbiome/*drug effects ; *Lactobacillus plantarum ; Neurodegenerative Diseases/drug therapy/*microbiology ; Probiotics/*administration &amp; dosage/pharmacology ; Wolbachia/drug effects ; }, abstract = {Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive disease and one of the most common forms of neurodegenerative disorders. Emerging evidence is supporting the use of various strategies that modulate gut microbiota to exert neurological and psychological changes. This includes the utilisation of probiotics as a natural and dietary intervention for brain health. Here, we showed the potential AD-reversal effects of Lactobacillus probiotics through feeding to our Drosophila melanogaster AD model. The administration of Lactobacillus strains was able to rescue the rough eye phenotype (REP) seen in AD-induced Drosophila, with a more prominent effect observed upon the administration of Lactobacillus plantarum DR7 (DR7). Furthermore, we analysed the gut microbiota of the AD-induced Drosophila and found elevated levels of Wolbachia. The administration of DR7 restored the gut microbiota diversity of AD-induced Drosophila with a significant reduction in Wolbachia's relative abundance, accompanied by an increase of Stenotrophomonas and Acetobacter. Through functional predictive analyses, Wolbachia was predicted to be positively correlated with neurodegenerative disorders, such as Parkinson's, Huntington's and Alzheimer's diseases, while Stenotrophomonas was negatively correlated with these neurodegenerative disorders. Altogether, our data exhibited DR7's ability to ameliorate the AD effects in our AD-induced Drosophila. Thus, we propose that Wolbachia be used as a potential biomarker for AD.}, }
@article {pmid32058670, year = {2020}, author = {Madhav, M and Brown, G and Morgan, JA and Asgari, S and McGraw, EA and Munderloh, UG and Kurtti, TJ and James, P}, title = {Wolbachia successfully replicate in a newly established horn fly, Haematobia irritans irritans (L.) (Diptera: Muscidae) cell line.}, journal = {Pest management science}, volume = {76}, number = {7}, pages = {2441-2452}, doi = {10.1002/ps.5785}, pmid = {32058670}, issn = {1526-4998}, support = {//Meat and Livestock Australia/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; Cell Line ; Drosophila melanogaster ; Insecticides ; *Muscidae ; *Wolbachia ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Haematobia spp., horn flies (HF) and buffalo flies (BF), are economically important ectoparasites of dairy and beef cattle. Control of these flies relies mainly on treating cattle with chemical insecticides. However, the development of resistance to commonly used compounds is compromising the effectiveness of these treatments and alternative methods of control are required. Wolbachia are maternally transmitted endosymbiotic bacteria of arthropods that cause various reproductive distortions and fitness effects, making them a potential candidate for use in the biological control of pests. The first step towards this is the establishment and adaptation of xenobiotic infections of Wolbachia in target host cell lines.<br><br>RESULTS: Here, we report the successful establishment of a continuous HF cell line (HIE-18) from embryonic cells and its stable transinfection with Wolbachia strains wAlbB native to mosquitoes, and wMel and wMelPop native to Drosophila melanogaster. HIE-18 cells were typically round and diploid with ten chromosomes (2n = 10) or tetraploid with 20 chromosomes (4n = 20), with a doubling time of 67.2 h. Wolbachia density decreased significantly in HIE-18 cells in the first 48 h of infection, possibly due to overexpression of antimicrobial peptides through the Imd immune signalling pathway. However, density recovered after this time and HIE-18 cell lines stably infected with the three strains of Wolbachia have now each been subcultured more than 50 times as persistently infected lines.<br><br>CONCLUSION: The amenability of HF cells to infection with different strains of Wolbachia and the establishment of stable sustaining infections suggest the potential for use of Wolbachia in novel approaches for the control of Haematobia spp. Further, the availability of the HIE-18 cell line will provide an important resource for the study of genetics, host-parasite interactions and chemical resistance in Haematobia populations. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry.}, }
@article {pmid32053259, year = {2020}, author = {Vaught, RC and Voigt, S and Dobler, R and Clancy, DJ and Reinhardt, K and Dowling, DK}, title = {Interactions between cytoplasmic and nuclear genomes confer sex-specific effects on lifespan in Drosophila melanogaster.}, journal = {Journal of evolutionary biology}, volume = {33}, number = {5}, pages = {694-713}, doi = {10.1111/jeb.13605}, pmid = {32053259}, issn = {1420-9101}, abstract = {Genetic variation outside of the cell nucleus can affect the phenotype. The cytoplasm is home to the mitochondria, and in arthropods often hosts intracellular bacteria such as Wolbachia. Although numerous studies have implicated epistatic interactions between cytoplasmic and nuclear genetic variation as mediators of phenotypic expression, two questions remain. Firstly, it remains unclear whether outcomes of cyto-nuclear interactions will manifest differently across the sexes, as might be predicted given that cytoplasmic genomes are screened by natural selection only through females as a consequence of their maternal inheritance. Secondly, the relative contribution of mitochondrial genetic variation to other cytoplasmic sources of variation, such as Wolbachia infection, in shaping phenotypic outcomes of cyto-nuclear interactions remains unknown. Here, we address these questions, creating a fully crossed set of replicated cyto-nuclear populations derived from three geographically distinct populations of Drosophila melanogaster, measuring the lifespan of males and females from each population. We observed that cyto-nuclear interactions shape lifespan and that the outcomes of these interactions differ across the sexes. Yet, we found no evidence that placing the cytoplasms from one population alongside the nuclear background of others (generating putative cyto-nuclear mismatches) leads to decreased lifespan in either sex. Although it was difficult to partition mitochondrial from Wolbachia effects, our results suggest at least some of the cytoplasmic genotypic contribution to lifespan was directly mediated by an effect of sequence variation in the mtDNA. Future work should explore the degree to which cyto-nuclear interactions result in sex differences in the expression of other components of organismal life history.}, }
@article {pmid32052099, year = {2020}, author = {Nakabachi, A and Malenovský, I and Gjonov, I and Hirose, Y}, title = {16S rRNA Sequencing Detected Profftella, Liberibacter, Wolbachia, and Diplorickettsia from Relatives of the Asian Citrus Psyllid.}, journal = {Microbial ecology}, volume = {80}, number = {2}, pages = {410-422}, doi = {10.1007/s00248-020-01491-z}, pmid = {32052099}, issn = {1432-184X}, support = {KAKENHI grant number 26292174//the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science/ ; NA//Tatematsu Foundation/ ; NA//Nagase Science and Technology Foundation/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; Bacteria/classification/*isolation &amp; purification ; Female ; France ; Hemiptera/*microbiology ; Male ; RNA, Bacterial/analysis ; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S/analysis ; Symbiosis ; Wolbachia/isolation &amp; purification ; }, abstract = {The Asian citrus psyllid Diaphorina citri (Hemiptera: Psylloidea) is a serious pest of citrus species worldwide because it transmits Candidatus Liberibacter spp. (Alphaproteobacteria: Rhizobiales), the causative agents of the incurable citrus disease, huanglongbing or greening disease. Diaphorina citri possesses a specialized organ called a bacteriome, which harbors vertically transmitted intracellular mutualists, Ca. Carsonella ruddii (Gammaproteobacteria: Oceanospirillales) and Ca. Profftella armatura (Gammaproteobacteria: Betaproteobacteriales). Whereas Carsonella is a typical nutritional symbiont, Profftella is an unprecedented type of toxin-producing defensive symbiont, unusually sharing organelle-like features with nutritional symbionts. Additionally, many D. citri strains are infected with Wolbachia, which manipulate reproduction in various arthropod hosts. In the present study, in an effort to obtain insights into the evolution of symbioses between Diaphorina and bacteria, microbiomes of psyllids closely related to D. citri were investigated. Bacterial populations of Diaphorina cf. continua and Diaphorina lycii were analyzed using Illumina sequencing of 16S rRNA gene amplicons and compared with data obtained from D. citri. The analysis revealed that all three Diaphorina spp. harbor Profftella as well as Carsonella lineages, implying that Profftella is widespread within the genus Diaphorina. Moreover, the analysis identified Ca. Liberibacter europaeus and Diplorickettsia sp. (Gammaproteobacteria: Diplorickettsiales) in D. cf. continua, and a total of four Wolbachia (Alphaproteobacteria: Rickettsiales) lineages in the three psyllid species. These results provide deeper insights into the interactions among insects, bacteria, and plants, which would eventually help to better manage horticulture.}, }
@article {pmid32047292, year = {2020}, author = {Zélé, F and Santos, I and Matos, M and Weill, M and Vavre, F and Magalhães, S}, title = {Endosymbiont diversity in natural populations of Tetranychus mites is rapidly lost under laboratory conditions.}, journal = {Heredity}, volume = {124}, number = {4}, pages = {603-617}, pmid = {32047292}, issn = {1365-2540}, abstract = {Although the diversity of bacterial endosymbionts in arthropods is well documented, whether and how such diversity is maintained remains an open question. We investigated the temporal changes occurring in the prevalence and composition of endosymbionts after transferring natural populations of Tetranychus spider mites from the field to the laboratory. These populations, belonging to three different Tetranychus species (T. urticae, T. ludeni and T. evansi) carried variable infection frequencies of Wolbachia, Cardinium, and Rickettsia. We report a rapid change of the infection status of these populations after only 6 months of laboratory rearing, with an apparent loss of Rickettsia and Cardinium, while Wolbachia apparently either reached fixation or was lost. We show that Wolbachia had variable effects on host longevity and fecundity, and induced variable levels of cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI) in each fully infected population, despite no sequence divergence in the markers used and full CI rescue between all populations. This suggests that such effects are largely dependent upon the host genotype. Subsequently, we used these data to parameterize a theoretical model for the invasion of CI-inducing symbionts in haplodiploids, which shows that symbiont effects are sufficient to explain their dynamics in the laboratory. This further suggests that symbiont diversity and prevalence in the field are likely maintained by environmental heterogeneity, which is reduced in the laboratory. Overall, this study highlights the lability of endosymbiont infections and draws attention to the limitations of laboratory studies to understand host-symbiont interactions in natural populations.}, }
@article {pmid32043447, year = {2020}, author = {Lechner, AM and Gastager, H and Kern, JM and Wagner, B and Tappe, D}, title = {Case Report: Successful Treatment of a Patient with Microfilaremic Dirofilariasis Using Doxycycline.}, journal = {The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene}, volume = {102}, number = {4}, pages = {844-846}, pmid = {32043447}, issn = {1476-1645}, mesh = {Animals ; Anti-Bacterial Agents/*therapeutic use ; *Dirofilaria repens ; Dirofilariasis/*diagnostic imaging/*therapy ; Doxycycline/*therapeutic use ; Female ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; }, abstract = {We report the case of a 56-year-old woman with microfilaremic dirofilariasis due to Dirofilaria repens, which is a very rare condition in humans. Of note, just one of six large-volume blood samples of this patient was positive for microfilariae. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and sequencing of the parasite gene determined the geographic origin of the causative helminth. The patient was treated successfully with doxycycline. This drug was chosen because of the patient's reluctance to the use of ivermectin and to provide an anthelmintic effect by targeting the bacterial endosymbiont Wolbachia present in most filarial species.}, }
@article {pmid32041638, year = {2020}, author = {Ekwudu, O and Devine, GJ and Aaskov, JG and Frentiu, FD}, title = {Wolbachia strain wAlbB blocks replication of flaviviruses and alphaviruses in mosquito cell culture.}, journal = {Parasites &amp; vectors}, volume = {13}, number = {1}, pages = {54}, pmid = {32041638}, issn = {1756-3305}, support = {APP1020817//National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) of Australia/ ; Internal grant//Queensland University of Technology/ ; }, mesh = {Aedes/microbiology/virology ; Alphavirus/*growth &amp; development ; Alphavirus Infections/prevention &amp; control ; Animals ; Cell Line/microbiology/virology ; Dengue/prevention &amp; control ; Flavivirus/*growth &amp; development ; Humans ; Insect Vectors/microbiology/virology ; *Microbial Interactions ; Pest Control, Biological ; Virus Diseases/prevention &amp; control/transmission ; *Virus Replication ; West Nile Fever/prevention &amp; control ; *Wolbachia ; Zika Virus Infection/prevention &amp; control ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Wolbachia pipientis are bacterial endosymbionts of arthropods currently being implemented as biocontrol agents to reduce the global burden of arboviral diseases. Some strains of Wolbachia, when introduced into Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, reduce or block the replication of RNA viruses pathogenic to humans. The wAlbB strain of Wolbachia was originally isolated from Aedes albopictus, and when transinfected into Ae. aegypti, persists in mosquitoes under high temperature conditions longer than other strains. The utility of wAlbB to block a broad spectrum of RNA viruses has received limited attention. Here we test the ability of wAlbB to reduce or block the replication of a range of Flavivirus and Alphavirus species in cell culture.<br><br>METHODS: The C6/36 mosquito cell line was stably infected with the wAlbB strain using the shell-vial technique. The replication of dengue, West Nile and three strains of Zika (genus Flavivirus), and Ross River, Barmah Forest and Sindbis (genus Alphavirus) viruses was compared in wAlbB-infected cells with Wolbachia-free controls. Infectious virus titres were determined using either immunofocus or plaque assays. A general linear model was used to test for significant differences in replication between flaviviruses and alphaviruses.<br><br>RESULTS: Titres of all viruses were significantly reduced in cell cultures infected with wAlbB versus Wolbachia-free controls. The magnitude of reduction in virus yields varied among virus species and, within species, also among the strains utilized.<br><br>CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that wAlbB infection of arthropods could be used to reduce transmission of a wide range of pathogenic RNA viruses.}, }
@article {pmid32041484, year = {2020}, author = {Nazareth, T and Craveiro, I and Moutinho, A and Seixas, G and Gonçalves, C and Gonçalves, L and Teodósio, R and Sousa, CA}, title = {What happens when we modify mosquitoes for disease prevention? A systematic review.}, journal = {Emerging microbes &amp; infections}, volume = {9}, number = {1}, pages = {348-365}, pmid = {32041484}, issn = {2222-1751}, mesh = {Animals ; *Animals, Genetically Modified ; Gene Transfer, Horizontal ; Mosquito Control/*methods ; Mosquito Vectors/*genetics/microbiology ; Wolbachia ; }, abstract = {The release of modified mosquitoes to suppress/replace vectors constitutes a promising tool for vector control and disease prevention. Evidence regarding these innovative modification techniques is scarce and disperse. This work conducted a systematic review, gathering and analysing research articles from PubMed and Biblioteca Virtual em Saúde databases whose results report efficacy and non-target effects of using modified insects for disease prevention, until 2016. More than 1500 publications were screened and 349 were analysed. Only 12/3.4% articles reported field-based evidence and 41/11.7% covered modification strategies' post-release efficacy. Variability in the effective results (90/25.7%) questioned its reproducibility in different settings. We also found publications reporting reversal outcomes 38/10.9%, (e.g. post-release increase of vector population). Ecological effects were also reported, such as horizontal transfer events (54/15.5%), and worsening pathogenesis induced by natural wolbachia (10/2.9%). Present work revealed promising outcomes of modifying strategies. However, it also revealed a need for field-based evidence mainly regarding epidemiologic and long-term impact. It pointed out some eventual irreversible and important effects that must not be ignored when considering open-field releases, and that may constitute constraints to generate the missing field evidence. Present work constitutes a baseline of knowledge, offering also a methodological approach that may facilitate future updates.}, }
@article {pmid32040182, year = {2020}, author = {Shang, F and Niu, J and Ding, BY and Wang, JJ}, title = {Comparative Insight into the Bacterial Communities in Alate and Apterous Morphs of Brown Citrus Aphid (Hemiptera: Aphididae).}, journal = {Journal of economic entomology}, volume = {113}, number = {3}, pages = {1436-1444}, doi = {10.1093/jee/toaa016}, pmid = {32040182}, issn = {1938-291X}, mesh = {Animals ; *Aphids/genetics ; Bacteria ; *Buchnera ; *Citrus ; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S/genetics ; }, abstract = {Wing polyphenism (alate and apterous morphs) in aphids is a trade-off between dispersal and reproduction. How bacterial communities are associated with wing polyphenism in aphids is still not clearly understood. This study used 16S rRNA sequencing to examine the differences in diversity of the bacterial community between alate and apterous morphs in Aphis citricidus, the main vector of the Citrus tristeza virus. Eighty-one operational taxonomic units (OTUs) belonging to 37 orders, 34 classes, and 13 phyla were identified from all samples. Among these OTUs, Wolbachia (79.17%), Buchnera (17.64%), and Pseudomonas (2.99%) were the dominant bacterial genera. The diversity of symbionts varied between the two morphs; apterous morphs had more bacterial diversity (69 OTUs belonging to 45 families, 21 classes, and 12 phyla) than alate morphs (45 OTUs belonging to 36 families, 15 classes, and 10 phyla). In addition, the abundance of five OTUs was significantly different between two morphs. Among these OTUs, two Pseudomonas species (Pseudomonas_brenneri [OTU21] and unclassified_Pseudomonas [OTU13]) represented a high proportion (3.93% and 2.06%) in alate morphs but were present in low abundance (0.006% and 0.002%) in apterous morphs. RT-qPCR showed consistent results with high-throughput DNA sequencing. The preliminary survey showed the difference in composition and frequency of bacteria between alate and apterous morphs. Thus, the results contribute to anew insight of microorganisms that may be involved in wing dimorphism and helpful for controlling the dispersal of this pest through artificial elimination or reinfection of bacterial symbionts or targeting symbiosis-related host genes by RNA interference in future.}, }
@article {pmid32030839, year = {2020}, author = {Hundertmark, A and Goodacre, SL and Brookfield, JFY}, title = {Alternative evolutionary outcomes following endosymbiont-mediated selection on male mating preference alleles.}, journal = {Journal of evolutionary biology}, volume = {33}, number = {5}, pages = {653-667}, pmid = {32030839}, issn = {1420-9101}, abstract = {In many arthropods, intracellular bacteria, such as those of the genus Wolbachia, may spread through host populations as a result of cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI). Here, there is sterility or reduced fertility in crosses between infected males and uninfected females. As the bacterium is maternally inherited, the reduced fertility of uninfected females increases the frequency of the infection. If the transmission fidelity of the bacterium is less than 100%, the bacterium cannot invade from a low frequency, but if its frequency exceeds a threshold, it increases to a high, stable, equilibrium frequency. We explore the expected evolutionary dynamics of mutant alleles that cause their male bearers to avoid mating with uninfected females. For alleles which create this avoidance behaviour conditional upon the male being infected, there is a wide zone of parameter space that allows the preference allele to drive Wolbachia from the population when it would otherwise stably persist. There is also a wide zone of parameter space that allows a joint stable equilibrium for the Wolbachia and a polymorphism for the preference allele. When the male's avoidance of uninfected females is unconditional, the preference allele's effect on Wolbachia frequency is reduced, but there is a narrow range of values for the transmission rate and CI fertility that allow an unconditional preference allele to drive Wolbachia from the population, in a process driven by positive linkage disequilibrium between Wolbachia and the preference allele. The possibility of the evolution of preference could hamper attempts to manipulate wild populations through Wolbachia introductions.}, }
@article {pmid32028994, year = {2020}, author = {Uni, S and Mat Udin, AS and Agatsuma, T and Junker, K and Saijuntha, W and Bunchom, N and Fukuda, M and Martin, C and Lefoulon, E and Labat, A and Khan, FAA and Low, VL and Cheah, PL and Lim, YA and Ramli, R and Belabut, DM and Zainuri, NA and Matsubayashi, M and Omar, H and Bhassu, S and Uga, S and Hashim, R and Takaoka, H and Azirun, MS}, title = {Description, molecular characteristics and Wolbachia endosymbionts of Onchocerca borneensis Uni, Mat Udin &amp; Takaoka n. sp. (Nematoda: Filarioidea) from the Bornean bearded pig Sus barbatus Müller (Cetartiodactyla: Suidae) of Sarawak, Malaysia.}, journal = {Parasites &amp; vectors}, volume = {13}, number = {1}, pages = {50}, pmid = {32028994}, issn = {1756-3305}, support = {FRGS EP020-2012//The Ministry of Higher Education, Malaysia/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; Biological Coevolution ; Classification ; Genes, Bacterial ; Genes, Helminth ; Humans ; *Onchocerca/anatomy &amp; histology/classification/microbiology ; Onchocerciasis/transmission/*veterinary ; Onchocerciasis, Ocular/parasitology/transmission ; Phylogeny ; Swine/*parasitology ; Swine Diseases ; Symbiosis ; *Wolbachia/classification/isolation &amp; purification ; Zoonoses/transmission ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: The genus Onchocerca Diesing, 1841 includes species of medical importance, such as O. volvulus (Leuckart, 1893), which causes river blindness in the tropics. Recently, zoonotic onchocercosis has been reported in humans worldwide. In Japan, O. dewittei japonica Uni, Bain &amp; Takaoka, 2001 from wild boars is a causative agent for this zoonosis. Many filarioid nematodes are infected with Wolbachia endosymbionts which exhibit various evolutionary relationships with their hosts. While investigating the filarial fauna of Borneo, we discovered an undescribed Onchocerca species in the bearded pig Sus barbatus Müller (Cetartiodactyla: Suidae).<br><br>METHODS: We isolated Onchocerca specimens from bearded pigs and examined their morphology. For comparative material, we collected fresh specimens of O. d. dewittei Bain, Ramachandran, Petter &amp; Mak, 1977 from banded pigs (S. scrofa vittatus Boie) in Peninsular Malaysia. Partial sequences of three different genes (two mitochondrial genes, cox1 and 12S rRNA, and one nuclear ITS region) of these filarioids were analysed. By multi-locus sequence analyses based on six genes (16S rDNA, ftsZ, dnaA, coxA, fbpA and gatB) of Wolbachia, we determined the supergroups in the specimens from bearded pigs and those of O. d. dewittei.<br><br>RESULTS: Onchocerca borneensis Uni, Mat Udin &amp; Takaoka n. sp. is described on the basis of morphological characteristics and its genetic divergence from congeners. Molecular characteristics of the new species revealed its close evolutionary relationship with O. d. dewittei. Calculated p-distance for the cox1 gene sequences between O. borneensis n. sp. and O. d. dewittei was 5.9%, while that between O. d. dewittei and O. d. japonica was 7.6%. No intraspecific genetic variation was found for the new species. Wolbachia strains identified in the new species and O. d. dewittei belonged to supergroup C and are closely related.<br><br>CONCLUSIONS: Our molecular analyses of filarioids from Asian suids indicate that the new species is sister to O. d. dewittei. On the basis of its morphological and molecular characteristics, we propose to elevate O. d. japonica to species level as O. japonica Uni, Bain &amp; Takaoka, 2001. Coevolutionary relationships exist between the Wolbachia strains and their filarial hosts in Borneo and Peninsular Malaysia.}, }
@article {pmid32024068, year = {2020}, author = {de Jesus, CP and Dias, FBS and Villela, DMA and Maciel-de-Freitas, R}, title = {Ovitraps Provide a Reliable Estimate of Wolbachia Frequency during wMelBr Strain Deployment in a Geographically Isolated Aedes aegypti Population.}, journal = {Insects}, volume = {11}, number = {2}, pages = {}, pmid = {32024068}, issn = {2075-4450}, support = {001//Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior/ ; }, abstract = {Deployment of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes carrying the endosymbiont bacterium Wolbachia has been identified as a promising strategy to reduce dengue, chikungunya, and Zika transmission. We investigated whether sampling larvae from ovitraps can provide reliable estimates on Wolbachia frequency during releases, as compared to the expensive adult-based BG-Sentinel. We conducted pilot releases in a semi-field system (SFS) divided into six cages of 21 m2, each with five ovitraps. Five treatments were chosen to represent different points of a hypothetical invasion curve: 10%, 25%, 50%, 75%, and 90% of Wolbachia frequency. Collected eggs were counted and hatched, and the individuals from a net sample of 27% of larvae per treatment were screened for Wolbachia presence by RT-qPCR. Ovitrap positioning had no effect on egg hatching rate. Treatment strongly affected the number of eggs collected and also the hatching rate, especially when Wolbachia was at a 10% frequency. A second observation was done during the release of Wolbachia in Rio under a population replacement approach when bacterium frequency was estimated using 30 BG-Sentinel traps and 45 ovitraps simultaneously. By individually screening 35% (N = 3904) of larvae collected by RT-qPCR, we were able to produce a similar invasion curve to the one observed when all adults were individually screened. If sampling is reduced to 20%, monitoring Wolbachia frequency with 45 ovitraps would be roughly half the cost of screening all adult mosquitoes captured by 30 BG-Sentinels. Our findings support the scale-up of Wolbachia releases, especially in areas with limited resources to afford massive trapping with BG-Sentinel traps.}, }
@article {pmid32014020, year = {2020}, author = {Woodhams, DC and Bletz, MC and Becker, CG and Bender, HA and Buitrago-Rosas, D and Diebboll, H and Huynh, R and Kearns, PJ and Kueneman, J and Kurosawa, E and LaBumbard, BC and Lyons, C and McNally, K and Schliep, K and Shankar, N and Tokash-Peters, AG and Vences, M and Whetstone, R}, title = {Host-associated microbiomes are predicted by immune system complexity and climate.}, journal = {Genome biology}, volume = {21}, number = {1}, pages = {23}, pmid = {32014020}, issn = {1474-760X}, mesh = {Adaptation, Physiological ; Animals ; *Climate ; Host-Pathogen Interactions/*immunology ; Humans ; *Microbiota ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Host-associated microbiomes, the microorganisms occurring inside and on host surfaces, influence evolutionary, immunological, and ecological processes. Interactions between host and microbiome affect metabolism and contribute to host adaptation to changing environments. Meta-analyses of host-associated bacterial communities have the potential to elucidate global-scale patterns of microbial community structure and function. It is possible that host surface-associated (external) microbiomes respond more strongly to variations in environmental factors, whereas internal microbiomes are more tightly linked to host factors.<br><br>RESULTS: Here, we use the dataset from the Earth Microbiome Project and accumulate data from 50 additional studies totaling 654 host species and over 15,000 samples to examine global-scale patterns of bacterial diversity and function. We analyze microbiomes from non-captive hosts sampled from natural habitats and find patterns with bioclimate and geophysical factors, as well as land use, host phylogeny, and trophic level/diet. Specifically, external microbiomes are best explained by variations in mean daily temperature range and precipitation seasonality. In contrast, internal microbiomes are best explained by host factors such as phylogeny/immune complexity and trophic level/diet, plus climate.<br><br>CONCLUSIONS: Internal microbiomes are predominantly associated with top-down effects, while climatic factors are stronger determinants of microbiomes on host external surfaces. Host immunity may act on microbiome diversity through top-down regulation analogous to predators in non-microbial ecosystems. Noting gaps in geographic and host sampling, this combined dataset represents a global baseline available for interrogation by future microbial ecology studies.}, }
@article {pmid31996463, year = {2020}, author = {Cattarino, L and Rodriguez-Barraquer, I and Imai, N and Cummings, DAT and Ferguson, NM}, title = {Mapping global variation in dengue transmission intensity.}, journal = {Science translational medicine}, volume = {12}, number = {528}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1126/scitranslmed.aax4144}, pmid = {31996463}, issn = {1946-6242}, support = {U01 GM110721/GM/NIGMS NIH HHS/United States ; MR/R015600/1/MRC_/Medical Research Council/United Kingdom ; }, mesh = {Basic Reproduction Number ; Cost of Illness ; Dengue/*epidemiology/immunology/*transmission/virology ; Dengue Vaccines/immunology ; Geography ; Humans ; *Internationality ; Risk Factors ; }, abstract = {Intervention planning for dengue requires reliable estimates of dengue transmission intensity. However, current maps of dengue risk provide estimates of disease burden or the boundaries of endemicity rather than transmission intensity. We therefore developed a global high-resolution map of dengue transmission intensity by fitting environmentally driven geospatial models to geolocated force of infection estimates derived from cross-sectional serological surveys and routine case surveillance data. We assessed the impact of interventions on dengue transmission and disease using Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes and the Sanofi-Pasteur vaccine as specific examples. We predicted high transmission intensity in all continents straddling the tropics, with hot spots in South America (Colombia, Venezuela, and Brazil), Africa (western and central African countries), and Southeast Asia (Thailand, Indonesia, and the Philippines). We estimated that 105 [95% confidence interval (CI), 95 to 114] million dengue infections occur each year with 51 (95% CI, 32 to 66) million febrile disease cases. Our analysis suggests that transmission-blocking interventions such as Wolbachia, even at intermediate efficacy (50% transmission reduction), might reduce global annual disease incidence by up to 90%. The Sanofi-Pasteur vaccine, targeting only seropositive recipients, might reduce global annual disease incidence by 20 to 30%, with the greatest impact in high-transmission settings. The transmission intensity map presented here, and made available for download, may help further assessment of the impact of dengue control interventions and prioritization of global public health efforts.}, }
@article {pmid31986143, year = {2020}, author = {Ehrens, A and Lunde, CS and Jacobs, RT and Struever, D and Koschel, M and Frohberger, SJ and Lenz, F and Fendler, M and Turner, JD and Ward, SA and Taylor, MJ and Freund, YR and Stefanakis, R and Easom, E and Li, X and Plattner, JJ and Hoerauf, A and Hübner, MP}, title = {In vivo efficacy of the boron-pleuromutilin AN11251 against Wolbachia of the rodent filarial nematode Litomosoides sigmodontis.}, journal = {PLoS neglected tropical diseases}, volume = {14}, number = {1}, pages = {e0007957}, pmid = {31986143}, issn = {1935-2735}, mesh = {Animals ; Anti-Bacterial Agents/*pharmacology ; Boron ; Diterpenes/*pharmacology ; Doxycycline/pharmacology ; Female ; Filariasis/*drug therapy/microbiology ; Filarioidea/*drug effects/microbiology ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Polycyclic Compounds/*pharmacology ; Rifampin/pharmacology ; Symbiosis ; Wolbachia/*drug effects ; }, abstract = {The elimination of filarial diseases such as onchocerciasis and lymphatic filariasis is hampered by the lack of a macrofilaricidal-adult worm killing-drug. In the present study, we tested the in vivo efficacy of AN11251, a boron-pleuromutilin that targets endosymbiotic Wolbachia bacteria from filarial nematodes and compared its efficacy to doxycycline and rifampicin. Doxycycline and rifampicin were previously shown to deplete Wolbachia endosymbionts leading to a permanent sterilization of the female adult filariae and adult worm death in human clinical studies. Twice-daily oral treatment of Litomosoides sigmodontis-infected mice with 200 mg/kg AN11251 for 10 days achieved a Wolbachia depletion > 99.9% in the adult worms, exceeding the Wolbachia reduction by 10-day treatments with bioequivalent human doses of doxycycline and a similar reduction as high-dose rifampicin (35 mg/kg). Wolbachia reductions of > 99% were also accomplished by 14 days of oral AN11251 at a lower twice-daily dose (50 mg/kg) or once-per-day 200 mg/kg AN11251 treatments. The combinations tested of AN11251 with doxycycline had no clear beneficial impact on Wolbachia depletion, achieving a > 97% Wolbachia reduction with 7 days of treatment. These results indicate that AN11251 is superior to doxycycline and comparable to high-dose rifampicin in the L. sigmodontis mouse model, allowing treatment regimens as short as 10-14 days. Therefore, AN11251 represents a promising pre-clinical candidate that was identified in the L. sigmodontis model, and could be further evaluated and developed as potential clinical candidate for human lymphatic filariasis and onchocerciasis.}, }
@article {pmid31971938, year = {2020}, author = {Ross, PA and Axford, JK and Yang, Q and Staunton, KM and Ritchie, SA and Richardson, KM and Hoffmann, AA}, title = {Heatwaves cause fluctuations in wMel Wolbachia densities and frequencies in Aedes aegypti.}, journal = {PLoS neglected tropical diseases}, volume = {14}, number = {1}, pages = {e0007958}, pmid = {31971938}, issn = {1935-2735}, mesh = {Aedes/*microbiology ; Animals ; Australia ; Female ; Host-Pathogen Interactions ; *Hot Temperature ; Wolbachia/classification/*physiology ; }, abstract = {Aedes aegypti mosquitoes infected with the wMel strain of Wolbachia are being released into natural mosquito populations in the tropics as a way of reducing dengue transmission. High temperatures adversely affect wMel, reducing Wolbachia density and cytoplasmic incompatibility in some larval habitats that experience large temperature fluctuations. We monitored the impact of a 43.6°C heatwave on the wMel infection in a natural population in Cairns, Australia, where wMel was first released in 2011 and has persisted at a high frequency. Wolbachia infection frequencies in the month following the heatwave were reduced to 83% in larvae sampled directly from field habitats and 88% in eggs collected from ovitraps, but recovered to be near 100% four months later. Effects of the heatwave on wMel appeared to be stage-specific and delayed, with reduced frequencies and densities in field-collected larvae and adults reared from ovitraps but higher frequencies in field-collected adults. Laboratory experiments showed that the effects of heatwaves on cytoplasmic incompatibility and density are life stage-specific, with first instar larvae being the most vulnerable to temperature effects. Our results indicate that heatwaves in wMel-infected populations will have only temporary effects on Wolbachia frequencies and density once the infection has established in the population. Our results are relevant to ongoing releases of wMel-infected Ae. aegypti in several tropical countries.}, }
@article {pmid31961929, year = {2020}, author = {Covey, H and Hall, RH and Krafsur, A and Matthews, ML and Shults, PT and Brelsfoard, CL}, title = {Cryptic Wolbachia (Rickettsiales: Rickettsiaceae) Detection and Prevalence in Culicoides (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) Midge Populations in the United States.}, journal = {Journal of medical entomology}, volume = {57}, number = {4}, pages = {1262-1269}, doi = {10.1093/jme/tjaa003}, pmid = {31961929}, issn = {1938-2928}, mesh = {Animals ; Ceratopogonidae/*microbiology ; Female ; In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence ; Male ; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction ; United States ; Wolbachia/classification/*isolation &amp; purification ; }, abstract = {Culicoides midges vector numerous veterinary and human pathogens. Many of these diseases lack effective therapeutic treatments or vaccines to limit transmission. The only effective approach to limit disease transmission is vector control. However, current vector control for Culicoides midges is complicated by the biology of many Culicoides species and is not always effective at reducing midge populations and impacting disease transmission. The endosymbiont Wolbachia pipientis Hertig may offer an alternative control approach to limit disease transmission and affect Culicoides populations. Here the detection of Wolbachia infections in nine species of Culicoides midges is reported. Infections were detected at low densities using qPCR. Wolbachia infections were confirmed with the sequencing of a partial region of the 16S gene. Fluorescence in situ hybridization of Culicoides sonorensis Wirth and Jones adults and dissected ovaries confirm the presence of Wolbachia infections in an important vector of Bluetongue and Epizootic hemorrhagic disease viruses. The presence of Wolbachia in Culicoides populations in the United States suggests the need for further investigation of Wolbachia as a strategy to limit transmission of diseases vectored by Culicoides midges.}, }
@article {pmid31958110, year = {2020}, author = {Bing, XL and Zhao, DS and Sun, JT and Zhang, KJ and Hong, XY}, title = {Genomic Analysis of Wolbachia from Laodelphax striatellus (Delphacidae, Hemiptera) Reveals Insights into Its &quot;Jekyll and Hyde&quot; Mode of Infection Pattern.}, journal = {Genome biology and evolution}, volume = {12}, number = {2}, pages = {3818-3831}, pmid = {31958110}, issn = {1759-6653}, mesh = {Animals ; Bacterial Proteins/genetics ; Biotin/metabolism ; Genome, Bacterial/genetics ; Genomics/methods ; Hemiptera/*microbiology ; Phenotype ; Phylogeny ; Riboflavin/metabolism ; Wolbachia/*genetics ; }, abstract = {Wolbachia is a widely distributed intracellular bacterial endosymbiont among invertebrates. The wStriCN, the Wolbachia strain that naturally infects an agricultural pest Laodelphax striatellus, has a &quot;Jekyll and Hyde&quot; mode of infection pattern with positive and negative effects: It not only kills many offspring by inducing cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI) but also significantly increases host fecundity. In this study, we assembled the draft genome of wStriCN and compared it with other Wolbachia genomes to look for clues to its Jekyll and Hyde characteristics. The assembled wStriCN draft genome is 1.79 Mb in size, which is the largest Wolbachia genome in supergroup B. Phylogenomic analysis showed that wStriCN is closest to Wolbachia from Asian citrus psyllid Diaphorina citri. These strains formed a monophylogentic clade within supergroup B. Compared with other Wolbachia genomes, wStriCN contains the most diverse insertion sequence families, the largest amount of prophage sequences, and the most ankyrin domain protein coding genes. The wStriCN genome encodes components of multiple secretion systems, including Types I, II, IV, VI, Sec, and Tac. We detected three pairs of homologs for CI factors CifA and CifB. These proteins harbor the catalytic domains responsible for CI phenotypes but are phylogenetically and structurally distinct from all known Cif proteins. The genome retains pathways for synthesizing biotin and riboflavin, which may explain the beneficial roles of wStriCN in its host planthoppers, which feed on nutrient-poor plant sap. Altogether, the genomic sequencing of wStriCN provides insight into understanding the phylogeny and biology of Wolbachia.}, }
@article {pmid31956742, year = {2020}, author = {Zhang, H and Lui, R}, title = {Releasing Wolbachia-infected Aedes aegypti to prevent the spread of dengue virus: A mathematical study.}, journal = {Infectious Disease Modelling}, volume = {5}, number = {}, pages = {142-160}, pmid = {31956742}, issn = {2468-0427}, abstract = {Wolbachia is a bacterium that is present in 60% of insects but it is not generally found in Aedes aegypti, the primary vector responsible for the transmission of dengue virus, Zika virus, and other human diseases caused by RNA viruses. Wolbachia has been shown to stop the growth of a variety of RNA viruses in Drosophila and in mosquitoes. Wolbachia-infected Ae. aegypti have both reproductive advantages and disadvantages over wild types. If Wolbachia-infected females are fertilized by either normal or infected males, the offspring are healthy and Wolbachia-positive. On the other hand, if Wolbachia-negative females are fertilized by Wolbachia-positive males, the offspring do not hatch. This phenomenon is called cytoplasmic incompatibility. Thus, Wolbachia-positive females have a reproductive advantage, and the Wolbachia is expanded in the population. On the other hand, Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes lay fewer eggs and generally have a shorter lifespan. In recent years, scientists have successfully released these Wolbachia-adapted mosquitoes into the wild in several countries and have achieved a high level of replacement with Wolbachia-positive mosquitoes. Here, we propose a minimal mathematical model to investigate the feasibility of such a release method. The model has five steady-states two of which are locally asymptotically stable. One of these stable steady-states has no Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes while for the other steady-state, all mosquitoes are infected with Wolbachia. We apply optimal control theory to find a release method that will drive the mosquito population close to the steady-state with only Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes in a two-year time period. Because some of the model parameters cannot be accurately measured or predicted, we also perform uncertainty and sensitivity analysis to quantify how variations in our model parameters affect our results.}, }
@article {pmid31942975, year = {2020}, author = {Zhu, YX and Song, ZR and Huo, SM and Yang, K and Hong, XY}, title = {Variation in the microbiome of the spider mite Tetranychus truncatus with sex, instar and endosymbiont infection.}, journal = {FEMS microbiology ecology}, volume = {96}, number = {2}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1093/femsec/fiaa004}, pmid = {31942975}, issn = {1574-6941}, mesh = {Animals ; Bacteria/genetics ; Female ; Fertility ; Male ; *Microbiota ; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S ; Spiroplasma/genetics ; *Symbiosis ; Tetranychidae/*microbiology ; Wolbachia/genetics ; }, abstract = {Most arthropod-associated bacterial communities play a crucial role in host functional traits, whose structure could be dominated by endosymbionts. The spider mite Tetranychus truncatus is a notorious agricultural pest harboring various endosymbionts, yet the effects of endosymbionts on spider mite microbiota remain largely unknown. Here, using deep sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene, we characterized the microbiota of male and female T. truncatus with different endosymbionts (Wolbachia and Spiroplasma) across different developmental stages. Although the spider mite microbiota composition varied across the different developmental stages, Proteobacteria were the most dominant bacteria harbored in all samples. Positive relationships among related operational taxonomic units dominated the significant coassociation networks among bacteria. Moreover, the spider mites coinfected with Wolbachia and Spiroplasma had a significantly higher daily fecundity and juvenile survival rate than the singly infected or uninfected spider mites. The possible function of spider-mite associated bacteria was discussed. Our results highlight the dynamics of spider mite microbiotas across different life stages, and the potential role of endosymbionts in shaping the microbiota of spider mites and improving host fitness.}, }
@article {pmid31937677, year = {2020}, author = {Perlmutter, JI and Meyers, JE and Bordenstein, SR}, title = {Transgenic Testing Does Not Support a Role for Additional Candidate Genes in Wolbachia Male Killing or Cytoplasmic Incompatibility.}, journal = {mSystems}, volume = {5}, number = {1}, pages = {}, pmid = {31937677}, issn = {2379-5077}, support = {F31 AI143152/AI/NIAID NIH HHS/United States ; P30 DK058404/DK/NIDDK NIH HHS/United States ; R21 AI133522/AI/NIAID NIH HHS/United States ; }, abstract = {Endosymbiotic bacteria in the genus Wolbachia remarkably infect nearly half of all arthropod species. They spread in part because of manipulations of host sexual reproduction that enhance the maternal transmission of the bacteria, including male killing (death of infected males) and unidirectional cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI; death of offspring from infected fathers and uninfected mothers). Recent discoveries identified several genes in prophage WO of Wolbachia (wmk, cifA, and cifB) that fully or partially recapitulate male killing or CI when transgenically expressed in Drosophila melanogaster However, it is not yet fully resolved if other gene candidates contribute to these phenotypes. Here, we transgenically tested 10 additional gene candidates for their involvement in male killing and/or CI. The results show that despite sequence and protein architecture similarities or comparative associations with reproductive parasitism, transgenic expression of the candidates does not recapitulate male killing or CI. Sequence analysis across Wmk and its closest relatives reveals amino acids that may be important to its function. In addition, evidence is presented to propose new hypotheses regarding the relationship between wmk transcript length and its ability to kill a given host, as well as copy number of wmk homologs within a bacterial strain, which may be predictive of host resistance. Together, these analyses continue to build the evidence for identification of wmk, cifA, and cifB as the major genes that have thus far been shown to cause reproductive parasitism in Wolbachia, and the transgenic resources provide a basis for further functional study of phage WO genes.IMPORTANCEWolbachia are widespread bacterial endosymbionts that manipulate the reproduction of diverse arthropods to spread through a population and can substantially shape host evolution. Recently, reports identified three prophage WO genes (wmk, cifA, and cifB) that transgenically recapitulate many aspects of reproductive manipulation in Drosophila melanogaster Here, we transgenically tested 10 additional gene candidates for CI and/or male killing in flies. The results yield no evidence for the involvement of these gene candidates in reproductive parasitism, bolstering the evidence for identification of the cif and wmk genes as the major factors involved in their phenotypes. In addition, evidence supports new hypotheses for prediction of male-killing phenotypes or lack thereof based on wmk transcript length and copy number. These experiments inform efforts to understand the full basis of reproductive parasitism for basic and applied purposes and lay the foundation for future work on the function of an interesting group of Wolbachia and phage WO genes.}, }
@article {pmid31937373, year = {2020}, author = {Hu, Y and Xi, Z and Liu, X and Wang, J and Guo, Y and Ren, D and Wu, H and Wang, X and Chen, B and Liu, Q}, title = {Identification and molecular characterization of Wolbachia strains in natural populations of Aedes albopictus in China.}, journal = {Parasites &amp; vectors}, volume = {13}, number = {1}, pages = {28}, pmid = {31937373}, issn = {1756-3305}, support = {Grant no. 81273139//National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC)/ ; Grant no. 2016YFC1200802//National Major Research and Development Program/ ; }, mesh = {Aedes/*microbiology ; Analysis of Variance ; Animals ; Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins/genetics ; China/epidemiology ; Climate ; Cluster Analysis ; DNA, Bacterial/isolation &amp; purification ; Dengue/epidemiology/prevention &amp; control/*transmission ; Female ; Likelihood Functions ; Male ; Mosquito Vectors/*microbiology ; Multilocus Sequence Typing ; Phylogeny ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Prevalence ; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S/genetics ; Wolbachia/genetics/*isolation &amp; purification ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Aedes albopictus is naturally infected with Wolbachia spp., maternally transmitted bacteria that influence the reproduction of hosts. However, little is known regarding the prevalence of infection, multiple infection status, and the relationship between Wolbachia density and dengue outbreaks in different regions. Here, we assessed Wolbachia infection in natural populations of Ae. albopictus in China and compared Wolbachia density between regions with similar climates, without dengue and with either imported or local dengue.<br><br>RESULTS: To explore the prevalence of Wolbachia infection, Wolbachia DNA was detected in mosquito samples via PCR amplification of the 16S rRNA gene and the surface protein gene wsp. We found that 93.36% of Ae. albopictus in China were positive for Wolbachia. After sequencing gatB, coxA, hcpA, ftsZ, fbpA and wsp genes of Wolbachia strains, we identified a new sequence type (ST) of wAlbB (464/465). Phylogenetic analysis indicated that wAlbA and wAlbB strains formed a cluster with strains from other mosquitoes in a wsp-based maximum likelihood (ML) tree. However, in a ML tree based on multilocus sequence typing (MLST), wAlbB STs (464/465) did not form a cluster with Wolbachia strains from other mosquitoes. To better understand the association between Wolbachia spp. and dengue infection, the prevalence of Wolbachia in Ae. albopictus from different regions (containing local dengue cases, imported dengue cases and no dengue cases) was determined. We found that the prevalence of Wolbachia was lower in regions with only imported dengue cases.<br><br>CONCLUSIONS: The natural prevalence of Wolbachia infections in China was much lower than in other countries or regions. The phylogenetic relationships among Wolbachia spp. isolated from field-collected Ae. albopictus reflected the presence of dominant and stable strains. However, wAlbB (464/465) and Wolbachia strains did not form a clade with Wolbachia strains from other mosquitoes. Moreover, lower densities of Wolbachia in regions with only imported dengue cases suggest a relationship between fluctuations in Wolbachia density in field-collected Ae. albopictus and the potential for dengue invasion into these regions.}, }
@article {pmid31927646, year = {2020}, author = {Bezerra-Santos, MA and Nogueira, BCF and Yamatogi, RS and Ramos, RAN and Galhardo, JA and Campos, AK}, title = {Ticks, fleas and endosymbionts in the ectoparasite fauna of the black-eared opossum Dipelphis aurita in Brazil.}, journal = {Experimental &amp; applied acarology}, volume = {80}, number = {3}, pages = {329-338}, pmid = {31927646}, issn = {1572-9702}, mesh = {Anaplasmataceae/isolation &amp; purification ; Animals ; Brazil ; Didelphis/*parasitology ; Flea Infestations/*veterinary ; Ixodidae/*microbiology ; Siphonaptera/*microbiology ; Tick Infestations/*veterinary ; Wolbachia/isolation &amp; purification ; }, abstract = {Ticks and fleas are essential vectors of pathogens that affect humans and animals, and among their hosts, synanthropic animals such as the black-eared opossum, Didelphis aurita, play a role in public health due to their ability to move between urban centers and forested areas in Brazil. This study aimed to assess the ectoparasite fauna of D. aurita, as well as the presence of pathogens and endosymbionts in ticks and fleas. Opossums (n = 58) captured in Tomahawk livetraps were examined for ectoparasites, and their blood sampled for further analysis. Additionally, spleen samples were collected in individuals found dead. Samples were PCR screened for Rickettsia spp., Borrelia spp., Anaplasmataceae, and Babesia spp. Two tick species were morphologically identified as Ixodes loricatus 24/58 (41.4%) and Amblyomma sculptum 1/58 (1.7%). For fleas, Ctenocephalides felis was detected in 60.3% (35/58) of the animals, and Xenopsylla cheopis in 5.2% (3/58). PCR analysis detected Anaplasmataceae DNA in 34% (16/47) of pooled samples of C. felis, and in 66.7% (2/3) pooled samples of X. cheopis. Sequence analysis revealed Wolbachia pipientis symbiont in all positive samples. Tick, blood and spleen samples were all negative for the microorganisms assessed. These findings suggest that these arthropods circulate among wildlife and urban environments, which may implicate in their participation in the cycle of zoonotic pathogens among opossums, humans and companion animals.}, }
@article {pmid31926932, year = {2020}, author = {Li, Y and Liu, X}, title = {Modeling and control of mosquito-borne diseases with Wolbachia and insecticides.}, journal = {Theoretical population biology}, volume = {132}, number = {}, pages = {82-91}, doi = {10.1016/j.tpb.2019.12.007}, pmid = {31926932}, issn = {1096-0325}, abstract = {Mosquitoes cause more human suffering than any other organism. It is estimated that over one million people worldwide die from mosquito-borne diseases every year. With the continuous efforts of many researchers, Wolbachia gets more and more attention due to its characteristics of maternal transmission in mosquito population and it may cause cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI) which makes healthy females cannot fertilize normally after mating with infected males. In this paper, mathematical models are established to study Wolbachia transmission in mosquito population, and integrated mosquito control strategies are explored. Firstly, a classical ordinary differential system with general birth and death rate functions is established to describe the maternal transmission and CI effect. It is shown that the replacement strategy that the Wolbachia-uninfected mosquitoes are replaced by the infected ones is determined by the initial infection frequency. And Wolbachia spreads more easily for greater maternal transmission and CI rate. Moreover, all the wild mosquitoes will eventually be infected with Wolbachia if the maternal transmission is complete. Secondly, an impulsive state feedback control model is constructed to describe the integrated mosquito control. Besides Wolbachia, insecticides are sprayed when the quantity of mosquitoes reaches some Economic Threshold. The existence and stability of Wolbachia replacement periodic solution are discussed. Finally, some discussions are done and the future research directions are prospected.}, }
@article {pmid31921019, year = {2019}, author = {Alfano, N and Tagliapietra, V and Rosso, F and Manica, M and Arnoldi, D and Pindo, M and Rizzoli, A}, title = {Changes in Microbiota Across Developmental Stages of Aedes koreicus, an Invasive Mosquito Vector in Europe: Indications for Microbiota-Based Control Strategies.}, journal = {Frontiers in microbiology}, volume = {10}, number = {}, pages = {2832}, pmid = {31921019}, issn = {1664-302X}, abstract = {Since it has been understood that gut microbiota of vector mosquitoes can influence their vector competence, efforts have been undertaken to develop new control strategies based on host microbiota manipulation, and aimed at suppressing the vector population or replacing it with a less competent one. For the proper design of such control strategies it is necessary to know the microbiota composition of the target vector species, how it is acquired, and how it changes throughout the host's life cycle. In this study, 16S rRNA amplicon high-throughput sequencing was used to characterize the changes in microbiota from the aquatic environment (larval breeding sites) to the different developmental stages of field-collected Aedes koreicus in Italy, an emerging invasive mosquito species in Europe and a potential vector of several pathogens. The bacterial communities of the aquatic breeding sites, larvae, pupae and adults showed distinctive structures to one another. Indeed, 84% of community members were unique to a given sample type. Nevertheless, almost 40% of the sequences generated were assigned to bacteria detected in all sample types, suggesting the importance of bacteria transstadially transmitted from water to the adult stage in constituting mosquito microbiota. Among these, genus C39 largely constituted water microbiota, family Burkholderiaceae was the most abundant in larvae and pupae, and genus Asaia dominated adult communities. In addition, Asaia constituted a core microbiota across all sample types. Our results suggest that the microbiota of Ae. koreicus mosquitoes is composed by a community which derives from the aquatic bacteria of the larval breeding sites, is then filtered by the larval gut, where only certain members are able to persist, rearranged by metamorphosis and finally modified by the change in diet at the adult stage. Understanding how the microbiota of Ae. koreicus changes through the mosquito life cycle represents a first step in selecting bacterial candidates for use in microbiota-based intervention measures for this species. The properties which Asaia exhibits in this species, such as dominance, high prevalence and transstadial transmission, prevent the use of Wolbachia but make Asaia an ideal candidate for paratransgenesis.}, }
@article {pmid31919396, year = {2020}, author = {Garcia, GA and Hoffmann, AA and Maciel-de-Freitas, R and Villela, DAM}, title = {Aedes aegypti insecticide resistance underlies the success (and failure) of Wolbachia population replacement.}, journal = {Scientific reports}, volume = {10}, number = {1}, pages = {63}, pmid = {31919396}, issn = {2045-2322}, mesh = {Aedes/*microbiology ; Animals ; *Insecticide Resistance/drug effects ; Insecticides/toxicity ; Models, Biological ; Population Dynamics ; Pyrethrins/toxicity ; Symbiosis ; Wolbachia/drug effects/isolation &amp; purification/*physiology ; }, abstract = {Mosquitoes that carry Wolbachia endosymbionts may help control the spread of arboviral diseases, such as dengue, Zika and chikungunya. Wolbachia frequencies systematically increase only when the frequency-dependent advantage due to cytoplasmic incompatibility exceeds frequency-independent costs, which may be intrinsic to the Wolbachia and/or can be associated with the genetic background into which Wolbachia are introduced. Costs depend on field conditions such as the environmental pesticide load. Introduced mosquitoes need adequate protection against insecticides to ensure survival after release. We model how insecticide resistance of transinfected mosquitoes determines the success of local Wolbachia introductions and link our theoretical results to field data. Two Ae. aegypti laboratory strains carrying Wolbachia were released in an isolated district of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: wMelBr (susceptible to pyrethroids) and wMelRio (resistant to pyrethroids). Our models elucidate why releases of the susceptible strain failed to result in Wolbachia establishment, while releases of the resistant strain led to Wolbachia transforming the native Ae. aegypti population. The results highlight the importance of matching insecticide resistance levels in release stocks to those in the target natural populations during Wolbachia deployment.}, }
@article {pmid31912447, year = {2020}, author = {Reeves, DD and Price, SL and Ramalho, MO and Moreau, CS}, title = {The Diversity and Distribution of Wolbachia, Rhizobiales, and Ophiocordyceps Within the Widespread Neotropical Turtle Ant, Cephalotes atratus (Hymenoptera: Formicidae).}, journal = {Neotropical entomology}, volume = {49}, number = {1}, pages = {52-60}, pmid = {31912447}, issn = {1678-8052}, support = {NSF DBI 1559779//National Science Foundation Research Experience/ ; NSF DEB 1900357//National Science Foundation/ ; }, mesh = {Alphaproteobacteria/*genetics ; Animals ; Ants/*microbiology ; Genetic Variation ; Genotype ; Hypocreales/*genetics ; South America ; *Symbiosis ; Wolbachia/*genetics ; }, abstract = {Ants are an ecologically and evolutionarily diverse group, and they harbor a wide range of symbiotic microbial communities that often greatly affect their biology. Turtle ants (genus Cephalotes) engage in mutualistic relationships with gut bacteria and are exploited by microbial parasites. Studies have shown that associations among these microbial lineages and the turtle ant hosts vary geographically. However, these studies have been limited, and thorough within-species analyses of the variation and structure of these microbial communities have yet to be conducted. The giant turtle ant, Cephalotes atratus (Linnaeus 1758), is a geographically widespread, genetically diverse Neotropical species that has been sampled extensively across its geographic range, making it ideal for analysis of microbial associations. In this study, we verified the presence, genetic variation, and geographic patterns at the individual, colony, and population level of three microbial groups associated with the giant turtle ant: Wolbachia, a genus of facultative bacteria which are often parasitic, affecting host reproduction; Rhizobiales, a mutualistic order of bacteria hypothesized to be an obligate nutritional symbiont in turtle ants; and Ophiocordyceps, a genus of endoparasitic fungi infecting many arthropod species by manipulating their behavior for fungal reproduction. In this study, we found varying degrees of prevalence for two distantly related genotypes (haplogroups) of Wolbachia and high degree of prevalence of Rhizobiales across colonies with little genetic variation. In addition, we found low occurrence of Ophiocordyceps. This study highlights a key first step in understanding the diversity, distribution, and prevalence of the microbial community of C. atratus.}, }
@article {pmid31910374, year = {2020}, author = {Chrostek, E and Hurst, GDD and McGraw, EA}, title = {Infectious Diseases: Antiviral Wolbachia Limits Dengue in Malaysia.}, journal = {Current biology : CB}, volume = {30}, number = {1}, pages = {R30-R32}, doi = {10.1016/j.cub.2019.11.046}, pmid = {31910374}, issn = {1879-0445}, mesh = {*Aedes ; Animals ; *Antiviral Agents ; *Dengue/transmission ; *Dengue Virus ; Humans ; Malaysia ; Mosquito Vectors ; *Wolbachia ; }, abstract = {Vector-borne viral diseases pose an urgent public health challenge, particularly in the tropics. Field releases of mosquitoes carrying bacterial symbionts that reduce vector competence are ongoing in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Early results show that wAlbB Wolbachia can persist in mosquitoes in urban settings and decrease dengue incidence in humans.}, }
@article {pmid31900308, year = {2020}, author = {Madhav, M and Parry, R and Morgan, JAT and James, P and Asgari, S}, title = {Wolbachia Endosymbiont of the Horn Fly (Haematobia irritans irritans): a Supergroup A Strain with Multiple Horizontally Acquired Cytoplasmic Incompatibility Genes.}, journal = {Applied and environmental microbiology}, volume = {86}, number = {6}, pages = {}, pmid = {31900308}, issn = {1098-5336}, mesh = {Animals ; Gene Transfer, Horizontal ; *Genes, Bacterial ; Muscidae/*microbiology ; *Symbiosis/genetics ; Wolbachia/genetics/*physiology ; }, abstract = {The horn fly, Haematobia irritansirritans, is a hematophagous parasite of livestock distributed throughout Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Americas. Welfare losses on livestock due to horn fly infestation are estimated to cost between $1 billion and $2.5 billion (U.S. dollars) annually in North America and Brazil. The endosymbiotic bacterium Wolbachia pipientis is a maternally inherited manipulator of reproductive biology in arthropods and naturally infects laboratory colonies of horn flies from Kerrville, TX, and Alberta, Canada, but it has also been identified in wild-caught samples from Canada, the United States, Mexico, and Hungary. Reassembly of PacBio long-read and Illumina genomic DNA libraries from the Kerrville H. i. irritans genome project allowed for a complete and circularized 1.3-Mb Wolbachia genome (wIrr). Annotation of wIrr yielded 1,249 coding genes, 34 tRNAs, 3 rRNAs, and 5 prophage regions. Comparative genomics and whole-genome Bayesian evolutionary analysis of wIrr compared to published Wolbachia genomes suggested that wIrr is most closely related to and diverged from Wolbachia supergroup A strains known to infect Drosophila spp. Whole-genome synteny analyses between wIrr and closely related genomes indicated that wIrr has undergone significant genome rearrangements while maintaining high nucleotide identity. Comparative analysis of the cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI) genes of wIrr suggested two phylogenetically distinct CI loci and acquisition of another cifB homolog from phylogenetically distant supergroup A Wolbachia strains, suggesting horizontal acquisition of these loci. The wIrr genome provides a resource for future examination of the impact Wolbachia may have in both biocontrol and potential insecticide resistance of horn flies.IMPORTANCE Horn flies, Haematobia irritans irritans, are obligate hematophagous parasites of cattle having significant effects on production and animal welfare. Control of horn flies mainly relies on the use of insecticides, but issues with resistance have increased interest in development of alternative means of control. Wolbachia pipientis is an endosymbiont bacterium known to have a range of effects on host reproduction, such as induction of cytoplasmic incompatibility, feminization, male killing, and also impacts vector transmission. These characteristics of Wolbachia have been exploited in biological control approaches for a range of insect pests. Here we report the assembly and annotation of the circular genome of the Wolbachia strain of the Kerrville, TX, horn fly (wIrr). Annotation of wIrr suggests its unique features, including the horizontal acquisition of additional transcriptionally active cytoplasmic incompatibility loci. This study provides the foundation for future studies of Wolbachia-induced biological effects for control of horn flies.}, }
@article {pmid31874958, year = {2019}, author = {Lefoulon, E and Vaisman, N and Frydman, HM and Sun, L and Voland, L and Foster, JM and Slatko, BE}, title = {Author Correction: Large Enriched Fragment Targeted Sequencing (LEFT-SEQ) Applied to Capture of Wolbachia Genomes.}, journal = {Scientific reports}, volume = {9}, number = {1}, pages = {20184}, doi = {10.1038/s41598-019-55305-5}, pmid = {31874958}, issn = {2045-2322}, abstract = {An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.}, }
@article {pmid31870298, year = {2019}, author = {Asimakis, ED and Doudoumis, V and Hadapad, AB and Hire, RS and Batargias, C and Niu, C and Khan, M and Bourtzis, K and Tsiamis, G}, title = {Detection and characterization of bacterial endosymbionts in Southeast Asian tephritid fruit fly populations.}, journal = {BMC microbiology}, volume = {19}, number = {Suppl 1}, pages = {290}, pmid = {31870298}, issn = {1471-2180}, mesh = {Animals ; Bacteria/*classification/genetics/isolation &amp; purification ; DNA, Bacterial/genetics ; DNA, Ribosomal/genetics ; Gene Transfer, Horizontal ; Pest Control, Biological ; Phylogeny ; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S/*genetics ; Symbiosis ; Tephritidae/*microbiology ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Various endosymbiotic bacteria, including Wolbachia of the Alphaproteobacteria, infect a wide range of insects and are capable of inducing reproductive abnormalities to their hosts such as cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI), parthenogenesis, feminization and male-killing. These extended phenotypes can be potentially exploited in enhancing environmentally friendly methods, such as the sterile insect technique (SIT), for controlling natural populations of agricultural pests. The goal of the present study is to investigate the presence of Wolbachia, Spiroplasma, Arsenophonus and Cardinium among Bactrocera, Dacus and Zeugodacus flies of Southeast Asian populations, and to genotype any detected Wolbachia strains.<br><br>RESULTS: A specific 16S rRNA PCR assay was used to investigate the presence of reproductive parasites in natural populations of nine different tephritid species originating from three Asian countries, Bangladesh, China and India. Wolbachia infections were identified in Bactrocera dorsalis, B. correcta, B. scutellaris and B. zonata, with 12.2-42.9% occurrence, Entomoplasmatales in B. dorsalis, B. correcta, B. scutellaris, B. zonata, Zeugodacus cucurbitae and Z. tau (0.8-14.3%) and Cardinium in B. dorsalis and Z. tau (0.9-5.8%), while none of the species tested, harbored infections with Arsenophonus. Infected populations showed a medium (between 10 and 90%) or low (< 10%) prevalence, ranging from 3 to 80% for Wolbachia, 2 to 33% for Entomoplasmatales and 5 to 45% for Cardinium. Wolbachia and Entomoplasmatales infections were found both in tropical and subtropical populations, the former mostly in India and the latter in various regions of India and Bangladesh. Cardinium infections were identified in both countries but only in subtropical populations. Phylogenetic analysis revealed the presence of Wolbachia with some strains belonging either to supergroup B or supergroup A. Sequence analysis revealed deletions of variable length and nucleotide variation in three Wolbachia genes. Spiroplasma strains were characterized as citri-chrysopicola-mirum and ixodetis strains while the remaining Entomoplasmatales to the Mycoides-Entomoplasmataceae clade. Cardinium strains were characterized as group A, similar to strains infecting Encarsia pergandiella.<br><br>CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicated that in the Southeast natural populations examined, supergroup A Wolbachia strain infections were the most common, followed by Entomoplasmatales and Cardinium. In terms of diversity, most strains of each bacterial genus detected clustered in a common group. Interestingly, the deletions detected in three Wolbachia genes were either new or similar to those of previously identified pseudogenes that were integrated in the host genome indicating putative horizontal gene transfer events in B. dorsalis, B. correcta and B. zonata.}, }
@article {pmid31870290, year = {2019}, author = {Conte, CA and Segura, DF and Milla, FH and Augustinos, A and Cladera, JL and Bourtzis, K and Lanzavecchia, SB}, title = {Wolbachia infection in Argentinean populations of Anastrepha fraterculus sp1: preliminary evidence of sex ratio distortion by one of two strains.}, journal = {BMC microbiology}, volume = {19}, number = {Suppl 1}, pages = {289}, pmid = {31870290}, issn = {1471-2180}, mesh = {Animals ; Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins/*genetics ; Female ; Male ; Multilocus Sequence Typing ; Phylogeny ; Sex Ratio ; Sexual Behavior, Animal ; Tephritidae/*microbiology ; Wolbachia/genetics/*physiology ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Wolbachia, one of the most abundant taxa of intracellular Alphaproteobacteria, is widespread among arthropods and filarial nematodes. The presence of these maternally inherited bacteria is associated with modifications of host fitness, including a variety of reproductive abnormalities, such as cytoplasmic incompatibility, thelytokous parthenogenesis, host feminization and male-killing. Wolbachia has attracted much interest for its role in biological, ecological and evolutionary processes as well as for its potential use in novel and environmentally-friendly strategies for the control of insect pests and disease vectors including a major agricultural pest, the South American fruit fly, Anastrepha fraterculus Wiedemann (Diptera: Tephritidae).<br><br>RESULTS: We used wsp, 16S rRNA and a multilocus sequence typing (MLST) scheme including gatB, coxA, hcpA, fbpA, and ftsZ genes to detect and characterize the Wolbachia infection in laboratory strains and wild populations of A. fraterculus from Argentina. Wolbachia was found in all A. fraterculus individuals studied. Nucleotide sequences analysis of wsp gene allowed the identification of two Wolbachia nucleotide variants (named wAfraCast1_A and wAfraCast2_A). After the analysis of 76 individuals, a high prevalence of the wAfraCast2_A variant was found both, in laboratory (82%) and wild populations (95%). MLST analysis identified both Wolbachia genetic variants as sequence type 13. Phylogenetic analysis of concatenated MLST datasets clustered wAfraCast1/2_A in the supergroup A. Paired-crossing experiments among single infected laboratory strains showed a phenotype specifically associated to wAfraCast1_A that includes slight detrimental effects on larval survival, a female-biased sex ratio; suggesting the induction of male-killing phenomena, and a decreased proportion of females producing descendants that appears attributable to the lack of sperm in their spermathecae.<br><br>CONCLUSIONS: We detected and characterized at the molecular level two wsp gene sequence variants of Wolbachia both in laboratory and wild populations of A. fraterculus sp.1 from Argentina. Crossing experiments on singly-infected A. fraterculus strains showed evidence of a male killing-like mechanism potentially associated to the wAfraCast1_A - A. fraterculus interactions. Further mating experiments including antibiotic treatments and the analysis of early and late immature stages of descendants will contribute to our understanding of the phenotypes elicited by the Wolbachia variant wAfraCast1_A in A. fraterculus sp.1.}, }
@article {pmid31869759, year = {2020}, author = {Hübner, MP and Gunderson, E and Vogel, I and Bulman, CA and Lim, KC and Koschel, M and Ehrens, A and Frohberger, SJ and Fendler, M and Tricoche, N and Voronin, D and Steven, A and Chi, V and Bakowski, MA and Woods, AK and Petrassi, HM and McNamara, CW and Beerntsen, B and Chappell, L and Sullivan, W and Taylor, MJ and Turner, JD and Hoerauf, A and Lustigman, S and Sakanari, JA}, title = {Short-course quinazoline drug treatments are effective in the Litomosoides sigmodontis and Brugia pahangi jird models.}, journal = {International journal for parasitology. Drugs and drug resistance}, volume = {12}, number = {}, pages = {18-27}, pmid = {31869759}, issn = {2211-3207}, mesh = {Animals ; Anti-Bacterial Agents/administration &amp; dosage/*therapeutic use ; Brugia pahangi/drug effects ; Female ; Filariasis/*drug therapy/microbiology ; Filarioidea/drug effects ; Gerbillinae/microbiology/parasitology ; Microfilariae/drug effects ; Onchocerciasis/*drug therapy ; Quinazolines/administration &amp; dosage/*therapeutic use ; Symbiosis/drug effects ; Wolbachia/*drug effects ; }, abstract = {The quinazolines CBR417 and CBR490 were previously shown to be potent anti-wolbachials that deplete Wolbachia endosymbionts of filarial nematodes and present promising pre-clinical candidates for human filarial diseases such as onchocerciasis. In the present study we tested both candidates in two models of chronic filarial infection, namely the Litomosoides sigmodontis and Brugia pahangi jird model and assessed their long-term effect on Wolbachia depletion, microfilariae counts and filarial embryogenesis 16-18 weeks after treatment initiation (wpt). Once per day (QD) oral treatment with CBR417 (50 mg/kg) for 4 days or twice per day (BID) with CBR490 (25 mg/kg) for 7 days during patent L. sigmodontis infection reduced the Wolbachia load by >99% and completely cleared peripheral microfilaremia from 10-14 wpt. Similarly, 7 days of QD treatments (40 mg/kg) with CBR417 or CBR490 cleared >99% of Wolbachia from B. pahangi and reduced peritoneal microfilariae counts by 93% in the case of CBR417 treatment. Transmission electron microscopy analysis indicated intensive damage to the B. pahangi ovaries following CBR417 treatment and in accordance filarial embryogenesis was inhibited in both models after CBR417 or CBR490 treatment. Suboptimal treatment regimens of CBR417 or CBR490 did not lead to a maintained reduction of the microfilariae and Wolbachia load. In conclusion, CBR417 or CBR490 are pre-clinical candidates for filarial diseases, which achieve long-term clearance of Wolbachia endosymbionts of filarial nematodes, inhibit filarial embryogenesis and clear microfilaremia with treatments as short as 7 days.}, }
@article {pmid31863009, year = {2019}, author = {Fauver, JR and Martin, J and Weil, GJ and Mitreva, M and Fischer, PU}, title = {De novo Assembly of the Brugia malayi Genome Using Long Reads from a Single MinION Flowcell.}, journal = {Scientific reports}, volume = {9}, number = {1}, pages = {19521}, pmid = {31863009}, issn = {2045-2322}, support = {R01 AI081803/AI/NIAID NIH HHS/United States ; R01 GM097435/GM/NIGMS NIH HHS/United States ; }, mesh = {Animals ; Brugia malayi/*genetics ; Female ; Genome, Mitochondrial/genetics ; Genome, Protozoan/genetics ; Sequence Analysis, DNA ; }, abstract = {Filarial nematode infections cause a substantial global disease burden. Genomic studies of filarial worms can improve our understanding of their biology and epidemiology. However, genomic information from field isolates is limited and available reference genomes are often discontinuous. Single molecule sequencing technologies can reduce the cost of genome sequencing and long reads produced from these devices can improve the contiguity and completeness of genome assemblies. In addition, these new technologies can make generation and analysis of large numbers of field isolates feasible. In this study, we assessed the performance of the Oxford Nanopore Technologies MinION for sequencing and assembling the genome of Brugia malayi, a human parasite widely used in filariasis research. Using data from a single MinION flowcell, a 90.3 Mb nuclear genome was assembled into 202 contigs with an N50 of 2.4 Mb. This assembly covered 96.9% of the well-defined B. malayi reference genome with 99.2% identity. The complete mitochondrial genome was obtained with individual reads and the nearly complete genome of the endosymbiotic bacteria Wolbachia was assembled alongside the nuclear genome. Long-read data from the MinION produced an assembly that approached the quality of a well-established reference genome using comparably fewer resources.}, }
@article {pmid31847836, year = {2019}, author = {Kyritsis, GA and Augustinos, AA and Livadaras, I and Cáceres, C and Bourtzis, K and Papadopoulos, NT}, title = {Medfly-Wolbachia symbiosis: genotype x genotype interactions determine host's life history traits under mass rearing conditions.}, journal = {BMC biotechnology}, volume = {19}, number = {Suppl 2}, pages = {96}, pmid = {31847836}, issn = {1472-6750}, mesh = {Anaplasmataceae Infections/*veterinary ; Animals ; Ceratitis capitata/classification/genetics/microbiology/*physiology ; Female ; Fertility ; Genotype ; Male ; Sexual Behavior, Animal ; Symbiosis ; Wolbachia/classification/genetics/*pathogenicity ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Wolbachia pipientis is a widespread, obligatory intracellular and maternally inherited bacterium, that induces a wide range of reproductive alterations to its hosts. Cytoplasmic Incompatibility (CI) is causing embryonic lethality, the most common of them. Despite that Wolbachia-borne sterility has been proposed as an environmental friendly pest control method (Incompatible Insect Technique, IIT) since 1970s, the fact that Wolbachia modifies important fitness components of its hosts sets severe barriers to IIT implementation. Mass rearing of Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata (medfly), is highly optimized given that this pest is a model species regarding the implementation of another sterility based pest control method, the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT). We used the medfly-Wolbachia symbiotic association, as a model system, to study the effect of two different Wolbachia strains, on the life history traits of 2 C. capitata lines with different genomic background.<br><br>RESULTS: Wolbachia effects are regulated by both C. capitata genetic background and the Wolbachia strain. Wolbachia infection reduces fertility rates in both C. capitata genetic backgrounds and shortens the pre-pupa developmental duration in the GSS strain. On the other hand, regardless of the strain of Wolbachia (wCer2, wCer4) infection does not affect either the sex ratio or the longevity of adults. wCer4 infection imposed a reduction in females' fecundity but wCer2 did not. Male mating competitiveness, adults flight ability and longevity under water and food deprivation were affected by both the genetic background of medfly and the strain of Wolbachia (genotype by genotype interaction).<br><br>CONCLUSION: Wolbachia infection could alter important life history traits of mass-reared C. capitata lines and therefore the response of each genotype on the Wolbachia infection should be considered toward ensuring the productivity of the Wolbachia-infected insects under mass-rearing conditions.}, }
@article {pmid31847764, year = {2019}, author = {Wedell, N and Price, TAR and Lindholm, AK}, title = {Gene drive: progress and prospects.}, journal = {Proceedings. Biological sciences}, volume = {286}, number = {1917}, pages = {20192709}, pmid = {31847764}, issn = {1471-2954}, mesh = {Aedes ; Animals ; Biological Evolution ; Culicidae ; Dengue ; *Disease Vectors ; *Gene Drive Technology ; Mosquito Vectors ; Reproduction ; Wolbachia ; Zika Virus ; Zika Virus Infection ; }, abstract = {Gene drive is a naturally occurring phenomenon in which selfish genetic elements manipulate gametogenesis and reproduction to increase their own transmission to the next generation. Currently, there is great excitement about the potential of harnessing such systems to control major pest and vector populations. If synthetic gene drive systems can be constructed and applied to key species, they may be able to rapidly spread either modifying or eliminating the targeted populations. This approach has been lauded as a revolutionary and efficient mechanism to control insect-borne diseases and crop pests. Driving endosymbionts have already been deployed to combat the transmission of dengue and Zika virus in mosquitoes. However, there are a variety of barriers to successfully implementing gene drive techniques in wild populations. There is a risk that targeted organisms will rapidly evolve an ability to suppress the synthetic drive system, rendering it ineffective. There are also potential risks of synthetic gene drivers invading non-target species or populations. This Special Feature covers the current state of affairs regarding both natural and synthetic gene drive systems with the aim to identify knowledge gaps. By understanding how natural drive systems spread through populations, we may be able to better predict the outcomes of synthetic drive release.}, }
@article {pmid31846415, year = {2020}, author = {Bishop, C and Parry, R and Asgari, S}, title = {Effect of Wolbachia wAlbB on a positive-sense RNA negev-like virus: a novel virus persistently infecting Aedes albopictus mosquitoes and cells.}, journal = {The Journal of general virology}, volume = {101}, number = {2}, pages = {216-225}, doi = {10.1099/jgv.0.001361}, pmid = {31846415}, issn = {1465-2099}, mesh = {Aedes/*virology ; Animals ; Cell Line ; *Coinfection/microbiology/virology ; Genome, Viral ; *Insect Viruses/classification/genetics/growth &amp; development/isolation &amp; purification ; Microbial Interactions ; Phylogeny ; *RNA Viruses/classification/genetics/growth &amp; development/isolation &amp; purification ; *Wolbachia ; }, abstract = {The Aedes aegypti mosquito is the primary vector of several medically important arboviruses. The endosymbiotic bacterium, Wolbachia pipientis, has emerged as a means of blocking transmission of arboviruses such as dengue and Zika viruses. One Wolbachia strain that has shown potential in field trials is wAlbB, a naturally occurring Wolbachia strain of the Asian tiger mosquito Aedes albopictus. When transinfected into Ae. aegypti, wAlbB exhibits strong virus inhibition. In addition to modulating arboviruses, Wolbachia also modulates some insect-specific viruses. Here, we explored the effect of Wolbachia on the virome of the Ae. albopictus cell line Aa23 naturally infected with wAlbB and also a stably transinfected recipient Ae. aegypti cell line (Aag2.wAlbB). RNA sequencing and bioinformatic analysis on both cell lines revealed an 11 kb genome of a single-stranded positive-sense RNA negev-like virus related to the recently proposed negevirus taxon. We denoted this novel virus as Aedes albopictus negev-like virus (AalNLV). Tetracycline clearance of Wolbachia from Aa23 cells did not significantly affect AalNLV levels, while in Aag2.wAlbB cells, a significant increase in virus genome RNA copies was observed. We further investigated the inhibitory effect of wAlbB on AalNLV and another positive-sense RNA virus, cell fusing agent virus, which is present in Aag2 cells and known to be suppressed by Wolbachia. wAlbB suppressed both viruses, with the effect on AalNLV being more striking. The findings from this study further supplement our understanding of the complex interaction between Wolbachia, host and virome.}, }
@article {pmid31843539, year = {2020}, author = {Li, C and He, M and Yun, Y and Peng, Y}, title = {Co-infection with Wolbachia and Cardinium may promote the synthesis of fat and free amino acids in a small spider, Hylyphantes graminicola.}, journal = {Journal of invertebrate pathology}, volume = {169}, number = {}, pages = {107307}, doi = {10.1016/j.jip.2019.107307}, pmid = {31843539}, issn = {1096-0805}, abstract = {Associations between endosymbiotic bacteria and their hosts are widespread in nature and have been demonstrated extensively; however, only a few studies have examined how facultative symbionts affect host nutrition and metabolism. To gain insight into the associations between facultative symbionts and host nutrition and metabolic activity, we detected endosymbiotic infection in a small spider species, Hylyphantes graminicola, and established two infectious strains, i.e., W-C+ (Wolbachia negative, Cardinium positive) and W+C+ (Wolbachia positive, Cardinium positive). We then determined the content of fat and free amino acids in W-C+ and W+C+ spiders, respectively. We also detected the transcriptome of H. graminicola and the expression of genes involved in fat and amino acid metabolism at different host ages. Results showed that fat content in W+C+ spiders was higher than that in W-C+ spiders, and free amino acid content was higher in W+C+ males than W-C+ males, with no difference observed in females. Transcriptome analysis identified 144 (W-C+ vs W+C+) differentially expressed genes (DEGs). Moreover, the expression of five genes involved in fat and amino acid metabolism were significantly up-regulated in the third, fourth, and fifth instar stages in W+C+ spiders. This study indicated that Wolbachia and Cardinium co-infection had a pivotal effect on fat and amino acid synthesis in hosts. Moreover, our results provide strong evidence explaining the long-term coexistence of hosts and endosymbionts.}, }
@article {pmid31840281, year = {2020}, author = {Duan, DY and Zhou, HM and Cheng, TY}, title = {Comparative analysis of microbial community in the whole body and midgut from fully engorged and unfed female adult Melophagus ovinus.}, journal = {Medical and veterinary entomology}, volume = {34}, number = {2}, pages = {215-224}, doi = {10.1111/mve.12424}, pmid = {31840281}, issn = {1365-2915}, mesh = {Animals ; Bacteria/*isolation &amp; purification ; China ; DNA, Bacterial/analysis ; Diptera/*microbiology ; Feeding Behavior ; Female ; Gastrointestinal Microbiome ; *Microbiota ; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S/analysis ; }, abstract = {Melophagus ovinus is a type of ectoparasite infesting sheep. Data regarding the comprehensive bacterial community associated with the whole body and midgut of M. ovinus under different engorged statuses are required. Melophagus ovinus were collected from the city of Jiuquan, China. Bacterial DNA was extracted from the whole body and midgut of fully engorged female adults, or newly hatched and unfed adult female M. ovinus. The 16S rRNA gene V3-V4 hypervariable regions were sequenced using the IonS5™XL platform (Thermo Fisher Scientific, Waltham, MA, U.S.A.). The whole body bacterial diversity of the newly hatched, unfed adult females was greater compared with that of the other three samples. Proteobacteria was the dominant bacterial phylum in all of the samples. Of the 42 total bacterial genera present in all of the experimental samples, Arsenophonus, Bartonella and Wolbachia were the dominant genera. The relative abundance of Arsenophonus in midgut was greater than that in the whole body. The relative abundance of Bartonella in fully engorged adults was far greater than those in newly hatched, unfed adults. The relative abundance of Wolbachia was highest in the whole body of newly hatched, unfed adults. Seventeen bacterial species were identified in all experimental samples. Bartonella chomelii, Streptococcus hyointestinalis and Escherichia coli were the first species reported in M. ovinus.}, }
@article {pmid31828225, year = {2019}, author = {Sawasdichai, S and Chaumeau, V and Dah, T and Kulabkeeree, T and Kajeechiwa, L and Phanaphadungtham, M and Trakoolchengkaew, M and Kittiphanakun, P and Akararungrot, Y and Oo, K and Delmas, G and White, NJ and Nosten, FH}, title = {Detection of diverse Wolbachia 16S rRNA sequences at low titers from malaria vectors in Kayin state, Myanmar.}, journal = {Wellcome open research}, volume = {4}, number = {}, pages = {11}, pmid = {31828225}, issn = {2398-502X}, support = {/WT_/Wellcome Trust/United Kingdom ; }, abstract = {Background: Natural Wolbachia infections in malaria mosquitoes were recently reported in Africa, and negatively correlated with the development of Plasmodium falciparum in the vectors. The occurrence and effects of Wolbachia infections outside Africa have not been described and may have been underestimated. Methods: Mosquitoes were collected by human-landing catch during May and June 2017 in ten villages in Kayin state, Myanmar. Closely related species of malaria vectors were identified with molecular assays. 16S rRNA Wolbachia DNA sequences were detected with quantitative real-time PCR. Results: Low titer of Wolbachia DNA was detected in 13/370 samples in six malaria vector species. Sequences were diverse and different from those described in the African malaria mosquitoes. Conclusion: The detection of Wolbachia DNA in malaria mosquitoes from Kayin state warrants further investigations to understand better the ecology and biology of Anopheles- Wolbachia interactions in Southeast Asia.}, }
@article {pmid31822714, year = {2019}, author = {Li, K and Stanojević, M and Stamenković, G and Ilić, B and Paunović, M and Lu, M and Pešić, B and Đurić Maslovara, I and Siljic, M and Cirkovic, V and Zhang, Y}, title = {Insight into diversity of bacteria belonging to the order Rickettsiales in 9 arthropods species collected in Serbia.}, journal = {Scientific reports}, volume = {9}, number = {1}, pages = {18680}, pmid = {31822714}, issn = {2045-2322}, mesh = {Animals ; *Biodiversity ; Biological Evolution ; DNA, Bacterial/genetics ; *Genetic Variation ; Ixodes/*microbiology ; Phylogeny ; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S/genetics ; Rickettsiales/*classification/isolation &amp; purification ; Seasons ; Serbia ; }, abstract = {Rickettsiales bacteria in arthropods play a significant role in both public health and arthropod ecology. However, the extensive genetic diversity of Rickettsiales endosymbionts of arthropods is still to be discovered. In 2016, 515 arthropods belonging to 9 species of four classes (Insecta, Chilopoda, Diplopoda and Arachnida) were collected in Serbia. The presence and genetic diversity of Rickettsiales bacteria were evaluated by characterizing the 16S rRNA (rrs), citrate synthase (gltA) and heat shock protein (groEL) genes. The presence of various Rickettsiales bacteria was identified in the majority of tested arthropod species. The results revealed co-circulation of five recognized Rickettsiales species including Rickettsia, Ehrlichia and Wolbachia, as well as four tentative novel species, including one tentative novel genus named Neowolbachia. These results suggest the remarkable genetic diversity of Rickettsiales bacteria in certain arthropod species in this region. Furthermore, the high prevalence of spotted fever group Rickettsia in Ixodes ricinus ticks highlights the potential public health risk of human Rickettsia infection.}, }
@article {pmid31820073, year = {2020}, author = {Arai, H and Lin, SR and Nakai, M and Kunimi, Y and Inoue, MN}, title = {Closely Related Male-Killing and Nonmale-Killing Wolbachia Strains in the Oriental Tea Tortrix Homona magnanima.}, journal = {Microbial ecology}, volume = {79}, number = {4}, pages = {1011-1020}, doi = {10.1007/s00248-019-01469-6}, pmid = {31820073}, issn = {1432-184X}, mesh = {Animals ; Insect Proteins/analysis ; Larva/genetics/growth &amp; development/microbiology ; Moths/genetics/growth &amp; development/*microbiology ; Phenotype ; Sex Factors ; Sex Ratio ; Symbiosis ; Taiwan ; Wolbachia/genetics/*physiology ; }, abstract = {Wolbachia are inherited intracellular bacteria that cause male-specific death in some arthropods, called male-killing. To date, three Wolbachia strains have been identified in the oriental tea tortrix Homona magnanima (Tortricidae, Lepidoptera); however, none of these caused male-killing in the Japanese population. Here, we describe a male-killing Wolbachia strain in Taiwanese H. magnanima. From field-collected H. magnanima, two female-biased host lines were established, and antibiotic treatments revealed Wolbachia (wHm-t) as the causative agent of male-killing. The wsp and MLST genes in wHm-t are identical to corresponding genes in the nonmale-killing strain wHm-c from the Japanese population, implying a close relationship of the two strains. Crossing the Japanese and Taiwanese H. magnanima revealed that Wolbachia genotype rather than the host genetic background was responsible for the presence of the male-killing phenotype. Quantitative PCR analyses revealed that the density of wHm-t was higher than that of other Wolbachia strains in H. magnanima, including wHm-c. The densities of wHm-t were also heterogeneous between host lines. Notably, wHm-t in the low-density and high-density lines carried identical wsp and MLST genes but had distinct lethal patterns. Furthermore, over 90% of field-collected lines of H. magnanima in Taiwan were infected with wHm-t, although not all host lines harboring wHm-t showed male-killing. The host lines that showed male-killing harbored a high density of Wolbachia compared to the host lines that did not show male-killing. Thus, the differences in the phenotypes appear to be dependent on biological and genetic characteristics of closely related Wolbachia strains.}, }
@article {pmid31811033, year = {2020}, author = {Li, TP and Zhou, CY and Zha, SS and Gong, JT and Xi, Z and Hoffmann, AA and Hong, XY}, title = {Stable Establishment of Cardinium spp. in the Brown Planthopper Nilaparvata lugens despite Decreased Host Fitness.}, journal = {Applied and environmental microbiology}, volume = {86}, number = {4}, pages = {}, pmid = {31811033}, issn = {1098-5336}, mesh = {Animals ; Cytophagaceae/*physiology ; Female ; Genetic Fitness ; Hemiptera/growth &amp; development/*microbiology ; Male ; Nymph/growth &amp; development/microbiology ; *Symbiosis ; }, abstract = {The brown planthopper Nilaparvata lugens (Hemiptera) is a major pest of rice crops in Asia. Artificial transinfections of Wolbachia have recently been used for reducing host impacts, but transinfections have not yet been undertaken with another important endosymbiont, Cardinium This endosymbiont can manipulate the reproduction of hosts through phenotypes such as cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI), which is strong in the related white-backed planthopper, Sogatella furcifera (Hemiptera). Here, we stably infected N. lugens with Cardinium from S. furcifera and showed that it exhibits perfect maternal transmission in N. lugens The density of Cardinium varied across developmental stages and tissues of the transinfected host. Cardinium did not induce strong CI in N. lugens, likely due to its low density in testicles. The infection did decrease fecundity and hatching rate in the transinfected host, but a decrease in fecundity was not apparent when transinfected females mated with Wolbachia-infected males. The experiments show the feasibility of transferring Cardinium endosymbionts across hosts, but the deleterious effects of Cardinium on N. lugens limit its potential to spread in wild populations of N. lugens in the absence of strong CI.IMPORTANCE In this study we established a Cardinium-infected N. lugens line that possessed complete maternal transmission. Cardinium had a widespread distribution in tissues of N. lugens, and this infection decreased the fecundity and hatching rate of the host. Our findings emphasize the feasibility of transinfection of Cardinium in insects, which expands the range of endosymbionts that could be manipulated for pest control.}, }
@article {pmid31805300, year = {2020}, author = {Liu, Y and Fan, ZY and An, X and Shi, PQ and Ahmed, MZ and Qiu, BL}, title = {A single-pair method to screen Rickettsia-infected and uninfected whitefly Bemisia tabaci populations.}, journal = {Journal of microbiological methods}, volume = {168}, number = {}, pages = {105797}, doi = {10.1016/j.mimet.2019.105797}, pmid = {31805300}, issn = {1872-8359}, mesh = {Animals ; Female ; Hemiptera/*microbiology/physiology ; Male ; Microbiological Techniques/*methods ; *Phylogeny ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S/genetics ; Rickettsia/*genetics/physiology ; Symbiosis/*genetics ; }, abstract = {Bacterial endosymbionts such as Rickettsia and Wolbachia play prominent roles in the development and behaviour of their insect hosts, such as whiteflies, aphids, psyllids and mealybugs. Accumulating studies have emphasized the importance of establishing experimental insect populations that are either lacking or bearing certain species of endosymbionts, because they are the basis in which to reveal the biological role of individual symbionts. In this study, using Rickettsia as an example, we explored a &quot;single-pair screening&quot; method to establish Rickettsia infected and uninfected populations of whitefly Bemisia tabaci MEAM1 for further experimental use. The original host population had a relatively low infection rate of Rickettsia (< 35%). When B. tabaci adults newly emerged, unmated males and females were randomly selected, and released into a leaf cage that covered a healthy plant leaf in order to oviposit F1 generation eggs. Following 6 days of oviposition, the parents were recaptured and used for PCR detection. The F1 progeny, for which parents were either Rickettsia positive or negative, were used to produce the F2 generation, and similarly in turn for the F3, F4 and F5 generations respectively; if the infection status of Rickettsia was consistent in the F1 to F5 generations, then the populations can be used as Rickettsia positive or negative lines for further experiments. In addition, our phylogenetic analyses revealed that Rickettsia has high fidelity during the maternal transmission in different generations.}, }
@article {pmid31801631, year = {2019}, author = {Wanji, S and Nji, TM and Hamill, L and Dean, L and Ozano, K and Njouendou, AJ and Abong, RA and Obie, ED and Amuam, A and Ekanya, R and Ndongmo, WPC and Ndzeshang, BL and Fung, EG and Nnamdi, DB and Nkimbeng, DA and Teghen, S and Kah, E and Piotrowski, H and Forrer, A and Khan, JAM and Woode, ME and Niessen, L and Watson, V and Njoumemi, Z and Murdoch, ME and Thomson, R and Theobald, S and Enyong, P and Turner, JD and Taylor, MJ}, title = {Implementation of test-and-treat with doxycycline and temephos ground larviciding as alternative strategies for accelerating onchocerciasis elimination in an area of loiasis co-endemicity: the COUNTDOWN consortium multi-disciplinary study protocol.}, journal = {Parasites &amp; vectors}, volume = {12}, number = {1}, pages = {574}, pmid = {31801631}, issn = {1756-3305}, mesh = {Animals ; Anthelmintics/*therapeutic use ; Cameroon ; Disease Eradication/*methods/organization &amp; administration ; Doxycycline/*therapeutic use ; Feasibility Studies ; Health Plan Implementation ; Humans ; *Insecticides ; Ivermectin/therapeutic use ; Loiasis/epidemiology ; Onchocerca/drug effects ; Onchocerciasis/diagnosis/*drug therapy/prevention &amp; control ; Patient Acceptance of Health Care ; Prevalence ; Public Health/methods ; Simuliidae/*parasitology ; *Temefos ; World Health Organization ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Onchocerciasis is a priority neglected tropical disease targeted for elimination by 2025. The standard strategy to combat onchocerciasis is annual Community-Directed Treatment with ivermectin (CDTi). Yet, high prevalence rates and transmission persist following > 12 rounds in South-West Cameroon. Challenges include programme coverage, adherence to, and acceptability of ivermectin in an area of Loa loa co-endemicity. Loiasis patients harbouring heavy infections are at risk of potentially fatal serious adverse events following CDTi. Alternative strategies are therefore needed to achieve onchocerciasis elimination where CDTi effectiveness is suboptimal.<br><br>METHODS/DESIGN: We designed an implementation study to evaluate integrating World Health Organisation-endorsed alternative strategies for the elimination of onchocerciasis, namely test-and-treat with the macrofilaricide, doxycycline (TTd), and ground larviciding for suppression of blackfly vectors with the organophosphate temephos. A community-based controlled before-after intervention study will be conducted among > 2000 participants in 20 intervention (Meme River Basin) and 10 control (Indian River Basin) communities. The primary outcome measure is O. volvulus prevalence at follow-up 18-months post-treatment. The study involves four inter-disciplinary components: parasitology, entomology, applied social sciences and health economics. Onchocerciasis skin infection will be diagnosed by skin biopsy and Loa loa infection will be diagnosed by parasitological examination of finger-prick blood samples. A simultaneous clinical skin disease assessment will be made. Eligible skin-snip-positive individuals will be offered directly-observed treatment for 5 weeks with 100 mg/day doxycycline. Transmission assessments of onchocerciasis in the communities will be collected post-human landing catch of the local biting blackfly vector prior to ground larviciding with temephos every week (0.3 l/m3) until biting rate falls below 5/person/day. Qualitative research, including in-depth interviews and focus-group discussions will be used to assess acceptability and feasibility of the implemented alternative strategies among intervention recipients and providers. Health economics will assess the cost-effectiveness of the implemented interventions.<br><br>CONCLUSIONS: Using a multidisciplinary approach, we aim to assess the effectiveness of TTd, alone or in combination with ground larviciding, following a single intervention round and scrutinise the acceptability and feasibility of implementing at scale in similar hotspots of onchocerciasis infection, to accelerate onchocerciasis elimination.}, }
@article {pmid31799614, year = {2020}, author = {Staunton, KM and Rohde, BB and Townsend, M and Liu, J and Desnoyer, M and Howell, P and Amos, B and Crawford, J and Snoad, N and Ritchie, SA}, title = {Investigating Male Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae) Attraction to Different Oviposition Containers Using Various Configurations of the Sound Gravid Aedes Trap.}, journal = {Journal of medical entomology}, volume = {57}, number = {3}, pages = {957-961}, doi = {10.1093/jme/tjz229}, pmid = {31799614}, issn = {1938-2928}, mesh = {Aedes/*physiology ; Animals ; *Chemotaxis ; Male ; *Mosquito Control ; *Odorants ; Queensland ; }, abstract = {Aedes aegypti (Linnaeus), the primary vectors of the arboviruses dengue virus and Zika virus, continue to expand their global distributions. In efforts to better control such species, several mosquito control programs are investigating the efficacy of rearing and releasing millions of altered male Aedes throughout landscapes to reduce populations and disease transmission risk. Unfortunately, little is known about Ae. aegypti, especially male, dispersal behaviors within urban habitats. We deployed Sound-producing Gravid Aedes Traps (SGATs) in Cairns, northern Australia, to investigate male Ae. aegypti attraction to various oviposition container configurations. The traps were arranged to include: 1) water only, 2) organically infused water, 3) infused water and L3 larvae, 4) infused water and a human-scented lure, and lastly 5) no water or olfactory attractant (dry). Our data suggest that males were more attracted to SGATs representing active larval sites than potential larval sites, but were equally attracted to dry SGATs relative to those containing water and/or infusion. Additionally, we found that female Ae. aegypti were equally attracted to wet SGATs, with or without infusion, but not dry ones. These results suggest that male Ae. aegypti within northern Australia are more attracted to active larval sites and equally attracted to dry containers as wet or infused ones. Additionally, female Ae. aegypti are unlikely to enter dry containers. Such findings contribute to our understanding of potentially attractive features for local and released Ae. aegypti throughout the northern Australian urban landscape.}, }
@article {pmid31797888, year = {2019}, author = {Devescovi, F and Conte, CA and Augustinos, A and Martinez, EIC and Segura, DF and Caceres, C and Lanzavecchia, SB and Bourtzis, K}, title = {Symbionts do not affect the mating incompatibility between the Brazilian-1 and Peruvian morphotypes of the Anastrepha fraterculus cryptic species complex.}, journal = {Scientific reports}, volume = {9}, number = {1}, pages = {18319}, pmid = {31797888}, issn = {2045-2322}, mesh = {Animals ; Embryonic Development ; Female ; Genetic Speciation ; Male ; Reproduction ; *Reproductive Isolation ; *Symbiosis ; *Tephritidae/microbiology/physiology ; Wolbachia/*physiology ; }, abstract = {The South American fruit fly, Anastrepha fraterculus, is clearly undergoing a speciation process. Among others, two of their morphotypes, the Brazilian-1 and Peruvian, have accumulated differences in pre- and post-zygotic mechanisms resulting in a degree of reproductive isolation. Both harbor a different strain of Wolbachia, which is a widespread endosymbiotic bacterium among many invertebrates producing a range of reproductive effects. In this paper, we studied the role of this bacterium as one of the factors involved in such isolation process. Infected and cured laboratory colonies were used to test pre- and post-zygotic effects, with special emphasis in uni- and bi-directional cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI). We showed that Wolbachia is the only known reproductive symbiont present in these morphotypes. Wolbachia reduced the ability for embryonic development in crosses involving cured females and infected males within each morphotype (uni-directional CI). This inhibition showed to be more effective in the Peruvian morphotype. Bi-directional CI was not evidenced, suggesting the presence of compatible Wolbachia strains. We conclude that Wolbachia is not directly involved in the speciation process of these morphotypes. Other mechanisms rather than CI should be explored in order to explain the reduced mating compatibility between the Brazilian-1 and Peruvian morphotypes.}, }
@article {pmid31796568, year = {2019}, author = {Chung, M and Teigen, LE and Libro, S and Bromley, RE and Olley, D and Kumar, N and Sadzewicz, L and Tallon, LJ and Mahurkar, A and Foster, JM and Michalski, ML and Dunning Hotopp, JC}, title = {Drug Repurposing of Bromodomain Inhibitors as Potential Novel Therapeutic Leads for Lymphatic Filariasis Guided by Multispecies Transcriptomics.}, journal = {mSystems}, volume = {4}, number = {6}, pages = {}, pmid = {31796568}, issn = {2379-5077}, support = {U19 AI110820/AI/NIAID NIH HHS/United States ; }, abstract = {To better understand the transcriptomic interplay of organisms associated with lymphatic filariasis, we conducted multispecies transcriptome sequencing (RNA-Seq) on the filarial nematode Brugia malayi, its Wolbachia endosymbiont wBm, and its laboratory vector Aedes aegypti across the entire B. malayi life cycle. In wBm, transcription of the noncoding 6S RNA suggests that it may be a regulator of bacterial cell growth, as its transcript levels correlate with bacterial replication rates. For A. aegypti, the transcriptional response reflects the stress that B. malayi infection exerts on the mosquito with indicators of increased energy demand. In B. malayi, expression modules associated with adult female samples consistently contained an overrepresentation of genes involved in chromatin remodeling, such as the bromodomain-containing proteins. All bromodomain-containing proteins encoded by B. malayi were observed to be upregulated in the adult female, embryo, and microfilaria life stages, including 2 members of the bromodomain and extraterminal (BET) protein family. The BET inhibitor JQ1(+), originally developed as a cancer therapeutic, caused lethality of adult worms in vitro, suggesting that it may be a potential therapeutic that can be repurposed for treating lymphatic filariasis.IMPORTANCE The current treatment regimen for lymphatic filariasis is mostly microfilaricidal. In an effort to identify new drug candidates for lymphatic filariasis, we conducted a three-way transcriptomics/systems biology study of one of the causative agents of lymphatic filariasis, Brugia malayi, its Wolbachia endosymbiont wBm, and its vector host Aedes aegypti at 16 distinct B. malayi life stages. B. malayi upregulates the expression of bromodomain-containing proteins in the adult female, embryo, and microfilaria stages. In vitro, we find that the existing cancer therapeutic JQ1(+), which is a bromodomain and extraterminal protein inhibitor, has adulticidal activity in B. malayi.}, }
@article {pmid31793429, year = {2019}, author = {Fontes-Sousa, AP and Silvestre-Ferreira, AC and Carretón, E and Esteves-Guimarães, J and Maia-Rocha, C and Oliveira, P and Lobo, L and Morchón, R and Araújo, F and Simón, F and Montoya-Alonso, JA}, title = {Exposure of humans to the zoonotic nematode Dirofilaria immitis in Northern Portugal.}, journal = {Epidemiology and infection}, volume = {147}, number = {}, pages = {e282}, pmid = {31793429}, issn = {1469-4409}, mesh = {Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Animals ; Antibodies, Bacterial ; Antibodies, Helminth/*blood ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Dirofilaria immitis/*immunology ; Dirofilariasis/*epidemiology ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Portugal/epidemiology ; Seroepidemiologic Studies ; Wolbachia/immunology ; Young Adult ; Zoonoses/*epidemiology ; }, abstract = {Dirofilariosis caused by Dirofilaria immitis (heartworm) is a zoonosis, considered an endemic disease of dogs and cats in several countries of Western Europe, including Portugal. This study assesses the levels of D. immitis exposure in humans from Northern Portugal, to which end, 668 inhabitants of several districts belonging to two different climate areas (Csa: Bragança, Vila Real and Csb: Aveiro, Braga, Porto, Viseu) were tested for anti-D. immitis and anti-Wolbachia surface proteins (WSP) antibodies. The overall prevalence of seropositivity to both anti-D. immitis and WSP antibodies was 6.1%, which demonstrated the risk of infection with D. immitis in humans living in Northern Portugal. This study, carried out in a Western European country, contributes to the characterisation of the risk of infection with D. immitis among human population in this region of the continent. From a One Health point of view, the results of the current work also support the close relationship between dogs and people as a risk factor for human infection.}, }
@article {pmid31792331, year = {2019}, author = {Zhou, JC and Li, YY and Liu, QQ and Ning, SF and Che, WN and Cong, B and Dong, H}, title = {Effects of temperature and superparasitism on quality and characteristics of thelytokous Wolbachia-infected Trichogramma dendrolimi Matsumura (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae) during mass rearing.}, journal = {Scientific reports}, volume = {9}, number = {1}, pages = {18114}, pmid = {31792331}, issn = {2045-2322}, mesh = {Animals ; Female ; Fertility ; Genetic Fitness ; Host-Parasite Interactions/*physiology ; Hymenoptera/*growth &amp; development/*microbiology ; Lepidoptera/parasitology ; Male ; Ovum/parasitology ; Parthenogenesis ; Pest Control, Biological/methods ; Temperature ; Wolbachia/*physiology ; }, abstract = {Thelytokous Wolbachia-infected Trichogramma spp. are widely used egg parasitoids against lepidopteran pests in biological control programs. Wolbachia may manipulate host wasps for superparasitism and is sensitive to temperature. To explore effects of temperature and superparasitism, we compared fitness parameters and Wolbachia-mediated phenotype of thelytokous Wolbachia-infected Trichogramma dendrolimi between those emerging from superparasitised or single-parasitised hosts at 17, 21, 25, or 29 °C. Infected mothers of T. dendrolimi showed reduced superparasitism and parasitism increased with temperature. Wolbachia titre decreased with temperature when females emerged from singly-parasitised hosts, but there was no correlation in superparasitised hosts. Females showed higher Wolbachia titres at 21, 25, or 29 °C when developing from superparasitised hosts. The daily male ratio of offspring increased with temperature, and the day-age threshold for 5%, 50%, or 95% daily male ratio decreased with temperature in both parasitism forms. Females that emerged from superparasitised hosts had a shorter life span and reduced fecundity. These results indicate that Wolbachia may affect host behaviour by increasing superparasitism to enhance its spread, but this has negative effects on thelytokous Wolbachia-infected T. dendrolimi.}, }
@article {pmid31786246, year = {2020}, author = {Hotterbeekx, A and Raimon, S and Abd-Elfarag, G and Carter, JY and Sebit, W and Suliman, A and Siewe Fodjo, JN and De Witte, P and Logora, MY and Colebunders, R and Kumar-Singh, S}, title = {Onchocerca volvulus is not detected in the cerebrospinal fluid of persons with onchocerciasis-associated epilepsy.}, journal = {International journal of infectious diseases : IJID : official publication of the International Society for Infectious Diseases}, volume = {91}, number = {}, pages = {119-123}, pmid = {31786246}, issn = {1878-3511}, mesh = {Adult ; Animals ; DNA, Helminth/cerebrospinal fluid ; Epilepsy/*parasitology ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Microfilariae/isolation &amp; purification ; Onchocerca volvulus/genetics/growth &amp; development/*isolation &amp; purification ; Onchocerciasis/cerebrospinal fluid/*complications/parasitology ; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Skin/parasitology ; Zebrafish ; }, abstract = {OBJECTIVES: Epidemiological evidence links onchocerciasis with the development of epilepsy. The aim of this study was to detect Onchocerca volvulus microfilariae or its bacterial endosymbiont, Wolbachia, in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of persons with onchocerciasis-associated epilepsy (OAE).<br><br>METHODS: Thirteen persons with OAE and O. volvulus skin snip densities of >80 microfilariae were recruited in Maridi County (South Sudan) and their CSF obtained. Cytospin centrifuged preparations of CSF were examined by light microscopy for the presence of O. volvulus microfilariae. DNA was extracted from CSF to detect O. volvulus (O-150 repeat) by quantitative real-time PCR, and Wolbachia (FtsZ gene) by standard PCR. To further investigate whether CSF from onchocerciasis-infected participants could induce seizures, 3- and 7-day old zebrafish larvae were injected with the CSF intracardially and intraperitoneally, respectively. For other zebrafish larvae, CSF was added directly to the larval medium.<br><br>RESULTS: No microfilariae, parasite DNA, or Wolbachia DNA were detected in any of the CSF samples by light microscopy or PCR. All zebrafish survived the procedures and none developed seizures.<br><br>CONCLUSIONS: The absence of O. volvulus in the CSF suggests that OAE is likely not caused by direct parasite invasion into the central nervous system, but by another phenomenon triggered by O. volvulus infection.}, }
@article {pmid31785205, year = {2020}, author = {Ullah, MS and Kamimura, T and Gotoh, T}, title = {Effects of Temperature on Demographic Parameters of Bryobia praetiosa (Acari: Tetranychidae).}, journal = {Journal of economic entomology}, volume = {113}, number = {1}, pages = {211-221}, doi = {10.1093/jee/toz294}, pmid = {31785205}, issn = {1938-291X}, mesh = {Animals ; Female ; Fertility ; Oviposition ; Reproduction ; Temperature ; *Tetranychidae ; }, abstract = {The clover mite, Bryobia praetiosa Koch (Acari: Tetranychidae), is an agricultural pest, as well as a frequent invader of hospitals and homes. However, its adaptability to different temperatures is not well understood. We used age- and stage-specific life tables to investigate the effects of temperature on demographic parameters of B. praetiosa from 15 to 35°C under a long-day photoperiod (16:8 [L:D] h). The clover mite is a thelytokous species (consisting of only females) due to its infection with the symbiotic bacterium Wolbachia. The egg-to-adult development time of female B. praetiosa decreased as the temperature increased from 15 to 32.5°C. At 35°C, females laid eggs, but no eggs hatched. The lower thermal threshold (t0) and the thermal constant (K) for egg-to-adult females were 8.7°C and 274.1 degree-days, respectively. The intrinsic optimum temperature (TØ) was 22.4°C. The oviposition period decreased with increasing temperature. Fecundity was highest at 20°C and extremely low at 30°C. The net reproductive rate (R0) decreased as the temperature increased from 15 to 30°C, but no significant difference was observed between 15 and 20°C. The intrinsic rate of natural increase (r) varied from 0.0721/d at 15°C to 0.1679/d at 25°C, and then decreased to 0.1203/d at 30°C. These results should be useful in developing management strategies for B. praetiosa.}, }
@article {pmid31780680, year = {2019}, author = {Vivero, RJ and Villegas-Plazas, M and Cadavid-Restrepo, GE and Herrera, CXM and Uribe, SI and Junca, H}, title = {Wild specimens of sand fly phlebotomine Lutzomyia evansi, vector of leishmaniasis, show high abundance of Methylobacterium and natural carriage of Wolbachia and Cardinium types in the midgut microbiome.}, journal = {Scientific reports}, volume = {9}, number = {1}, pages = {17746}, pmid = {31780680}, issn = {2045-2322}, mesh = {Animals ; Bacteroidetes/genetics/*isolation &amp; purification ; Female ; Gastrointestinal Microbiome ; Humans ; Insect Vectors/*microbiology ; Leishmaniasis/*transmission ; Male ; Methylobacterium/genetics/*isolation &amp; purification ; Psychodidae/*microbiology ; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S/genetics ; Wolbachia/genetics/*isolation &amp; purification ; }, abstract = {Phlebotomine sand flies are remarkable vectors of several etiologic agents (virus, bacterial, trypanosomatid Leishmania), posing a heavy health burden for human populations mainly located at developing countries. Their intestinal microbiota is involved in a wide range of biological and physiological processes, and could exclude or facilitate such transmission of pathogens. In this study, we investigated the Eubacterial microbiome from digestive tracts of Lu. evansi adults structure using 16S rRNA gene sequence amplicon high throughput sequencing (Illumina MiSeq) obtained from digestive tracts of Lu. evansi adults. The samples were collected at two locations with high incidence of the disease in humans: peri-urban and forest ecosystems from the department of Sucre, Colombia. 289,068 quality-filtered reads of V4 region of 16S rRNA gene were obtained and clustered into 1,762 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) with 97% similarity. Regarding eubacterial diversity, 14 bacterial phyla and 2 new candidate phyla were found to be consistently associated with the gut microbiome content. Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, and Bacteroidetes were the most abundant phyla in all the samples and the core microbiome was particularly dominated by Methylobacterium genus. Methylobacterium species, are known to have mutualistic relationships with some plants and are involved in shaping the microbial community in the phyllosphere. As a remarkable feature, OTUs classified as Wolbachia spp. were found abundant on peri-urban ecosystem samples, in adult male (OTUs n = 776) and unfed female (OTUs n = 324). Furthermore, our results provide evidence of OTUs classified as Cardinium endosymbiont in relative abundance, notably higher with respect to Wolbachia. The variation in insect gut microbiota may be determined by the environment as also for the type of feeding. Our findings increase the richness of the microbiota associated with Lu. evansi. In this study, OTUs of Methylobacterium found in Lu. evansi was higher in engorged females, suggesting that there are interactions between microbes from plant sources, blood nutrients and the parasites they transmit during the blood intake.}, }
@article {pmid31780533, year = {2019}, author = {Servick, K}, title = {Bacteria-armed mosquitoes make dent in dengue.}, journal = {Science (New York, N.Y.)}, volume = {366}, number = {6469}, pages = {1056}, doi = {10.1126/science.366.6469.1056}, pmid = {31780533}, issn = {1095-9203}, mesh = {Aedes/*microbiology ; Animals ; Dengue/*prevention &amp; control ; *Dengue Virus ; *Wolbachia ; }, }
@article {pmid31775631, year = {2019}, author = {Stouthamer, CM and Kelly, SE and Mann, E and Schmitz-Esser, S and Hunter, MS}, title = {Development of a multi-locus sequence typing system helps reveal the evolution of Cardinium hertigii, a reproductive manipulator symbiont of insects.}, journal = {BMC microbiology}, volume = {19}, number = {1}, pages = {266}, pmid = {31775631}, issn = {1471-2180}, mesh = {Animals ; Bacterial Typing Techniques/methods ; Bacteroidetes/*classification ; DNA, Ribosomal/genetics ; *Evolution, Molecular ; Insecta/*microbiology/physiology ; Multilocus Sequence Typing/*methods ; Phenotype ; Phylogeny ; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S/genetics ; Reproduction ; Sequence Analysis, DNA ; *Symbiosis ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Cardinium is an intracellular bacterial symbiont in the phylum Bacteroidetes that is found in many different species of arthropods and some nematodes. This symbiont is known to be able to induce three reproductive manipulation phenotypes, including cytoplasmic incompatibility. Placing individual strains of Cardinium within a larger evolutionary context has been challenging because only two, relatively slowly evolving genes, 16S rRNA gene and Gyrase B, have been used to generate phylogenetic trees, and consequently, the relationship of different strains has been elucidated in only its roughest form.<br><br>RESULTS: We developed a Multi Locus Sequence Typing (MLST) system that provides researchers with three new genes in addition to Gyrase B for inferring phylogenies and delineating Cardinium strains. From our Cardinium phylogeny, we confirmed the presence of a new group D, a Cardinium clade that resides in the arachnid order harvestmen (Opiliones). Many Cardinium clades appear to display a high degree of host affinity, while some show evidence of host shifts to phylogenetically distant hosts, likely associated with ecological opportunity. Like the unrelated reproductive manipulator Wolbachia, the Cardinium phylogeny also shows no clear phylogenetic signal associated with particular reproductive manipulations.<br><br>CONCLUSIONS: The Cardinium phylogeny shows evidence of diversification within particular host lineages, and also of host shifts among trophic levels within parasitoid-host communities. Like Wolbachia, the relatedness of Cardinium strains does not necessarily predict their reproductive phenotypes. Lastly, the genetic tools proposed in this study may help future authors to characterize new strains and add to our understanding of Cardinium evolution.}, }
@article {pmid31774393, year = {2019}, author = {Beckmann, JF and Sharma, GD and Mendez, L and Chen, H and Hochstrasser, M}, title = {The Wolbachia cytoplasmic incompatibility enzyme CidB targets nuclear import and protamine-histone exchange factors.}, journal = {eLife}, volume = {8}, number = {}, pages = {}, pmid = {31774393}, issn = {2050-084X}, support = {R01 GM053756/GM/NIGMS NIH HHS/United States ; GM046904/GF/NIH HHS/United States ; 1015922//USDA/International ; R01 GM046904/GM/NIGMS NIH HHS/United States ; SEED Grant//Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station/International ; GM053756/GF/NIH HHS/United States ; }, mesh = {Active Transport, Cell Nucleus ; Animals ; Animals, Genetically Modified ; Centromere Protein A/genetics/*metabolism ; Crosses, Genetic ; Cytoplasm/*metabolism ; Drosophila Proteins/genetics/*metabolism ; Drosophila melanogaster/genetics/metabolism/microbiology ; Escherichia coli/metabolism ; Female ; Gene Expression Regulation ; Histones/*metabolism ; Karyopherins/genetics/metabolism ; Male ; Protamines/*metabolism ; Recombinant Proteins ; Reproduction ; Saccharomyces cerevisiae/metabolism ; Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins/genetics/metabolism ; Wolbachia/*metabolism ; alpha Karyopherins/isolation &amp; purification/metabolism ; }, abstract = {Intracellular Wolbachia bacteria manipulate arthropod reproduction to promote their own inheritance. The most prevalent mechanism, cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI), traces to a Wolbachia deubiquitylase, CidB, and CidA. CidB has properties of a toxin, while CidA binds CidB and rescues embryonic viability. CidB is also toxic to yeast where we identified both host effects and high-copy suppressors of toxicity. The strongest suppressor was karyopherin-α, a nuclear-import receptor; this required nuclear localization-signal binding. A protein-interaction screen of Drosophila extracts using a substrate-trapping catalytic mutant, CidB*, also identified karyopherin-α; the P32 protamine-histone exchange factor bound as well. When CidB* bound CidA, these host protein interactions disappeared. These associations would place CidB at the zygotic male pronucleus where CI defects first manifest. Overexpression of karyopherin-α, P32, or CidA in female flies suppressed CI. We propose that CidB targets nuclear-protein import and protamine-histone exchange and that CidA rescues embryos by restricting CidB access to its targets.}, }
@article {pmid31769394, year = {2020}, author = {Lau, MJ and Endersby-Harshman, NM and Axford, JK and Ritchie, SA and Hoffmann, AA and Ross, PA}, title = {Measuring the Host-Seeking Ability of Aedes aegypti Destined for Field Release.}, journal = {The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene}, volume = {102}, number = {1}, pages = {223-231}, pmid = {31769394}, issn = {1476-1645}, support = {108508/WT_/Wellcome Trust/United Kingdom ; }, mesh = {Aedes/*microbiology/*physiology ; Animals ; Feeding Behavior/*physiology ; Female ; Mosquito Control/methods ; Pest Control, Biological/methods ; Wolbachia ; }, abstract = {Host seeking is an essential process in mosquito reproduction. Field releases of modified mosquitoes for population replacement rely on successful host seeking by female mosquitoes, but host-seeking ability is rarely tested in a realistic context. We tested the host-seeking ability of female Aedes aegypti mosquitoes using a semi-field system. Females with different Wolbachia infection types (wMel-, wAlbB-infected, and uninfected) or from different origins (laboratory and field) were released at one end of a semi-field cage and recaptured as they landed on human experimenters 15 m away. Mosquitoes from each population were then identified with molecular tools or through minimal dusting with fluorescent powder. Wolbachia-infected and uninfected populations had similar average durations to landing and overall recapture proportions, as did laboratory and field-sourced Ae. aegypti. These results indicate that the host-seeking ability of mosquitoes is not negatively affected by Wolbachia infection or long-term laboratory maintenance. This method provides an approach to study the host-seeking ability of mosquitoes in a realistic setting, which will be useful when evaluating strains of mosquitoes that are planned for releases into the field to suppress arbovirus transmission.}, }
@article {pmid31767943, year = {2020}, author = {Ju, JF and Bing, XL and Zhao, DS and Guo, Y and Xi, Z and Hoffmann, AA and Zhang, KJ and Huang, HJ and Gong, JT and Zhang, X and Hong, XY}, title = {Wolbachia supplement biotin and riboflavin to enhance reproduction in planthoppers.}, journal = {The ISME journal}, volume = {14}, number = {3}, pages = {676-687}, pmid = {31767943}, issn = {1751-7370}, mesh = {Animals ; Biotin/*metabolism ; Fertility ; Genomics ; Hemiptera/*microbiology/*physiology ; Reproduction ; Riboflavin/*metabolism ; Symbiosis ; Vitamin B Complex/metabolism ; Wolbachia/genetics/*metabolism ; }, abstract = {Symbiont-mediated nutritional mutualisms can contribute to the host fitness of insects, especially for those that feed exclusively on nutritionally unbalanced diets. Here, we elucidate the importance of B group vitamins in the association of endosymbiotic bacteria Wolbachia with two plant-sap feeding insects, the small brown planthopper, Laodelphax striatellus (Fallén), and the brown planthopper, Nilaparvata lugens (Stål). Infected planthoppers of both species laid more eggs than uninfected planthoppers, while the experimental transfer of Wolbachia into uninfected lines of one planthopper species rescued this fecundity deficit. The genomic analysis showed that Wolbachia strains from the two planthopper species encoded complete biosynthesis operons for biotin and riboflavin, while a metabolic analysis revealed that Wolbachia-infected planthoppers of both species had higher titers of biotin and riboflavin. Furthermore, experimental supplementation of food with a mixture of biotin and riboflavin recovered the fecundity deficit of Wolbachia-uninfected planthoppers. In addition, comparative genomic analysis suggested that the riboflavin synthesis genes are conserved among Wolbachia supergroups. Biotin operons are rare in Wolbachia, and those described share a recent ancestor that may have been horizontally transferred from Cardinium bacteria. Our research demonstrates a type of mutualism that involves a facultative interaction between Wolbachia and plant-sap feeding insects involving vitamin Bs.}, }
@article {pmid31767914, year = {2019}, author = {Liu, QQ and Zhou, JC and Zhang, C and Ning, SF and Duan, LJ and Dong, H}, title = {Co-occurrence of thelytokous and bisexual Trichogramma dendrolimi Matsumura (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae) in a natural population.}, journal = {Scientific reports}, volume = {9}, number = {1}, pages = {17480}, pmid = {31767914}, issn = {2045-2322}, mesh = {Animals ; Behavior, Animal ; Bisexuality ; DNA, Bacterial/genetics ; DNA, Intergenic/genetics ; Electron Transport Complex IV/genetics ; Female ; Genetic Introgression ; Insect Proteins/genetics ; Male ; Phylogeny ; Wasps/*classification/microbiology/*physiology ; Wolbachia/*genetics ; }, abstract = {Trichogramma dendrolimi is one of the most successful biocontrol agents in China. However, an inundative condition is necessary to obtain acceptable parasitism effect. A good solution to this is the application of its thelytokous counterparts which unfortunately are scarce in field. We here report the first case of a natural T. dendrolimi population in China comprising both bisexual wasps and an extremely low proportion of thelytokous wasps. These two forms of T. dendrolimi are phylogenetically related based on the reconstructions of ITS-2 and COI genes. Also, the phylogenetic results suggested a potentially Wolbachia-drived ITS-2 variation. The expression of thelytoky was hardly affected by temperature, which might help control Asian corn borer and Dendrolimus punctatus. Wolbachia are responsible for current thelytoky according to phylogenetic analyses, antibiotic treatment and introgression experiment. We also present the third case of paternal sex ratio chromosome that restrains the expansion of Wolbachia. Moreover, the low frequency of thelytoky may be common in natural populations. Consequently if for biological control it is determined that a thelytokous strain is to be preferred, then large number of field collected females should be set up as isofemale lines, to detect the rare thelytoky.}, }
@article {pmid31763192, year = {2019}, author = {Lucchetti, C and Genchi, M and Venco, L and Bazzocchi, C and Kramer, LH and Vismarra, A}, title = {Optimized protocol for DNA/RNA co-extraction from adults of Dirofilaria immitis.}, journal = {MethodsX}, volume = {6}, number = {}, pages = {2601-2605}, pmid = {31763192}, issn = {2215-0161}, abstract = {Dirofilaria immitis, the etiologic agent of canine heartworm disease, like several other filarial nematodes, harbors the bacterial endosymbiont Wolbachia. To investigate metabolic and functional pathways of D. immitis and Wolbachia individually, along with their interactions, the use of both transcriptomic and genome analysis has becoming increasingly popular. Although several commercial kits are available for the single extraction of either DNA or RNA, no specific protocol has been described for simultaneous extraction of DNA and RNA from such a large organism like an adult D. immitis, where female worms generally reach ∼25 cm in length. More importantly, adult worms of D. immitis can only be obtained either through necropsy of experimentally infected dogs or by minimally-invasive surgical heartworm removal of naturally infected dogs. This makes each individual worm sample extremely important. Thus, in the context of a project aimed at the evaluation of both gene expression analysis and Wolbachia population assessment following different treatments, an optimized protocol for co-extraction of DNA and RNA from a single sample of adult D. immitis has been developed. •An optimized method for DNA/RNA co-extraction from large size nematodes using TRIzol® reagent.•Allows maximum exploitation of unique samples as adults of D. immitis.}, }
@article {pmid31761702, year = {2019}, author = {Nazni, WA and Hoffmann, AA and NoorAfizah, A and Cheong, YL and Mancini, MV and Golding, N and Kamarul, GMR and Arif, MAK and Thohir, H and NurSyamimi, H and ZatilAqmar, MZ and NurRuqqayah, M and NorSyazwani, A and Faiz, A and Irfan, FMN and Rubaaini, S and Nuradila, N and Nizam, NMN and Irwan, SM and Endersby-Harshman, NM and White, VL and Ant, TH and Herd, CS and Hasnor, AH and AbuBakar, R and Hapsah, DM and Khadijah, K and Kamilan, D and Lee, SC and Paid, YM and Fadzilah, K and Topek, O and Gill, BS and Lee, HL and Sinkins, SP}, title = {Establishment of Wolbachia Strain wAlbB in Malaysian Populations of Aedes aegypti for Dengue Control.}, journal = {Current biology : CB}, volume = {29}, number = {24}, pages = {4241-4248.e5}, pmid = {31761702}, issn = {1879-0445}, support = {108508/WT_/Wellcome Trust/United Kingdom ; 202888/WT_/Wellcome Trust/United Kingdom ; }, mesh = {Aedes/genetics/metabolism/*microbiology ; Animals ; Dengue/*prevention &amp; control ; Dengue Virus/metabolism/pathogenicity ; Female ; Humans ; Insect Vectors ; Malaysia ; Male ; Mosquito Vectors ; Pest Control, Biological/*methods ; Wolbachia/genetics/*metabolism ; }, abstract = {Dengue has enormous health impacts globally. A novel approach to decrease dengue incidence involves the introduction of Wolbachia endosymbionts that block dengue virus transmission into populations of the primary vector mosquito, Aedes aegypti. The wMel Wolbachia strain has previously been trialed in open releases of Ae. aegypti; however, the wAlbB strain has been shown to maintain higher density than wMel at high larval rearing temperatures. Releases of Ae. aegypti mosquitoes carrying wAlbB were carried out in 6 diverse sites in greater Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, with high endemic dengue transmission. The strain was successfully established and maintained at very high population frequency at some sites or persisted with additional releases following fluctuations at other sites. Based on passive case monitoring, reduced human dengue incidence was observed in the release sites when compared to control sites. The wAlbB strain of Wolbachia provides a promising option as a tool for dengue control, particularly in very hot climates.}, }
@article {pmid31750894, year = {2019}, author = {López-Madrigal, S and Duarte, EH}, title = {Titer regulation in arthropod-Wolbachia symbioses.}, journal = {FEMS microbiology letters}, volume = {366}, number = {23}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1093/femsle/fnz232}, pmid = {31750894}, issn = {1574-6968}, mesh = {Animals ; Arthropods/*microbiology ; Bacterial Load ; Environment ; Symbiosis/*physiology ; Wolbachia/*physiology ; }, abstract = {Symbiosis between intracellular bacteria (endosymbionts) and animals are widespread. The alphaproteobacterium Wolbachia pipientis is known to maintain a variety of symbiotic associations, ranging from mutualism to parasitism, with a wide range of invertebrates. Wolbachia infection might deeply affect host fitness (e.g. reproductive manipulation and antiviral protection), which is thought to explain its high prevalence in nature. Bacterial loads significantly influence both the infection dynamics and the extent of bacteria-induced host phenotypes. Hence, fine regulation of bacterial titers is considered as a milestone in host-endosymbiont interplay. Here, we review both environmental and biological factors modulating Wolbachia titers in arthropods.}, }
@article {pmid31747432, year = {2019}, author = {Jasper, ME and Yang, Q and Ross, PA and Endersby-Harshman, N and Bell, N and Hoffmann, AA}, title = {A LAMP assay for the rapid and robust assessment of Wolbachia infection in Aedes aegypti under field and laboratory conditions.}, journal = {PloS one}, volume = {14}, number = {11}, pages = {e0225321}, pmid = {31747432}, issn = {1932-6203}, support = {/WT_/Wellcome Trust/United Kingdom ; 108508/WT_/Wellcome Trust/United Kingdom ; }, mesh = {Aedes/*microbiology ; Animals ; DNA, Bacterial/chemistry/genetics ; Nucleic Acid Amplification Techniques/*methods/standards ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Wolbachia/*genetics/pathogenicity ; }, abstract = {With Wolbachia-based arbovirus control programs being scaled and operationalised around the world, cost effective and reliable detection of Wolbachia in field samples and laboratory stocks is essential for quality control. Here we validate a modified loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay for routine scoring of Wolbachia in mosquitoes from laboratory cultures and the field, applicable to any setting. We show that this assay is a rapid and robust method for highly sensitive and specific detection of wAlbB Wolbachia infection within Aedes aegypti under a variety of conditions. We test the quantitative nature of the assay by evaluating pooled mixtures of Wolbachia-infected and uninfected mosquitoes and show that it is capable of estimating infection frequencies, potentially circumventing the need to perform large-scale individual analysis for wAlbB infection status in the course of field monitoring. These results indicate that LAMP assays are useful for routine screening particularly under field conditions away from laboratory facilities.}, }
@article {pmid31736900, year = {2019}, author = {Zhao, C and Zhao, H and Zhang, S and Luo, J and Zhu, X and Wang, L and Zhao, P and Hua, H and Cui, J}, title = {The Developmental Stage Symbionts of the Pea Aphid-Feeding Chrysoperla sinica (Tjeder).}, journal = {Frontiers in microbiology}, volume = {10}, number = {}, pages = {2454}, pmid = {31736900}, issn = {1664-302X}, abstract = {Chrysoperla sinica (Tjeder) is widely recognized as an important holometabolous natural enemy of various insect pests in different cropping systems and as a non-target surrogate in environmental risk assessment of Bt rice (i.e., genetically modified rice to express a toxin gene from Bacillus thuringiensis). Like other complex organisms, abundant microbes live inside C. sinica; however, to date, microbiome composition and diversity of the whole life cycle in C. sinica has not yet been well characterized. In the current study, we analyze the composition and biodiversity of microbiota across the whole life cycle of C. sinica by using high-throughput Illumina sequencing of the 16S ribosomal RNA gene. Collectively, Proteobacteria and Firmicutes dominated the microenvironment at all stages, but their relative abundances fluctuated by host developmental stage. Interestingly, eggs, neonates, and adults shared similar microbes, including an abundance of Rickettsia and Wolbachia. After larva feeding, Staphylococcus, Enterobacteriaceae, and Serratia were enriched in larvae and pupa, suggesting that food may serve as a major factor contributing to altered microbial community divergence at different developmental stages. Our findings demonstrated that C. sinica harbor a variety of bacteria, and that dynamic changes in community composition and relative abundances of members of its microbiome occur during different life cycle stages. Evaluating the role of these bacterial symbionts in this natural enemy may assist in developing environmental risk assessments and novel biological control strategies.}, }
@article {pmid31726321, year = {2020}, author = {Ote, M and Yamamoto, D}, title = {Impact of Wolbachia infection on Drosophila female germline stem cells.}, journal = {Current opinion in insect science}, volume = {37}, number = {}, pages = {8-15}, doi = {10.1016/j.cois.2019.10.001}, pmid = {31726321}, issn = {2214-5753}, mesh = {Animals ; Bacterial Proteins/metabolism ; Drosophila Proteins/metabolism ; Drosophila melanogaster/genetics/*microbiology ; Female ; Oogonial Stem Cells/metabolism/*microbiology ; RNA/metabolism ; Symbiosis ; Wolbachia/*physiology ; }, abstract = {Wolbachia pipientis, one of the most dominant insect-symbiotic bacteria, highjacks the female germline of insects for its own propagation across host generations. Such strict dependence on female gametes in trans-generational propagation has driven Wolbachia to devise ingenious strategies to enhance female fertility. In Drosophila melanogaster females with female-sterile mutant alleles of the master sex-determining gene Sex-lethal (Sxl), Wolbachia colonizing female germline stem cells (GSCs) support the maintenance of GSCs, thereby rescuing the defective ovarian development. In the germ cell cytoplasm, Wolbachia are often found in proximity to ribonucleoprotein-complex processing bodies (P bodies), where the Wolbachia-derived protein TomO interacts with RNAs encoding Nanos and Orb proteins, which support the GSC maintenance and oocyte polarization, respectively. Thus, manipulation of host RNA is the key to successful vertical transmission of Wolbachia.}, }
@article {pmid31723729, year = {2019}, author = {, }, title = {The World Health Organization 2030 goals for onchocerciasis: Insights and perspectives from mathematical modelling: NTD Modelling Consortium Onchocerciasis Group.}, journal = {Gates open research}, volume = {3}, number = {}, pages = {1545}, pmid = {31723729}, issn = {2572-4754}, abstract = {The World Health Organization (WHO) has embarked on a consultation process to refine the 2030 goals for priority neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), onchocerciasis among them. Current goals include elimination of transmission (EOT) by 2020 in Latin America, Yemen and selected African countries. The new goals propose that, by 2030, EOT be verified in 10 countries; mass drug administration (MDA) with ivermectin be stopped in at least one focus in 34 countries; and that the proportion of the population no longer in need of MDA be equal or greater than 25%, 50%, 75% and 100% in at least 16, 14, 12, and 10 countries, respectively. The NTD Modelling Consortium onchocerciasis teams have used EPIONCHO and ONCHOSIM to provide modelling insights into these goals. EOT appears feasible in low-moderate endemic areas with long-term MDA at high coverage (≥75%), but uncertain in areas of higher endemicity, poor coverage and adherence, and where MDA has not yet, or only recently, started. Countries will have different proportions of their endemic areas classified according to these categories, and this distribution of pre-intervention prevalence and MDA duration and programmatic success will determine the feasibility of achieving the proposed MDA cessation goals. Highly endemic areas would benefit from switching to biannual or quarterly MDA and implementing vector control where possible (determining optimal frequency and duration of anti-vectorial interventions requires more research). Areas without loiasis that have not yet initiated MDA should implement biannual (preferably with moxidectin) or quarterly MDA from the start. Areas with loiasis not previously treated would benefit from implementing test-and(not)-treat-based interventions, vector control, and anti- Wolbachia therapies, but their success will depend on the levels of screening and coverage achieved and sustained. The diagnostic performance of IgG4 Ov16 serology for assessing EOT is currently uncertain. Verification of EOT requires novel diagnostics at the individual- and population-levels.}, }
@article {pmid31715700, year = {2019}, author = {Yin, X and Zhao, S and Yan, B and Tian, Y and Ba, T and Zhang, J and Wang, Y}, title = {Bartonella rochalimae, B. grahamii, B. elizabethae, and Wolbachia spp. in Fleas from Wild Rodents near the China-Kazakhstan Border.}, journal = {The Korean journal of parasitology}, volume = {57}, number = {5}, pages = {553-559}, pmid = {31715700}, issn = {1738-0006}, support = {2016IK264//General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine/ ; 81560338//National Natural Science Foundation of China/ ; 2018ZX10101002-007//National Key Research and Development Program of China/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; Animals, Wild/microbiology ; Bartonella/classification/genetics/*isolation &amp; purification ; Bartonella Infections/microbiology/*veterinary ; China ; Genotype ; Kazakhstan ; Phylogeny ; Rodent Diseases/*microbiology ; Rodentia/classification/*microbiology ; Siphonaptera/classification/*microbiology ; Wolbachia/classification/genetics/*isolation &amp; purification ; }, abstract = {The Alataw Pass, near the Ebinur Lake Wetland (northwest of China) and Taldykorgan (east of Kazakhstan), is a natural habitat for wild rodents. To date, little has been done on the surveillance of Bartonella spp. and Wolbachia spp. from fleas in the region. Here we molecularly detected Bartonella spp. and Wolbachia spp. in wild rodent fleas during January and October of 2016 along the Alataw Pass-Kazakhstan border. A total of 1,706 fleas belonging to 10 species were collected from 6 rodent species. Among the 10 flea species, 4 were found to be positive for Wolbachia, and 5 flea species were positive for Bartonella. Molecular analysis indicated that i) B. rochalimae was firstly identified in Xenopsylla gerbilli minax and X. conforms conforms, ii) B. grahamii was firstly identified in X. gerbilli minax, and iii) B. elizabethae was firstly detected in Coptopsylla lamellifer ardua, Paradoxopsyllus repandus, and Nosopsyllus laeviceps laeviceps. Additionally, 3 Wolbachia endosymbionts were firstly found in X. gerbilli minax, X. conforms conforms, P. repandus, and N. laeviceps laeviceps. BLASTn analysis indicated 3 Bartonella species showed genotypic variation. Phylogenetic analysis revealed 3 Wolbachia endosymbionts were clustered into the non-Siphonaptera Wolbachia group. These findings extend our knowledge of the geographical distribution and carriers of B. rochalimae, B. grahamii, B. elizabethae, and Wolbachia spp. In the future, there is a need for China-Kazakhstan cooperation to strengthen the surveillance of flea-borne pathogens in wildlife.}, }
@article {pmid31709323, year = {2019}, author = {Adekunle, AI and Meehan, MT and McBryde, ES}, title = {Mathematical analysis of a Wolbachia invasive model with imperfect maternal transmission and loss of Wolbachia infection.}, journal = {Infectious Disease Modelling}, volume = {4}, number = {}, pages = {265-285}, pmid = {31709323}, issn = {2468-0427}, abstract = {Arboviral infections, especially dengue, continue to cause significant health burden in their endemic regions. One of the strategies to tackle these infections is to replace the main vector agent, Ae. aegypti, with the ones incapable of transmitting the virus. Wolbachia, an intracellular bacterium, has shown promise in achieving this goal. However, key factors such as imperfect maternal transmission, loss of Wolbachia infection, reduced reproductive capacity and shortened life-span affect the dynamics of Wolbachia in different forms in the Ae. aegypti population. In this study, we developed a Wolbachia transmission dynamic model adjusting for imperfect maternal transmission and loss of Wolbachia infection. The invasive reproductive number that determines the likelihood of replacement of the Wolbachia-uninfected (WU) population is derived and with it, we established the local and global stability of the equilibrium points. This analysis clearly shows that cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI) does not guarantee establishment of the Wolbachia-infected (WI) mosquitoes as imperfect maternal transmission and loss of Wolbachia infection could outweigh the gains from CI. Optimal release programs depending on the level of imperfect maternal transmission and loss of Wolbachia infection are shown. Hence, it is left to decision makers to either aim for replacement or co-existence of both populations.}, }
@article {pmid31699757, year = {2019}, author = {Basting, PJ and Bergman, CM}, title = {Complete Genome Assemblies for Three Variants of the Wolbachia Endosymbiont of Drosophila melanogaster.}, journal = {Microbiology resource announcements}, volume = {8}, number = {45}, pages = {}, pmid = {31699757}, issn = {2576-098X}, abstract = {Here, we report genome assemblies for three strains of Wolbachia pipientis, assembled from unenriched, unfiltered long-read shotgun sequencing data of geographically distinct strains of Drosophila melanogaster Our simple methodology can be applied to long-read data sets of other Wolbachia-infected species with limited Wolbachia-host lateral gene transfers to produce complete assemblies for this important model symbiont.}, }
@article {pmid31698562, year = {2019}, author = {Almeida, L and Duprez, MG and Privat, Y and Vauchelet, N}, title = {Mosquito population control strategies for fighting against arboviruses.}, journal = {Mathematical biosciences and engineering : MBE}, volume = {16}, number = {6}, pages = {6274-6297}, doi = {10.3934/mbe.2019313}, pmid = {31698562}, issn = {1551-0018}, mesh = {Aedes ; Algorithms ; Animals ; Arbovirus Infections/*prevention &amp; control/therapy ; Arboviruses ; Computer Simulation ; Culicidae/microbiology/virology ; Female ; Life Cycle Stages ; Male ; Models, Statistical ; Mosquito Control/*methods ; Mosquito Vectors/microbiology/*virology ; Pest Control, Biological/*methods ; Population Dynamics ; Probability ; Wolbachia ; }, abstract = {In the fight against vector-borne arboviruses, an important strategy of control of epidemic consists in controlling the population of the vector, Aedes mosquitoes in this case. Among possible actions, two techniques consist either in releasing sterile mosquitoes to reduce the size of the population (Sterile Insect Technique) or in replacing the wild population by one carrying a bacteria, called Wolbachia, blocking the transmission of viruses from insects to humans. This article addresses the issue of optimizing the dissemination protocol for each of these strategies, in order to get as close as possible to these objectives. Starting from a mathematical model describing population dynamics, we study the control problem and introduce the cost function standing for population replacement and sterile insect technique. Then, we establish some properties of the optimal control and illustrate them with numerical simulations.}, }
@article {pmid31698114, year = {2020}, author = {Karut, K and Castle, SJ and Karut, ŞT and Karaca, MM}, title = {Secondary endosymbiont diversity of Bemisia tabaci and its parasitoids.}, journal = {Infection, genetics and evolution : journal of molecular epidemiology and evolutionary genetics in infectious diseases}, volume = {78}, number = {}, pages = {104104}, doi = {10.1016/j.meegid.2019.104104}, pmid = {31698114}, issn = {1567-7257}, mesh = {Animals ; Arizona ; Bacteria/*classification/genetics/isolation &amp; purification ; Gammaproteobacteria/genetics/isolation &amp; purification ; Genotyping Techniques/*methods ; Hemiptera/*classification/genetics/*microbiology ; Mediterranean Region ; Phylogeography ; Rickettsia/genetics/isolation &amp; purification ; Species Specificity ; Symbiosis ; Turkey ; Wolbachia/genetics/isolation &amp; purification ; }, abstract = {Cotton whitefly, Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) is one of the most important insect pests worldwide. It is known as a species complex consisting of at least 40 cryptic species. Although there are substantial data regarding species composition, parasitoids and endosymbionts of B. tabaci, data on relationship between the pest, parasitoids and endosymbionts are very restricted. Therefore, in this study, secondary endosymbionts in populations of B. tabaci and their parasitoids collected from Turkey and the USA were determined by PCR-based DNA analysis. Whitefly populations in Turkey represented both Mediterranean (MED) and Middle East-Asia Minor1 (MEAM1) genotypes from single or mixed populations of both genotypes. Arsenophonus, Rickettsia and Wolbachia were found in MED, while Hamiltonella and Rickettsia in MEAM1. Whitefly populations collected from Arizona were all MEAM1 and dually infected with Hamiltonella and Rickettsia. The aphelinid parasitoids Encarsia lutea and Eretmocerus mundus predominated in all Turkish populations. While almost all En. lutea populations were infected with Wolbachia, no endosymbionts were detected in any Er. mundus. Parasitoid species and the pattern of secondary endosymbiont infection in Arizona populations were different with Rickettsia detected only from Encarsia sophia while both Rickettsia and Wolbachia were found in Eretmocerus species. As a result, four secondary endosymbionts, namely, Rickettsia, Hamiltonella, Arsenophonus and Wolbachia, were detected from B.tabaci and its parasitoids. Among them only Wolbachia and Rickettsia were found in both the pest and parasitoids. It is conclude that further studies should be pursued to determine effect of these endosymbionts on biology of the parasitoids and success in biological control of B. tabaci.}, }
@article {pmid31690673, year = {2019}, author = {Layton, EM and On, J and Perlmutter, JI and Bordenstein, SR and Shropshire, JD}, title = {Paternal Grandmother Age Affects the Strength of Wolbachia-Induced Cytoplasmic Incompatibility in Drosophila melanogaster.}, journal = {mBio}, volume = {10}, number = {6}, pages = {}, pmid = {31690673}, issn = {2150-7511}, support = {R21 HD086833/HD/NICHD NIH HHS/United States ; P30 DK058404/DK/NIDDK NIH HHS/United States ; R21 AI133522/AI/NIAID NIH HHS/United States ; F31 AI143152/AI/NIAID NIH HHS/United States ; R01 AI132581/AI/NIAID NIH HHS/United States ; }, mesh = {Animals ; Cytoplasm/*genetics/*microbiology ; Drosophila melanogaster/*genetics/*microbiology ; Female ; Grandparents ; Male ; Reproduction/genetics ; Wolbachia/*genetics ; }, abstract = {Wolbachia are obligate intracellular bacteria that are globally distributed in half of all arthropod species. As the most abundant maternally inherited microbe in animals, Wolbachia manipulate host reproduction via reproductive parasitism strategies, including cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI). CI manifests as embryonic death when Wolbachia-modified sperm fertilize uninfected eggs but not maternally infected eggs. Thus, CI can provide a relative fitness advantage to Wolbachia-infected females and drive the infection through a population. In the genetic model Drosophila melanogaster, the Wolbachia strain wMel induces variable CI, making mechanistic studies in D. melanogaster cumbersome. Here, we demonstrate that sons of older paternal D. melanogaster grandmothers induce stronger CI than sons of younger paternal grandmothers, and we term this relationship the &quot;paternal grandmother age effect&quot; (PGAE). Moreover, the embryos and adult sons of older D. melanogaster grandmothers have higher Wolbachia densities, correlating with their ability to induce stronger CI. In addition, we report that Wolbachia density positively correlates with female age and decreases after mating, suggesting that females transmit Wolbachia loads that are proportional to their own titers. These findings reveal a transgenerational impact of age on wMel-induced CI, elucidate Wolbachia density dynamics in D. melanogaster, and provide a methodological advance to studies aimed at understanding wMel-induced CI in the D. melanogaster model.IMPORTANCE Unidirectional cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI) results in a postfertilization incompatibility between Wolbachia-infected males and uninfected females. CI contributes to reproductive isolation between closely related species and is used in worldwide vector control programs to drastically lower arboviral vector population sizes or to replace populations that transmit arboviruses with those resistant to transmission. Despite decades of research on the factors that influence CI, penetrance is often variable under controlled laboratory conditions in various arthropods, suggesting that additional variables influence CI strength. Here, we demonstrate that paternal D. melanogaster grandmother age influences the strength of CI induced by their sons. Older D. melanogaster females have higher Wolbachia densities and produce offspring with higher Wolbachia densities that associate with stronger CI. This work reveals a multigenerational impact of age on CI and expands our understanding of host-Wolbachia interactions and the biology of CI induced by the Wolbachia strain infecting the most widely used arthropod model, D. melanogaster.}, }
@article {pmid31683719, year = {2019}, author = {Liang, Y and Hong, Y and Mai, Z and Zhu, Q and Guo, L}, title = {Internal and External Microbial Community of the Thitarodes Moth, the Host of Ophiocordyceps sinensis.}, journal = {Microorganisms}, volume = {7}, number = {11}, pages = {}, pmid = {31683719}, issn = {2076-2607}, support = {No. 2018A030313094//Natural Science Foundation of Guangdong Province/ ; No. 20185071521641//Social Science and Technology Development Project of Dongguan/ ; No. 81303155//National Natural Science Foundation of China/ ; No. 2018GkQNCX050//Project for Young Innovative Talents in Ordinary Higher University of Guangdong Province/ ; }, abstract = {Ophiocordyceps sinensis is a widely known medicinal entomogenous fungus, which parasitizes the soil-borne larva of Thitarodes (Hepialidae, Lepidoptera) distributed in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau and its adjacent areas. Previous research has involved artificial cultivation of Chinese cordyceps (the fungus-caterpillar complex), but it is difficult to achieve large-scale cultivation because the coupling relation between the crucial microbes and their hosts is not quite clear. To clarify the influence of the internal microbial community on the occurrence of Chinese cordyceps, in this study, the unfertilized eggs of Thitarodes of different sampling sites were chosen to analyze the bacterial and fungal communities via 16S rRNA and ITS sequencing for the first time. The results showed that for bacteria, 348 genera (dominant genera include Wolbachia, Spiroplasma, Carnobacterium, Sphingobium, and Acinetobacter) belonging to 26 phyla (dominant phyla include Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, Tenericutes, Actinobacteria, Acidobacteria, and Bacteroidetes), 58 classes, 84 orders, and 120 families were identified from 1294 operational taxonomic units (OTUs). The dominant bacterial genus (Spiroplasma) may be an important bacterial factor promoting the occurrence of Chinese cordyceps. For fungi, 289 genera, mainly including Aureobasidium, Candida, and Cryptococcus, were identified, and they belonged to 5 phyla (Ascomycota, Basidiomycota, Chytridiomycota, Glomeromycota, and Zygomycota), 26 classes, 82 orders, and 165 families. Eight bacterial OTUs and 12 fungal OTUs were shared among all of the detected samples and were considered as core species. Among them, Wolbachia, Spiroplasma, Carnobacterium, Aureobasidium, and Phoma may play important roles in helping the host larva to digest foods, adapt to extreme environments, or resist pathogens. On the other hand, the external (soil) microbial community was synchronously and comparatively analyzed. Comparative analysis revealed that external microbial factors might play a more significant role in the occurrence of Chinese cordyceps, owing to the significant differences revealed by α-diversity and β-diversity analyses among different groups. In summary, the results of this study may contribute to the large-scale cultivation of Chinese cordyceps.}, }
@article {pmid31665056, year = {2019}, author = {Kieran, TJ and Arnold, KMH and Thomas, JC and Varian, CP and Saldaña, A and Calzada, JE and Glenn, TC and Gottdenker, NL}, title = {Regional biogeography of microbiota composition in the Chagas disease vector Rhodnius pallescens.}, journal = {Parasites &amp; vectors}, volume = {12}, number = {1}, pages = {504}, pmid = {31665056}, issn = {1756-3305}, support = {DGE-1545433//National Science Foundation/ ; COL11-043//Secretaría Nacional de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación/ ; }, mesh = {Actinobacteria/classification/genetics ; Analysis of Variance ; Animals ; Bacteria/*classification/genetics ; Bacteroidetes/classification/genetics ; Biodiversity ; Chagas Disease/*transmission ; DNA Barcoding, Taxonomic ; Ecosystem ; Firmicutes/classification/genetics ; Gene Library ; Humans ; Insect Vectors/*microbiology/physiology ; *Microbiota ; Panama ; Phylogeography ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Proteobacteria/classification/genetics ; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S/chemistry ; Rhodnius/*microbiology/physiology ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Triatomine bugs are vectors of the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, which causes Chagas disease. Rhodnius pallescens is a major vector of Chagas disease in Panama. Understanding the microbial ecology of disease vectors is important in the development of vector management strategies that target vector survival and fitness. In this study we examined the whole-body microbial composition of R. pallescens from three locations in Panama.<br><br>METHODS: We collected 89 R. pallescens specimens using Noireau traps in Attalea butyracea palms. We then extracted total DNA from whole-bodies of specimens and amplified bacterial microbiota using 16S rRNA metabarcoding PCR. The 16S libraries were sequenced on an Illumina MiSeq and analyzed using QIIME2 software.<br><br>RESULTS: We found Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes to be the most abundant bacterial phyla across all samples. Geographical location showed the largest difference in microbial composition with northern Veraguas Province having the most diversity and Panama Oeste Province localities being most similar to each other. Wolbachia was detected in high abundance (48-72%) at Panama Oeste area localities with a complete absence of detection in Veraguas Province. No significant differences in microbial composition were detected between triatomine age class, primary blood meal source, or T. cruzi infection status.<br><br>CONCLUSIONS: We found biogeographical regions differ in microbial composition among R. pallescens populations in Panama. While overall the microbiota has bacterial taxa consistent with previous studies in triatomine microbial ecology, locality differences are an important observation for future studies. Geographical heterogeneity in microbiomes of vectors is an important consideration for future developments that leverage microbiomes for disease control.}, }
@article {pmid31662085, year = {2019}, author = {Martinez, J and Bruner-Montero, G and Arunkumar, R and Smith, SCL and Day, JP and Longdon, B and Jiggins, FM}, title = {Virus evolution in Wolbachia-infected Drosophila.}, journal = {Proceedings. Biological sciences}, volume = {286}, number = {1914}, pages = {20192117}, pmid = {31662085}, issn = {1471-2954}, support = {094664//Wellcome Trust/United Kingdom ; 281668//European Research Council/International ; }, mesh = {Aedes ; Animals ; Culicidae ; Drosophila/*microbiology/physiology ; *Symbiosis ; Virus Diseases ; *Viruses ; Wolbachia/*physiology ; }, abstract = {Wolbachia, a common vertically transmitted symbiont, can protect insects against viral infection and prevent mosquitoes from transmitting viral pathogens. For this reason, Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes are being released to prevent the transmission of dengue and other arboviruses. An important question for the long-term success of these programmes is whether viruses can evolve to escape the antiviral effects of Wolbachia. We have found that Wolbachia altered the outcome of competition between strains of the DCV virus in Drosophila. However, Wolbachia still effectively blocked the virus genotypes that were favoured in the presence of the symbiont. We conclude that Wolbachia did cause an evolutionary response in viruses, but this has little or no impact on the effectiveness of virus blocking.}, }
@article {pmid31659008, year = {2020}, author = {Newton, ILG and Rice, DW}, title = {The Jekyll and Hyde Symbiont: Could Wolbachia Be a Nutritional Mutualist?.}, journal = {Journal of bacteriology}, volume = {202}, number = {4}, pages = {}, pmid = {31659008}, issn = {1098-5530}, mesh = {Adenosine Triphosphate/metabolism ; Biological Transport ; Genome, Bacterial ; Heme/metabolism ; Nutritional Physiological Phenomena ; Symbiosis/*physiology ; Wolbachia/genetics/*physiology ; }, abstract = {The most common intracellular symbiont on the planet-Wolbachia pipientis-is infamous largely for the reproductive manipulations induced in its host. However, more recent evidence suggests that this bacterium may also serve as a nutritional mutualist in certain host backgrounds and for certain metabolites. We performed a large-scale analysis of conserved gene content across all sequenced Wolbachia genomes to infer potential nutrients made by these symbionts. We review and critically evaluate the prior research supporting a beneficial role for Wolbachia and suggest future experiments to test hypotheses of metabolic provisioning.}, }
@article {pmid31658265, year = {2019}, author = {Kittayapong, P and Ninphanomchai, S and Limohpasmanee, W and Chansang, C and Chansang, U and Mongkalangoon, P}, title = {Combined sterile insect technique and incompatible insect technique: The first proof-of-concept to suppress Aedes aegypti vector populations in semi-rural settings in Thailand.}, journal = {PLoS neglected tropical diseases}, volume = {13}, number = {10}, pages = {e0007771}, pmid = {31658265}, issn = {1935-2735}, mesh = {Aedes/microbiology/*physiology/radiation effects ; Animals ; Entomology/*methods ; Female ; Humans ; Infertility, Male ; Male ; Mosquito Control/*methods ; Mosquito Vectors/microbiology/*physiology/radiation effects ; Population Dynamics ; *Rural Population ; Sex Characteristics ; Thailand ; Wolbachia/genetics/physiology ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Important arboviral diseases, such as dengue, chikungunya, and Zika virus infections, are transmitted mainly by the Aedes aegypti vector. So far, controlling this vector species with current tools and strategies has not demonstrated sustainable and significant impacts. Our main objective was to evaluate whether open field release of sterile males, produced from combining the sterile insect technique using radiation with the insect incompatible technique through Wolbachia-induced incompatibility (SIT/IIT), could suppress natural populations of Ae. aegypti in semi-rural village settings in Thailand.<br><br>Irradiated Wolbachia-infected Aedes aegypti males produced by the SIT/IIT approach were completely sterile and were able to compete with the wild fertile ones. Open field release of these sterile males was conducted in an ecologically isolated village in Chachoengsao Province, eastern Thailand. House-to-house visit and media reports resulted in community acceptance and public awareness of the technology. During intervention, approximately 100-200 sterile males were released weekly in each household. After 6 months of sterile male release, a significant reduction (p<0.05) of the mean egg hatch rate (84%) and the mean number of females per household (97.30%) was achieved in the treatment areas when compared to the control ones.<br><br>CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Our study represents the first open field release of sterile Ae. aegypti males developed from a combined SIT/IIT approach. Entomological assessment using ovitraps, adult sticky traps, and portable vacuum aspirators confirmed the success in reducing natural populations of Ae. aegypti females in treated areas. Public awareness through media resulted in positive support for practical use of this strategy in wider areas. Further study using a systematic randomized trial is needed to determine whether this approach could have a significant impact on the diseases transmitted by Ae. aegypti vector.}, }
@article {pmid31649084, year = {2019}, author = {Gasser, MT and Chung, M and Bromley, RE and Nadendla, S and Dunning Hotopp, JC}, title = {Complete Genome Sequence of wAna, the Wolbachia Endosymbiont of Drosophila ananassae.}, journal = {Microbiology resource announcements}, volume = {8}, number = {43}, pages = {}, pmid = {31649084}, issn = {2576-098X}, support = {R01 CA206188/CA/NCI NIH HHS/United States ; U19 AI110820/AI/NIAID NIH HHS/United States ; }, abstract = {Here, we present the complete genome sequence of the Wolbachia endosymbiont wAna, isolated from Drosophila ananassae and derived from Oxford Nanopore and Illumina sequencing. We anticipate that this will aid in Wolbachia comparative genomics and the assembly of D. ananassae specifically in regions containing extensive lateral gene transfer events.}, }
@article {pmid31647706, year = {2019}, author = {Staunton, KM and Usher, L and Prachar, T and Ritchie, SA and Snoad, N and Johnson, BJ}, title = {A Novel Methodology For Recording Wing Beat Frequencies of Untethered Male and Female Aedes aegypti.}, journal = {Journal of the American Mosquito Control Association}, volume = {35}, number = {3}, pages = {169-177}, doi = {10.2987/18-6799.1}, pmid = {31647706}, issn = {1943-6270}, mesh = {Aedes/*physiology ; Animals ; Entomology/methods ; Female ; Male ; Mosquito Control/*methods ; Mosquito Vectors/*physiology ; Wings, Animal/*physiology ; }, abstract = {Aedes aegypti is a vector of many significant arboviruses worldwide, including dengue, Zika, chikungunya, and yellow fever viruses. With vector control methodology pivoting toward rearing and releasing large numbers of insects for either population suppression or virus-blocking, economical remote (sentinel) surveillance methods for release tracking become increasingly necessary. Recent steps in this direction include advances in optical sensors that identify and classify insects based on their wing beat frequency (WBF). As these traps are being developed, there is a strong need to better understand the environmental and biological factors influencing mosquito WBFs. Here, we developed new untethered-subject methodology to detect changes in WBFs of male and female Ae. aegypti. This new methodology involves directing an ultrasonic transducer at a free-flying subject and measuring the Doppler shift of the reflected ultrasonic continuous wave signal. This system's utility was assessed by determining its ability to confirm previous reports on the effect of temperature, body size, and age on the WBFs generated from acoustic or optical-based experiments. The presented ultrasonic method successfully detected expected trends for each factor for both male and female Ae. aegypti without the need for subject manipulation and potential impediment of natural flight dynamics due to tethering. As a result, this ultrasonic methodology provides a new method for understanding the environmental and physiological determinants of male and female WBFs that can inform the design of remote mosquito surveillance systems.}, }
@article {pmid31644794, year = {2019}, author = {Chen, R and Su, X and Chen, J and Jiang, L and Qiao, GX}, title = {Wolbachia Infection in Two Species: Novel Views on the Colonization Ability of Wolbachia in Aphids.}, journal = {Environmental entomology}, volume = {48}, number = {6}, pages = {1388-1393}, doi = {10.1093/ee/nvz122}, pmid = {31644794}, issn = {1938-2936}, mesh = {Animals ; *Aphids ; China ; Geography ; *Infections ; *Wolbachia ; }, abstract = {Wolbachia pipientis (Rickettsiales: Anaplasmataceae) is an intracellular symbiont residing in arthropods and filarial nematodes. Sixteen supergroups have been described from different host taxa. Four supergroups A, B, M, and N were found in aphids according to prior studies. The cotton aphid, Aphis gossypii, and the green peach aphid, Myzus persicae, are typical polyphagous species with global distributions. We conducted an extensive and systematic survey of Wolbachia infections in these aphids from China. High incidences of Wolbachia infection were detected. The total infection incidence was 60% in A. gossypii and 88% in M. persicae. Both aphid species were infected with supergroups A, B and M. Different incidences of infection were observed among the seven geographical regions in China, which suggested a positive relationship between Wolbachia infections and the geographical distribution of aphid species. Furthermore, multiple infection patterns (M, B, A&amp;M, B&amp;M, and A&amp;B&amp;M) were observed. Infection patterns M and B&amp;M were detected in almost all populations. Patterns A&amp;B&amp;M and B showed geographical restriction in North China. Three factors can possibly influence the Wolbachia infection incidences and patterns: the geographical distribution, aphid species, and different supergroup types.}, }
@article {pmid31641465, year = {2019}, author = {Gómez-Zurita, J}, title = {Assessment of the role of Wolbachia in mtDNA paraphyly and the evolution of unisexuality in Calligrapha (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae).}, journal = {Ecology and evolution}, volume = {9}, number = {19}, pages = {11198-11214}, pmid = {31641465}, issn = {2045-7758}, abstract = {Calligrapha is a New World leaf beetle genus that includes several unisexual species in northeastern North America. Each unisexual species had an independent hybrid origin involving different combinations of bisexual species. However, surprisingly, they all cluster in a single mtDNA clade and with some individuals of their parental species, which are in turn deeply polyphyletic for mtDNA. This pattern is suggestive of a selective sweep which, together with mtDNA taxonomic incongruence and occurrence of unisexuality in Calligrapha, led to hypothesize that Wolbachia might be responsible. I tested this hypothesis studying the correlation between diversity of Wolbachia and well-established mtDNA lineages in >500 specimens of two bisexual species of Calligrapha and their derived unisexual species. Wolbachia appears highly prevalent (83.4%), and fifteen new supergroup-A strains of the bacteria are characterized, belonging to three main classes: wCallA, occupying the whole species ranges, and wCallB and wCallC, narrowly parapatric, infecting beetles with highly divergent mtDNAs where they coexist. Most beetles (71.6%) carried double infections of wCallA with another sequence class. Bayesian inference of ancestral character states and association tests between bacterial diversity and the mtDNA genealogy show that each mtDNA lineage of Calligrapha has specific types of infection. Moreover, shifts can be explained by horizontal or vertical transfer from local populations to an expanding lineage and cytoplasmic incompatibility between wCallB and wCallC types, suggesting that the symbionts hitchhike with the host and are not responsible for selective mtDNA sweeps. Lack of evidence for sweeps and the fact that individuals in the unisexual clade are uninfected or infected by the widespread wCallA type indicate that Wolbachia does not induce unisexuality in Calligrapha, although they may manipulate host reproduction through cytoplasmic incompatibility.}, }
@article {pmid31632650, year = {2019}, author = {König, K and Zundel, P and Krimmer, E and König, C and Pollmann, M and Gottlieb, Y and Steidle, JLM}, title = {Reproductive isolation due to prezygotic isolation and postzygotic cytoplasmic incompatibility in parasitoid wasps.}, journal = {Ecology and evolution}, volume = {9}, number = {18}, pages = {10694-10706}, pmid = {31632650}, issn = {2045-7758}, abstract = {The reproductive barriers that prevent gene flow between closely related species are a major topic in evolutionary research. Insect clades with parasitoid lifestyle are among the most species-rich insects and new species are constantly described, indicating that speciation occurs frequently in this group. However, there are only very few studies on speciation in parasitoids. We studied reproductive barriers in two lineages of Lariophagus distinguendus (Chalcidoidea: Hymenoptera), a parasitoid wasp of pest beetle larvae that occur in human environments. One of the two lineages occurs in households preferably attacking larvae of the drugstore beetle Stegobium paniceum (&quot;DB-lineage&quot;), the other in grain stores with larvae of the granary weevil Sitophilus granarius as main host (&quot;GW-lineage&quot;). Between two populations of the DB-lineage, we identified slight sexual isolation as intraspecific barrier. Between populations from both lineages, we found almost complete sexual isolation caused by female mate choice, and postzygotic isolation, which is partially caused by cytoplasmic incompatibility induced by so far undescribed endosymbionts which are not Wolbachia or Cardinium. Because separation between the two lineages is almost complete, they should be considered as separate species according to the biological species concept. This demonstrates that cryptic species within parasitoid Hymenoptera also occur in Central Europe in close contact to humans.}, }
@article {pmid31631529, year = {2020}, author = {Bi, J and Wang, YF}, title = {The effect of the endosymbiont Wolbachia on the behavior of insect hosts.}, journal = {Insect science}, volume = {27}, number = {5}, pages = {846-858}, pmid = {31631529}, issn = {1744-7917}, support = {31672352//National Natural Science Foundation of China/ ; 2017AHB050//International Cooperation Projects of Science and Technology of Hubei Province, China/ ; 2017AHB050//the International Cooperation Projects of Science and Technology of Hubei Province, China/ ; }, mesh = {Aggression ; Animals ; *Behavior, Animal ; Feeding Behavior ; Insecta/*microbiology/*physiology ; Learning ; Memory ; Sexual Behavior, Animal ; Sleep ; *Symbiosis ; Wolbachia/*physiology ; }, abstract = {As one of the most successful intracellular symbiotic bacteria, Wolbachia can infect many arthropods and nematodes. Wolbachia infection usually affects the reproduction of their hosts to promote their own proliferation and transmission. Currently, most of the studies focus on the mechanisms of Wolbachia interactions with host reproduction. However, in addition to distribution in the reproductive tissues, Wolbachia also infect various somatic tissues of their hosts, including the brain. This raises the potential that Wolbachia may influence some somatic processes, such as behaviors in their hosts. So far, information about the effects of Wolbachia infection on host behavior is still very limited. The present review presents the current literature on different aspects of the influence of Wolbachia on various behaviors, including sleep, learning and memory, mating, feeding and aggression in their insect hosts. We then highlight ongoing scientific efforts in the field that need addressing to advance this field, which can have significant implications for further developing Wolbachia as environmentally friendly biocontrol agents to control insect-borne diseases and agricultural pests.}, }
@article {pmid31622546, year = {2020}, author = {Galis, F and van Alphen, JJM}, title = {Parthenogenesis and developmental constraints.}, journal = {Evolution &amp; development}, volume = {22}, number = {1-2}, pages = {205-217}, doi = {10.1111/ede.12324}, pmid = {31622546}, issn = {1525-142X}, abstract = {The absence of a paternal contribution in an unfertilized ovum presents two developmental constraints against the evolution of parthenogenesis. We discuss the constraint caused by the absence of a centrosome and the one caused by the missing set of chromosomes and how they have been broken in specific taxa. They are examples of only a few well-underpinned examples of developmental constraints acting at macro-evolutionary scales in animals. Breaking of the constraint of the missing chromosomes is the best understood and generally involves rare occasions of drastic changes of meiosis. These drastic changes can be best explained by having been induced, or at least facilitated, by sudden cytological events (e.g., repeated rounds of hybridization, endosymbiont infections, and contagious infections). Once the genetic and developmental machinery is in place for regular or obligate parthenogenesis, shifts to other types of parthenogenesis can apparently rather easily evolve, for example, from facultative to obligate parthenogenesis, or from pseudoarrhenotoky to haplodiploidy. We argue that the combination of the two developmental constraints forms a near-absolute barrier against the gradual evolution from sporadic to obligate or regular facultative parthenogenesis, which can probably explain why the occurrence of the highly advantageous mode of regular facultative parthenogenesis is so rare and entirely absent in vertebrates.}, }
@article {pmid31620116, year = {2019}, author = {Li, F and Hua, H and Ali, A and Hou, M}, title = {Characterization of a Bacterial Symbiont Asaia sp. in the White-Backed Planthopper, Sogatella furcifera, and Its Effects on Host Fitness.}, journal = {Frontiers in microbiology}, volume = {10}, number = {}, pages = {2179}, pmid = {31620116}, issn = {1664-302X}, abstract = {The white-backed planthopper (WBPH), Sogatella furcifera Horváth (Hemiptera: Delphacidae), is an economically significant rice insect pest that harbors a primary fungal yeast-like symbiont (YLS), and some secondary bacterial symbionts like Wolbachia and Cardinium. In the present study, an additional bacterial symbiont in WBPH was characterized. Phylogenetic analysis employing the 16S rRNA gene showed a bacterium closely related to Asaia of Nilaparvata lugens and Nysius expressus, and Asaia krungthepensis. TEM observation of the bacterium showed the typical morphology of Asaia sp. with signature filamentous structures in the nucleoid region. These results indicate that the bacterium belongs to Asaia. The Asaia bacterium was detected in all the tested individual adults and tissues of the laboratory WBPH population but showed varying infection rates (ca 45%) in the field collected WBPH populations. Quantitative PCR analysis revealed that Asaia sp. were significantly more abundant in WBPH females than males, and mainly distributed in the guts, fatty bodies, and salivary glands. Asaia-infected WBPH were of shorter nymphal duration and heavier adult weight than Asaia-free WBPH, while Asaia-free WBPH comparatively fed more, indicating that Asaia plays a role in improving WBPH fitness through involvement in host's nutrient supply.}, }
@article {pmid31617302, year = {2020}, author = {Biwot, JC and Zhang, HB and Liu, C and Qiao, JX and Yu, XQ and Wang, YF}, title = {Wolbachia-induced expression of kenny gene in testes affects male fertility in Drosophila melanogaster.}, journal = {Insect science}, volume = {27}, number = {5}, pages = {869-882}, doi = {10.1111/1744-7917.12730}, pmid = {31617302}, issn = {1744-7917}, support = {31672352//National Natural Science Foundation of China/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; Drosophila Proteins/*genetics/metabolism ; Drosophila melanogaster/genetics/microbiology/*physiology ; Fertility/*genetics ; Gene Expression ; I-kappa B Kinase/*genetics/metabolism ; Male ; Testis/metabolism ; *Up-Regulation ; Wolbachia/*physiology ; }, abstract = {Wolbachia are Gram-negative endosymbionts that are known to cause embryonic lethality when infected male insects mate with uninfected females or with females carrying a different strain of Wolbachia, a situation characterized as cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI). However, the mechanism of CI is not yet fully understood, although recent studies on Drosophila melanogaster have achieved great progress. Here, we found that Wolbachia infection caused changes in the expressions of several immunity-related genes, including significant upregulation of kenny (key), in the testes of D. melanogaster. Overexpression of key in fly testes led to a significant decrease in egg hatch rates when these flies mate with wild-type females. Wolbachia-infected females could rescue this embryonic lethality. Furthermore, in key overexpressing testes terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP-biotin nick-end labeling signal was significantly stronger than in the control testes, and the level of reactive oxygen species was significantly increased. Overexpression of key also resulted in alterations of some other immunity-related gene expressions, including the downregulation of Zn72D. Knockdown of Zn72D in fly testes also led to a significant decrease in egg hatch rates. These results suggest that Wolbachia might induce the defect in male host fertility by immunity-related pathways and thus cause an oxidative damage and cell death in male testes.}, }
@article {pmid31615889, year = {2019}, author = {Chen, H and Ronau, JA and Beckmann, JF and Hochstrasser, M}, title = {A Wolbachia nuclease and its binding partner provide a distinct mechanism for cytoplasmic incompatibility.}, journal = {Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America}, volume = {116}, number = {44}, pages = {22314-22321}, pmid = {31615889}, issn = {1091-6490}, support = {R01 GM046904/GM/NIGMS NIH HHS/United States ; R01 GM053756/GM/NIGMS NIH HHS/United States ; T32 GM007223/GM/NIGMS NIH HHS/United States ; }, mesh = {Animals ; Bacterial Proteins/genetics/*metabolism ; Deoxyribonucleases/genetics/*metabolism ; Drosophila melanogaster/*microbiology/physiology ; *Host-Pathogen Interactions ; Infertility, Male/*microbiology ; Male ; Operon ; Pest Control, Biological ; Protein Binding ; Wolbachia/enzymology/genetics/*pathogenicity ; }, abstract = {Wolbachia are endosymbiotic bacteria that infect nearly half of all arthropod species. This pandemic is due in part to their ability to increase their transmission through the female germline, most commonly by a mechanism called cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI). The Wolbachia cid operon, encoding 2 proteins, CidA and CidB, the latter a deubiquitylating enzyme (DUB), recapitulates CI in transgenic Drosophila melanogaster However, some CI-inducing Wolbachia strains lack a DUB-encoding cid operon; it was therefore proposed that the related cin operon codes for an alternative CI system. Here we show that the Wolbachia cin operon encodes a nuclease, CinB, and a second protein, CinA, that tightly binds CinB. Recombinant CinB has nuclease activity against both single-stranded and double-stranded DNA but not RNA under the conditions tested. Expression of the cin operon in transgenic male flies induces male sterility and embryonic defects typical of CI. Importantly, transgenic CinA can rescue defects in egg-hatch rates when expressed in females. Expression of CinA also rescues CinB-induced growth defects in yeast. CinB has 2 PD-(D/E)xK nuclease domains, and both are required for nuclease activity and for toxicity in yeast and flies. Our data suggest a distinct mechanism for CI involving a nuclease toxin and highlight the central role of toxin-antidote operons in Wolbachia-induced cytoplasmic incompatibility.}, }
@article {pmid31615544, year = {2019}, author = {Ghosh, A and Jasperson, D and Cohnstaedt, LW and Brelsfoard, CL}, title = {Transfection of Culicoides sonorensis biting midge cell lines with Wolbachia pipientis.}, journal = {Parasites &amp; vectors}, volume = {12}, number = {1}, pages = {483}, pmid = {31615544}, issn = {1756-3305}, support = {Start up funds//Texas Tech University/ ; }, mesh = {Aedes/cytology ; Animals ; Biological Control Agents ; Cell Line/microbiology ; Ceratopogonidae/immunology/*microbiology ; Immunity/genetics ; In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence ; Insect Vectors/immunology/*microbiology ; Pest Control, Biological/methods ; Phenotype ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Reproduction ; Transfection/*methods ; Wolbachia/genetics/immunology/*pathogenicity ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Biting midges of the genus Culicoides vector multiple veterinary pathogens and are difficult to control. Endosymbionts particularly Wolbachia pipientis may offer an alternative to control populations of Culicoides and/or impact disease transmission in the form of population suppression or replacement strategies.<br><br>METHODS: Culicoides sonorensis cell lines were transfected with a Wolbachia infection using a modified shell vial technique. Infections were confirmed using PCR and cell localization using fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH). The stability of Wolbachia infections and density was determined by qPCR. qPCR was also used to examine immune genes in the IMD, Toll and JACK/STAT pathways to determine if Wolbachia were associated with an immune response in infected cells.<br><br>RESULTS: Here we have transfected two Culicoides sonorensis cell lines (W3 and W8) with a Wolbachia infection (walbB) from donor Aedes albopictus Aa23 cells. PCR and FISH showed the presence of Wolbachia infections in both C. sonorensis cell lines. Infection densities were higher in the W8 cell lines when compared to W3. In stably infected cells, genes in the immune Toll, IMD and JAK/STAT pathways were upregulated, along with Attacin and an Attacin-like anti-microbial peptides.<br><br>CONCLUSIONS: The successful introduction of Wolbachia infections in C. sonorensis cell lines and the upregulation of immune genes, suggest the utility of using Wolbachia for a population replacement and/or population suppression approach to limit the transmission of C. sonorensis vectored diseases. Results support the further investigation of Wolbachia induced pathogen inhibitory effects in Wolbachia-infected C. sonorensis cell lines and the introduction of Wolbachia into C. sonorensis adults via embryonic microinjection to examine for reproductive phenotypes and host fitness effects of a novel Wolbachia infection.}, }
@article {pmid31608104, year = {2019}, author = {Tseng, SP and Wetterer, JK and Suarez, AV and Lee, CY and Yoshimura, T and Shoemaker, D and Yang, CS}, title = {Genetic Diversity and Wolbachia Infection Patterns in a Globally Distributed Invasive Ant.}, journal = {Frontiers in genetics}, volume = {10}, number = {}, pages = {838}, pmid = {31608104}, issn = {1664-8021}, abstract = {Understanding the phylogeographic history of an invasive species may facilitate reconstructing the history and routes of its invasion. The longhorn crazy ant, Paratrechina longicornis, is a ubiquitous agricultural and household pest throughout much of the tropics and subtropics, but little is known about the history of its spread. Here, we examine worldwide genetic variation in P. longicornis and its associated Wolbachia bacterial symbionts. Analyses of mtDNA sequences of 248 P. longicornis workers (one per colony) from 13 geographic regions reveal two highly diverged mtDNA clades that co-occur in most of the geographic regions. These two mtDNA clades are associated with different Wolbachia infection patterns, but are not congruent with patterns of nDNA (microsatellite) variation. Multilocus sequence typing reveals two distinct Wolbachia strains in P. longicornis, namely, wLonA and wLonF. The evolutionary histories of these two strains differ; wLonA appears to be primarily transmitted maternally, and patterns of mtDNA and nDNA variation and wLonA infection status are consistent with a relatively recent Wolbachia-induced selective sweep. In contrast, the observed patterns of mtDNA variation and wLonF infections suggest frequent horizontal transfer and losses of wLonF infections. The lack of nDNA structure among sampled geographic regions coupled with the finding that numerous mtDNA haplotypes are shared among regions implies that inadvertent long-distance movement through human commerce is common in P. longicornis and has shaped the genetic structure of this invasive ant worldwide.}, }
@article {pmid31603613, year = {2020}, author = {Caputo, B and Moretti, R and Manica, M and Serini, P and Lampazzi, E and Bonanni, M and Fabbri, G and Pichler, V and Della Torre, A and Calvitti, M}, title = {A bacterium against the tiger: preliminary evidence of fertility reduction after release of Aedes albopictus males with manipulated Wolbachia infection in an Italian urban area.}, journal = {Pest management science}, volume = {76}, number = {4}, pages = {1324-1332}, doi = {10.1002/ps.5643}, pmid = {31603613}, issn = {1526-4998}, mesh = {*Aedes ; Animals ; Female ; Fertility ; Italy ; Male ; Mosquito Control ; *Wolbachia ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Novel tools are needed to reduce the nuisance and risk of exotic arbovirus transmission associated with the colonization of temperate regions by Aedes albopictus. The incompatible insect technique (IIT) is a population suppression approach based on cytoplasmic incompatibility between males with manipulated endosymbionts and wild females. Here, we present the results of the first field experiment in Europe to assess the capacity of an Ae. albopictus line (ARwP) deprived of its natural endosymbiont Wolbachia and transinfected with a Wolbachia strain from the mosquito Culex pipiens, to sterilize wild females.<br><br>RESULTS: We released ∼ 4500 ARwP males weekly for 6 weeks in a green area within urban Rome (Italy) and carried out egg (N = 13 442), female (N = 128) and male (N = 352) collections. Egg (N = 13 783) and female (N = 48) collections were also carried out at two untreated control sites. The percentage of viable eggs during release was, on average, significantly lower in treated sites than in control sites, with the greatest difference (16%) seen after the fourth release. The ARwP to wild male ratio in the release spots between day 3 after the first ARwP male release and day 7 after the last release was, on average, 7:10. Released males survived up to 2 weeks. Approximately 30% of females collected in the release spots showed 100% sterility and 20% showed strongly reduced fertility compared with control sites.<br><br>CONCLUSIONS: Results support the potential of IIT as a tool contributing to Ae. albopictus control in the urban context, and stress the need for larger field trials to evaluate the cost-efficacy of the approach in suppressing wild populations. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry.}, }
@article {pmid31600190, year = {2019}, author = {Becking, T and Chebbi, MA and Giraud, I and Moumen, B and Laverré, T and Caubet, Y and Peccoud, J and Gilbert, C and Cordaux, R}, title = {Sex chromosomes control vertical transmission of feminizing Wolbachia symbionts in an isopod.}, journal = {PLoS biology}, volume = {17}, number = {10}, pages = {e3000438}, pmid = {31600190}, issn = {1545-7885}, mesh = {Alleles ; Animals ; Female ; Genotype ; Homozygote ; Isopoda/*genetics/microbiology ; Male ; Models, Genetic ; Quantitative Trait, Heritable ; *Sex Chromosomes ; *Sex Determination Processes ; Sex Ratio ; Symbiosis/*genetics ; Wolbachia/*physiology ; }, abstract = {Microbial endosymbiosis is widespread in animals, with major ecological and evolutionary implications. Successful symbiosis relies on efficient vertical transmission through host generations. However, when symbionts negatively affect host fitness, hosts are expected to evolve suppression of symbiont effects or transmission. Here, we show that sex chromosomes control vertical transmission of feminizing Wolbachia endosymbionts in the isopod Armadillidium nasatum. Theory predicts that the invasion of an XY/XX species by cytoplasmic sex ratio distorters is unlikely because it leads to fixation of the unusual (and often lethal or infertile) YY genotype. We demonstrate that A. nasatum X and Y sex chromosomes are genetically highly similar and that YY individuals are viable and fertile, thereby enabling Wolbachia spread in this XY-XX species. Nevertheless, we show that Wolbachia cannot drive fixation of YY individuals, because infected YY females do not transmit Wolbachia to their offspring, unlike XX and XY females. The genetic basis fits the model of a Y-linked recessive allele (associated with an X-linked dominant allele), in which the homozygous state suppresses Wolbachia transmission. Moreover, production of all-male progenies by infected YY females restores a balanced sex ratio at the host population level. This suggests that blocking of Wolbachia transmission by YY females may have evolved to suppress feminization, thereby offering a whole new perspective on the evolutionary interplay between microbial symbionts and host sex chromosomes.}, }
@article {pmid31599711, year = {2019}, author = {Nainu, F and Trenerry, A and Johnson, KN}, title = {Wolbachia-mediated antiviral protection is cell-autonomous.}, journal = {The Journal of general virology}, volume = {100}, number = {11}, pages = {1587-1592}, doi = {10.1099/jgv.0.001342}, pmid = {31599711}, issn = {1465-2099}, mesh = {Animals ; Cell Line ; Drosophila melanogaster/*microbiology/*virology ; *Host Microbial Interactions ; *Microbial Interactions ; Viruses/*growth &amp; development ; Wolbachia/*growth &amp; development ; }, abstract = {Vector-borne viral diseases pose significant risks to human health. To control the transmission of these viruses, a number of approaches are required. The ability of the intracellular bacteria Wolbachia to limit viral accumulation and transmission in some arthropod hosts, highlights its potential as a biocontrol agent. Whilst Wolbachia can reduce the transmission of several epidemiologically important viruses, protection is not consistent amongst all insects, viruses and strains of Wolbachia, which confounds elucidation of the mechanisms that underly this protection. Evidence of different mechanisms has emerged, but is not always consistent, suggesting the tripartite interaction may be complex. Here we provide evidence that Wolbachia-mediated antiviral protection is dependent on the presence of Wolbachia in individual cells, and cannot be conferred to surrounding cells. Our results suggest that protection is cell-autonomous, and this has several mechanistic implications, which can direct future research.}, }
@article {pmid31596462, year = {2019}, author = {Wang, X and Xiong, X and Cao, W and Zhang, C and Werren, JH and Wang, X}, title = {Genome Assembly of the A-Group Wolbachia in Nasonia oneida Using Linked-Reads Technology.}, journal = {Genome biology and evolution}, volume = {11}, number = {10}, pages = {3008-3013}, pmid = {31596462}, issn = {1759-6653}, mesh = {Animals ; *Genome, Bacterial ; Genomics/*methods ; Multilocus Sequence Typing ; Wasps/*microbiology ; Wolbachia/*genetics ; }, abstract = {Wolbachia are obligate intracellular bacteria which commonly infect various nematode and arthropod species. Genome sequences have been generated from arthropod samples following enrichment for the intracellular bacteria, and genomes have also been assembled from arthropod whole-genome sequencing projects. However, these methods remain challenging for infections that occur at low titers in hosts. Here we report the first Wolbachia genome assembled from host sequences using 10× Genomics linked-reads technology. The high read depth attainable by this method allows for recovery of intracellular bacteria that are at low concentrations. Based on the depth differences (714× for the insect and 59× for the bacterium), we assembled the genome of a Wolbachia in the parasitoid jewel wasp species Nasonia oneida. The final draft assembly consists of 1,293, 06 bp in 47 scaffolds with 1,114 coding genes and 97.01% genome completeness assessed by checkM. Comparisons of the five Multi Locus Sequence Typing genes revealed that the sequenced Wolbachia genome is the A1 strain (henceforth wOneA1) previously reported in N. oneida. Pyrosequencing confirms that the wasp strain lacks A2 and B types previously detected in this insect, which were likely lost during laboratory culturing. Assembling bacterial genomes from host genome projects can provide an effective method for sequencing bacterial genomes, even when the infections occur at low density in sampled tissues.}, }
@article {pmid31596027, year = {2020}, author = {Bing, XL and Lu, YJ and Xia, CB and Xia, X and Hong, XY}, title = {Transcriptome of Tetranychus urticae embryos reveals insights into Wolbachia-induced cytoplasmic incompatibility.}, journal = {Insect molecular biology}, volume = {29}, number = {2}, pages = {193-204}, doi = {10.1111/imb.12620}, pmid = {31596027}, issn = {1365-2583}, mesh = {Animals ; Cytoplasm ; Embryo, Nonmammalian/microbiology/physiology ; Female ; Male ; Reproduction ; Tetranychidae/embryology/growth &amp; development/microbiology/*physiology ; *Transcriptome ; Wolbachia/*physiology ; }, abstract = {The endosymbiont Wolbachia is known for manipulating host reproduction in selfish ways. However, the molecular mechanisms have not yet been investigated in embryos. Here, we found that Wolbachia had no effect on the number of deposited eggs in Tetranychus urticae Koch (Acari: Tetranychidae) but caused two types of reproductive manipulation: killing uninfected female embryos via cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI) and increasing the hatching ratio of infected female embryos. RNA sequencing analyses showed that 145 genes were differentially expressed between Wolbachia-infected (WI) and Wolbachia-uninfected (WU) embryos. Wolbachia infection down-regulated messenger RNA (mRNA) expression of glutathione S-transferase that could buffer oxidative stress. In addition, 1613 and 294 genes were identified as CI-specific up-/down-regulated genes. Compared to WU and WI embryos, embryos of CI cross strongly expressed genes involved in transcription, translation, tissue morphogenesis, DNA damage and mRNA surveillance. In contrast, most of the genes associated with energy production and metabolism were down-regulated in the CI embryos compared to the WU and WI embryos, which provides some clues as to the cause of death of CI embryos. These results identify several genes that could be candidates for explaining Wolbachia-induced CI. Our data form a basis to help elucidate the molecular consequences of CI in embryos.}, }
@article {pmid31595328, year = {2020}, author = {Li, F and Li, P and Hua, H and Hou, M and Wang, F}, title = {Diversity, Tissue Localization, and Infection Pattern of Bacterial Symbionts of the White-Backed Planthopper, Sogatella furcifera (Hemiptera: Delphacidae).}, journal = {Microbial ecology}, volume = {79}, number = {3}, pages = {720-730}, pmid = {31595328}, issn = {1432-184X}, support = {2018YFD0200300//National Key R&amp;D Project of China/ ; 31371951//National Natural Science Foundation of China/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; Bacteria/classification ; DNA, Bacterial/analysis ; Female ; Hemiptera/*microbiology ; In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence ; Male ; Microbiota/*physiology ; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S/analysis ; Symbiosis ; }, abstract = {The white-backed planthopper (WBPH), Sogatella furcifera (Horváth), is a destructive pest of rice. Bacterial symbionts play an important role in insect hosts, especially hemipteran hosts. This study was designed to examine the bacterial symbionts of the WBPH using 16S rDNA high-throughput sequencing. A total of 63 and 177 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were identified in females and males of three WBPH populations, respectively. These OTUs included bacteria of 75 genera from 11 phyla, where Wolbachia, Cardinium, and Asaia were the dominant genera, accounting for over 97.99% of all the symbiotic bacteria. Fluorescence in situ hybridization detected Wolbachia, Cardinium, and Asaia in the salivary glands, guts, testes, and eggs of the WBPH, indicating the potential for both horizontal and vertical transmission. Moreover, the infection pattern of the three dominant bacterial symbionts was detected in six WBPH populations. The frequencies of Wolbachia infection of females and Cardinium infection of both sexes were over 96.7%. Wolbachia infection of males ranged between 46.7 and 63.3%, which was significantly lower than that observed for females. Asaia infection of both sexes varied substantially among the populations. These results indicate that the complex host-symbiotic bacteria interaction is influenced by host sex and geographical origin and potentially by the transmission modes of the symbionts.}, }
@article {pmid31592190, year = {2019}, author = {Reynolds, LA and Hornett, EA and Jiggins, CD and Hurst, GDD}, title = {Suppression of Wolbachia-mediated male-killing in the butterfly Hypolimnas bolina involves a single genomic region.}, journal = {PeerJ}, volume = {7}, number = {}, pages = {e7677}, pmid = {31592190}, issn = {2167-8359}, abstract = {Background: Sex ratio distorting agents (maternally inherited symbionts and meiotically-driving sex chromosomes) are common in insects. When these agents rise to high frequencies they create strong population sex ratio bias and selection then favours mutations that act to restore the rare sex. Despite this strong selection pressure, the evolution of mutations that suppress sex ratio distorting elements appears to be constrained in many cases, where sex-biased populations persist for many generations. This scenario has been observed in the butterfly Hypolimnas bolina, where Wolbachia-mediated male killing endured for 800-1,000 generations across multiple populations before the evolution of suppression. Here we test the hypothesis that this evolutionary lag is the result of suppression being a multilocus trait requiring multiple mutations.<br><br>Methods: We developed genetic markers, based on conservation of synteny, for each H. bolina chromosome and verified coverage using recombinational mapping. We then used a Wolbachia-infected mapping family to assess each chromosome for the presence of loci required for male survival, as determined by the presence of markers in all surviving sons.<br><br>Results: Informative markers were obtained for each of the 31 chromosomes in H. bolina. The only marker that cosegregated with suppression was located on chromosome 25. A genomic region necessary for suppression has previously been located on this chromosome. We therefore conclude that a single genomic region of the H. bolina genome is necessary for male-killing suppression.<br><br>Discussion: The evolutionary lag observed in our system is not caused by a need for changes at multiple genomic locations. The findings favour hypotheses in which either multiple mutations are required within a single genomic region, or the suppressor mutation is a singularly rare event.}, }
@article {pmid31568486, year = {2019}, author = {Voronin, D and Schnall, E and Grote, A and Jawahar, S and Ali, W and Unnasch, TR and Ghedin, E and Lustigman, S}, title = {Pyruvate produced by Brugia spp. via glycolysis is essential for maintaining the mutualistic association between the parasite and its endosymbiont, Wolbachia.}, journal = {PLoS pathogens}, volume = {15}, number = {9}, pages = {e1008085}, pmid = {31568486}, issn = {1553-7374}, support = {R56 AI118936/AI/NIAID NIH HHS/United States ; T32 AI007180/AI/NIAID NIH HHS/United States ; F31 AI131527/AI/NIAID NIH HHS/United States ; }, mesh = {Animals ; Brugia/genetics/*metabolism/*microbiology ; Brugia malayi/genetics/metabolism/microbiology ; Brugia pahangi/genetics/metabolism/microbiology ; Female ; Filariasis/metabolism/microbiology/parasitology ; Genes, Helminth ; Glycolysis ; Host Microbial Interactions ; Host-Parasite Interactions ; Humans ; Male ; Pyruvic Acid/*metabolism ; Symbiosis ; Wolbachia/genetics/*metabolism ; }, abstract = {Human parasitic nematodes are the causative agents of lymphatic filariasis (elephantiasis) and onchocerciasis (river blindness), diseases that are endemic to more than 80 countries and that consistently rank in the top ten for the highest number of years lived with disability. These filarial nematodes have evolved an obligate mutualistic association with an intracellular bacterium, Wolbachia, a symbiont that is essential for the successful development, reproduction, and survival of adult filarial worms. Elimination of the bacteria causes adult worms to die, making Wolbachia a primary target for developing new interventional tools to combat filariases. To further explore Wolbachia as a promising indirect macrofilaricidal drug target, the essential cellular processes that define the symbiotic Wolbachia-host interactions need to be identified. Genomic analyses revealed that while filarial nematodes encode all the enzymes necessary for glycolysis, Wolbachia does not encode the genes for three glycolytic enzymes: hexokinase, 6-phosphofructokinase, and pyruvate kinase. These enzymes are necessary for converting glucose into pyruvate. Wolbachia, however, has the full complement of genes required for gluconeogenesis starting with pyruvate, and for energy metabolism via the tricarboxylic acid cycle. Therefore, we hypothesized that Wolbachia might depend on host glycolysis to maintain a mutualistic association with their parasitic host. We did conditional experiments in vitro that confirmed that glycolysis and its end-product, pyruvate, sustain this symbiotic relationship. Analysis of alternative sources of pyruvate within the worm indicated that the filarial lactate dehydrogenase could also regulate the local intracellular concentration of pyruvate in proximity to Wolbachia and thus help control bacterial growth via molecular interactions with the bacteria. Lastly, we have shown that the parasite's pyruvate kinase, the enzyme that performs the last step in glycolysis, could be a potential novel anti-filarial drug target. Establishing that glycolysis is an essential component of symbiosis in filarial worms could have a broader impact on research focused on other intracellular bacteria-host interactions where the role of glycolysis in supporting intracellular survival of bacteria has been reported.}, }
@article {pmid31568480, year = {2019}, author = {Gawande, SJ and Anandhan, S and Ingle, A and Roylawar, P and Khandagale, K and Gawai, T and Jacobson, A and Asokan, R and Singh, M}, title = {Microbiome profiling of the onion thrips, Thrips tabaci Lindeman (Thysanoptera: Thripidae).}, journal = {PloS one}, volume = {14}, number = {9}, pages = {e0223281}, pmid = {31568480}, issn = {1932-6203}, mesh = {Actinobacteria/classification/*genetics/isolation &amp; purification ; Animals ; Bacterial Typing Techniques ; Bacteroidetes/classification/*genetics/isolation &amp; purification ; Cyanobacteria/classification/*genetics/isolation &amp; purification ; Firmicutes/classification/*genetics/isolation &amp; purification ; Gastrointestinal Microbiome/*genetics ; Genetic Variation ; India ; Phylogeny ; Proteobacteria/classification/*genetics/isolation &amp; purification ; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S/genetics ; Symbiosis/genetics ; Thysanoptera/*microbiology ; Tobacco/parasitology ; Wolbachia/classification/genetics/isolation &amp; purification ; }, abstract = {The gut microbial community structure of adult Thrips tabaci collected from 10 different agro-climatically diverse locations of India was characterized by using the Illumina MiSeq platform to amplify the V3 region of the 16S rRNA gene of bacteria present in the sampled insects. Analyses were performed to study the bacterial communities associated with Thrips tabaci in India. The complete bacterial metagenome of T. tabaci was comprised of 1662 OTUs of which 62.25% belong to known and 37.7% of unidentified/unknown bacteria. These OTUs constituted 21 bacterial phyla of 276 identified genera. Phylum Proteobacteria was predominant, followed by Actinobacteria, Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes and Cyanobacteria. Additionally, the occurrence of the reproductive endosymbiont, Wolbachia was detected at two locations (0.56%) of the total known OTUs. There is high variation in diversity and species richness among the different locations. Alpha-diversity metrics indicated the higher gut bacterial diversity at Bangalore and lowest at Rahuri whereas higher bacterial species richness at T. tabaci samples from Imphal and lowest at Jhalawar. Beta diversity analyses comparing bacterial communities between the samples showed distinct differences in bacterial community composition of T. tabaci samples from different locations. This paper also constitutes the first record of detailed bacterial communities associated with T. tabaci. The location-wise variation in microbial metagenome profile of T. tabaci suggests that bacterial diversity might be governed by its population genetic structure, environment and habitat.}, }
@article {pmid31566662, year = {2019}, author = {Detcharoen, M and Arthofer, W and Schlick-Steiner, BC and Steiner, FM}, title = {Wolbachia megadiversity: 99% of these microorganismic manipulators unknown.}, journal = {FEMS microbiology ecology}, volume = {95}, number = {11}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1093/femsec/fiz151}, pmid = {31566662}, issn = {1574-6941}, mesh = {Animals ; Arthropods/microbiology ; *Biodiversity ; Ecosystem ; Symbiosis ; *Wolbachia/genetics ; }, abstract = {Wolbachia (Alphaproteobacteria) are the most widespread endosymbionts of arthropods, manipulating their hosts by various means to maximize the number of host individuals infected. Based on quantitative analyzes of the published literature from Web of Science® and of DNA sequences of arthropod-hosted Wolbachia from GenBank, we made plausible that less than 1% of the expected 100 000 strains of Wolbachia in arthropods is known. Our findings suggest that more and globally better coordinated efforts in screening arthropods are needed to explore the true Wolbachia diversity and to help us understand the ecology and evolution of these host-endosymbiont interactions.}, }
@article {pmid31565105, year = {2019}, author = {Huang, K and Kelly, PJ and Zhang, J and Yang, Y and Liu, W and Kalalah, A and Wang, C}, title = {Molecular Detection of Bartonella spp. in China and St. Kitts.}, journal = {The Canadian journal of infectious diseases &amp; medical microbiology = Journal canadien des maladies infectieuses et de la microbiologie medicale}, volume = {2019}, number = {}, pages = {3209013}, pmid = {31565105}, issn = {1712-9532}, abstract = {Bartonella are vector-borne hemotropic bacteria that infect a wide variety of hosts, including people. While there are PCR assays that can identify individual or groups of Bartonella, there is no reliable molecular method to simultaneously detect all species while maintaining genus specificity and sensitivity. By comparing highly conserved 16S rRNA sequences of the better-recognized Bartonella spp. on GenBank, we selected primers and probes for a genus-specific pan-Bartonella FRET-qPCR. Then, a gltA-based Bartonella PCR was established by selecting primers for a highly variable region of gltA, of which the sequenced amplicons could identify individual Bartonella spp. The pan-Bartonella FRET-qPCR did not detect negative controls (Brucella spp., Anaplasma spp., Rickettsia spp., Coxiella burnetii, and Wolbachia) but reliably detected as few as two copies of the positive control (Bartonella henselae) per reaction. There was complete agreement between the pan-Bartonella FRET-qPCR and the gltA-based Bartonella PCR in detecting Bartonella in convenience test samples from China and St. Kitts: cats (26%; 81/310), Ctenocephalides felis (20%; 12/60), cattle (24%; 23/98), and donkeys (4%; 1/20). Sequencing of the gltA-based Bartonella PCR products revealed B. henselae (70%; 57/81) and B. clarridgeiae (30%; 24/81) in cats and C. felis (67%; 8/12, and 33%; 4/12, respectively) and B. bovis in cattle (23.5%; 23/98) and donkeys (4.0%; 1/24). The pan-Bartonella FRET-qPCR and gltA-based Bartonella PCR we developed are highly sensitive and specific in detecting recognized Bartonella spp. in a single reaction. The pan-Bartonella FRET-qPCR is convenient requiring no gel electrophoresis and providing copy numbers, while the gltA-based Bartonella PCR reliably differentiates individual Bartonella species. The use of these PCRs should greatly facilitate large-scale surveillance studies and the diagnosis of infections in clinical samples.}, }
@article {pmid31557154, year = {2019}, author = {Andersen, BJ and Rosa, BA and Kupritz, J and Meite, A and Serge, T and Hertz, MI and Curtis, K and King, CL and Mitreva, M and Fischer, PU and Weil, GJ}, title = {Systems analysis-based assessment of post-treatment adverse events in lymphatic filariasis.}, journal = {PLoS neglected tropical diseases}, volume = {13}, number = {9}, pages = {e0007697}, pmid = {31557154}, issn = {1935-2735}, mesh = {Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Albendazole/administration &amp; dosage/adverse effects ; Antigens, Helminth/blood ; Cytokines/blood/immunology ; Diethylcarbamazine/adverse effects/therapeutic use ; Elephantiasis, Filarial/*drug therapy/genetics/immunology ; Female ; Filaricides/adverse effects/*therapeutic use ; Humans ; Ivermectin/administration &amp; dosage/adverse effects ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Young Adult ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Lymphatic filariasis (LF) is a neglected tropical disease, and the Global Program to Eliminate LF delivers mass drug administration (MDA) to 500 million people every year. Adverse events (AEs) are common after LF treatment.<br><br>To better understand the pathogenesis of AEs, we studied LF-patients from a treatment trial. Plasma levels of many filarial antigens increased post-treatment in individuals with AEs, and this is consistent with parasite death. Circulating immune complexes were not elevated in these participants, and the classical complement cascade was not activated. Multiple cytokines increased after treatment in persons with AEs. A transcriptomic analysis was performed for nine individuals with moderate systemic AEs and nine matched controls. Differential gene expression analysis identified a significant transcriptional signature associated with post-treatment AEs; 744 genes were upregulated. The transcriptional signature was enriched for TLR and NF-κB signaling. Increased expression of seven out of the top eight genes upregulated in persons with AEs were validated by qRT-PCR, including TLR2.<br><br>CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: This is the first global study of changes in gene expression associated with AEs after treatment of lymphatic filariasis. Changes in cytokines were consistent with prior studies and with the RNAseq data. These results suggest that Wolbachia lipoprotein is involved in AE development, because it activates TLR2-TLR6 and downstream NF-κB. Additionally, LPS Binding Protein (LBP, which shuttles lipoproteins to TLR2) increased post-treatment in individuals with AEs. Improved understanding of the pathogenesis of AEs may lead to improved management, increased MDA compliance, and accelerated LF elimination.}, }
@article {pmid31550397, year = {2019}, author = {Bonneau, M and Caputo, B and Ligier, A and Caparros, R and Unal, S and Perriat-Sanguinet, M and Arnoldi, D and Sicard, M and Weill, M}, title = {Variation in Wolbachia cidB gene, but not cidA, is associated with cytoplasmic incompatibility mod phenotype diversity in Culex pipiens.}, journal = {Molecular ecology}, volume = {28}, number = {21}, pages = {4725-4736}, pmid = {31550397}, issn = {1365-294X}, mesh = {Animals ; Animals, Genetically Modified/genetics ; Crosses, Genetic ; Culex/*genetics/*microbiology ; Cytoplasm/*genetics/*microbiology ; Drosophila melanogaster/genetics/microbiology ; Female ; Genes, Bacterial/*genetics ; Italy ; Male ; Phenotype ; Reproduction/genetics ; Symbiosis/genetics ; Wolbachia/*genetics ; }, abstract = {Endosymbiotic Wolbachia bacteria are, to date, considered the most widespread symbionts in arthropods and are the cornerstone of major biological control strategies. Such a high prevalence is based on the ability of Wolbachia to manipulate their hosts' reproduction. One manipulation called cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI) is based on the death of the embryos generated by crosses between infected males and uninfected females or between individuals infected with incompatible Wolbachia strains. CI can be seen as a modification-rescue system (or mod-resc) in which paternal Wolbachia produce mod factors, inducing embryonic defects, unless the maternal Wolbachia produce compatible resc factors. Transgenic experiments in Drosophila melanogaster and Saccharomyces cerevisiae converged towards a model where the cidB Wolbachia gene is involved in the mod function while cidA is involved in the resc function. However, as cidA expression in Drosophila males was required to observe CI, it has been proposed that cidA could be involved in both resc and mod functions. A recent correlative study in natural Culex pipiens mosquito populations has revealed an association between specific cidA and cidB variations and changes in mod phenotype, also suggesting a role for both these genes in mod diversity. Here, by studying cidA and cidB genomic repertoires of individuals from newly sampled natural C. pipiens populations harbouring wPipIV strains from North Italy, we reinforce the link between cidB variation and mod phenotype variation fostering the involvement of cidB in the mod phenotype diversity. However, no association between any cidA variants or combination of cidA variants and mod phenotype variation was observed. Taken together our results in natural C. pipiens populations do not support the involvement of cidA in mod phenotype variation.}, }
@article {pmid31550003, year = {2019}, author = {Avtzis, DN and Schebeck, M and Petsopoulos, D and Memtsas, GI and Stauffer, C and Kavallieratos, NG and Athanassiou, CG and Boukouvala, MC}, title = {New Data on the Range Expansion of the Thaumetopoea pityocampa (Lepidoptera: Notodontidae) 'ENA clade' in Greece: The Role of Bacterial Endosymbionts.}, journal = {Journal of economic entomology}, volume = {112}, number = {6}, pages = {2761-2766}, doi = {10.1093/jee/toz216}, pmid = {31550003}, issn = {1938-291X}, support = {I 2604/FWF_/Austrian Science Fund FWF/Austria ; P 26749/FWF_/Austrian Science Fund FWF/Austria ; }, mesh = {Animals ; Greece ; Humans ; *Moths ; *Wolbachia ; }, abstract = {The pine processionary moth, Thaumetopoea pityocampa (Denis and Schiffermüller), is an important insect in the Mediterranean region, as it defoliates pines and its urticating hairs can cause allergic reactions in humans and animals. Moreover, this species exhibits an interesting genetic structure as recently a distinct East-North African mtDNA lineage ('ENA clade') has been described. This clade has been recently detected in Greek populations where it has currently expanded its range by replacing the 'endemic' T. pityocampa lineages. Here, we report new data on the rapid spread of 'ENA clade' in the Greek island Evoia in only a few years. As the underlying mechanisms of the 'ENA clade' range expansion has not been studied so far, we screened T. pityocampa for an infection with the heritable bacterial endosymbionts Wolbachia (Bacteria: Anaplasmataceae), Cardinium (Bacteria: Bacteroidaceae), Rickettsia (Bacteria: Rickettsiaceae) and Spiroplasma (Bacteria: Spiroplasmataceae). These bacteria can manipulate the reproduction of infected hosts, something that could potentially explain the rapid spread of 'ENA clade' lineage. Therefore, we screened 28 individuals that exhibited T. pityocampa 'ENA clade' and 'endemic' T. pityocampa haplotypes from nine populations scattered all over Greece. None of them was infected with any of the four endosymbionts, suggesting that these bacteria do not cause reproductive manipulations in T. pityocampa lineages and, thus, other factors should be explored in future research efforts.}, }
@article {pmid31549736, year = {2020}, author = {Ogawa, M and Takahashi, M and Matsutani, M and Takada, N and Noda, S and Saijo, M}, title = {Obligate intracellular bacteria diversity in unfed Leptotrombidium scutellare larvae highlights novel bacterial endosymbionts of mites.}, journal = {Microbiology and immunology}, volume = {64}, number = {1}, pages = {1-9}, doi = {10.1111/1348-0421.12745}, pmid = {31549736}, issn = {1348-0421}, support = {//&quot;OSIMO&quot; Foundation (Japan)/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; Bacteria/*classification/genetics/isolation &amp; purification ; *Bacterial Physiological Phenomena ; *Biodiversity ; High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing ; Humans ; Larva/*microbiology ; Life Cycle Stages ; Mites/*microbiology ; Orientia tsutsugamushi ; *Phylogeny ; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S/genetics ; Rickettsia/classification/genetics ; Scrub Typhus/microbiology ; Sequence Analysis ; *Symbiosis ; Trombiculidae/*microbiology ; Wolbachia/classification ; }, abstract = {It is well known that the mite Leptotrombidium scutellare carries the pathogen of scrub typhus, Orientia tsutsugamushi. However, our understanding of other bacterial endosymbionts of mites is limited. This study investigated the diversity of the obligate intracellular bacteria carried by L. scutellare using 16S rRNA gene amplicon analysis with next-generation sequencing. The results showed that the detected bacteria were classified into the genera Rickettsia, Wolbachia, and Rickettsiella and an unknown genus of the order Rickettsiales. For further classification of the detected bacteria, a representative read that was most closely related to the assigned taxonomic classification was subjected to homology search and phylogenic analysis. The results showed that some bacteria of the genus Rickettsia were identical or very close to the human pathogens Rickettsia akari, Rickettsia aeschlimannii, Rickettsia felis, and Rickettsia australis. The genetic distance between the genus Wolbachia bacteria in the present study and in previous reports is highly indicative that the bacteria in the present study can be classified as a new taxon of Wolbachia. This study detected obligate intracellular bacteria from unfed mites; thus, the mites did not acquire bacteria from infected animals or any other infectious sources. Finally, the present study demonstrated that various and novel bacterial endosymbionts of mites, in addition to O. tsutsugamushi, might uniquely evolve with the host mites throughout overlapping generations of the mite life cycle. The roles of the bacteria in mites and their pathogenicity should be further examined in studies based on bacterial isolation.}, }
@article {pmid30596205, year = {2018}, author = {O'Neill, SL and Ryan, PA and Turley, AP and Wilson, G and Retzki, K and Iturbe-Ormaetxe, I and Dong, Y and Kenny, N and Paton, CJ and Ritchie, SA and Brown-Kenyon, J and Stanford, D and Wittmeier, N and Jewell, NP and Tanamas, SK and Anders, KL and Simmons, CP}, title = {Scaled deployment of Wolbachia to protect the community from dengue and other Aedes transmitted arboviruses.}, journal = {Gates open research}, volume = {2}, number = {}, pages = {36}, pmid = {30596205}, issn = {2572-4754}, support = {/WT_/Wellcome Trust/United Kingdom ; }, abstract = {Background: A number of new technologies are under development for the control of mosquito transmitted viruses, such as dengue, chikungunya and Zika that all require the release of modified mosquitoes into the environment. None of these technologies has been able to demonstrate evidence that they can be implemented at a scale beyond small pilots. Here we report the first successful citywide scaled deployment of Wolbachia in the northern Australian city of Townsville. Methods: The wMel strain of Wolbachia was backcrossed into a local Aedes aegypti genotype and mass reared mosquitoes were deployed as eggs using mosquito release containers (MRCs). In initial stages these releases were undertaken by program staff but in later stages this was replaced by direct community release including the development of a school program that saw children undertake releases. Mosquito monitoring was undertaken with Biogents Sentinel (BGS) traps and individual mosquitoes were screened for the presence of Wolbachia with a Taqman qPCR or LAMP diagnostic assay. Dengue case notifications from Queensland Health Communicable Disease Branch were used to track dengue cases in the city before and after release. Results: Wolbachia was successfully established into local Ae. aegypti mosquitoes across 66 km 2 in four stages over 28 months with full community support. A feature of the program was the development of a scaled approach to community engagement. Wolbachia frequencies have remained stable since deployment and to date no local dengue transmission has been confirmed in any area of Townsville after Wolbachia has established, despite local transmission events every year for the prior 13 years and an epidemiological context of increasing imported cases. Conclusion: Deployment of Wolbachia into Ae. aegypti populations can be readily scaled to areas of ~60km 2 quickly and cost effectively and appears in this context to be effective at stopping local dengue transmission.}, }
@article {pmid31534674, year = {2019}, author = {Sanaei, E and Husemann, M and Seiedy, M and Rethwisch, M and Tuda, M and Toshova, TB and Kim, MJ and Atanasova, D and Kim, I}, title = {Global genetic diversity, lineage distribution, and Wolbachia infection of the alfalfa weevil Hypera postica (Coleoptera: Curculionidae).}, journal = {Ecology and evolution}, volume = {9}, number = {17}, pages = {9546-9563}, pmid = {31534674}, issn = {2045-7758}, abstract = {The alfalfa weevil (Hypera postica) is a well-known example of a worldwide-distributed pest with high genetic variation. Based on the mitochondrial genes, the alfalfa weevil clusters into two main mitochondrial lineages. However, there is no clear picture of the global diversity and distribution of these lineages; neither the drivers of its diversification are known. However, it appears likely that historic demographic events including founder effects played a role. In addition, Wolbachia, a widespread intracellular parasite/symbiont, likely played an important role in the evolution of the species. Wolbachia infection so far was only detected in the Western lineage of H. postica with no information on the infecting strain, its frequency, and its consequences on the genetic diversity of the host. We here used a combination of mitochondrial and nuclear sequences of the host and sequence information on Wolbachia to document the distribution of strains and the degree of infection. The Eastern lineage has a higher genetic diversity and is found in the Mediterranean, the Middle East, Eastern Europe, and eastern America, whereas the less diverse Western lineage is found in Central Europe and the western America. Both lineages are infected with the same common strain of Wolbachia belonging to Supergroup B. Based on neutrality tests, selection tests, and the current distribution and diversification of Wolbachia in H. postica, we suggested the Wolbachia infection did not shape genetic diversity of the host. The introduced populations in the United States are generally genetically less diverse, which is in line with founder effects.}, }
@article {pmid31530141, year = {2019}, author = {Dincă, V and Lee, KM and Vila, R and Mutanen, M}, title = {The conundrum of species delimitation: a genomic perspective on a mitogenetically super-variable butterfly.}, journal = {Proceedings. Biological sciences}, volume = {286}, number = {1911}, pages = {20191311}, pmid = {31530141}, issn = {1471-2954}, mesh = {Africa, Northern ; Animals ; Biological Evolution ; Butterflies/*genetics ; DNA, Mitochondrial/*analysis ; Europe ; Gene Flow ; *Genetic Speciation ; *Genome, Insect ; Kazakhstan ; *Phylogeny ; *Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide ; Restriction Mapping ; }, abstract = {The Palaearctic butterfly Melitaea didyma stands out as one of the most striking cases of intraspecific genetic differentiation detected in Lepidoptera: 11 partially sympatric mitochondrial lineages have been reported, displaying levels of divergence of up to 7.4%. To better understand the evolutionary processes underlying the diversity observed in mtDNA, we compared mtDNA and genome-wide SNP data using double-digest restriction site-associated DNA sequencing (ddRADseq) results from 93 specimens of M. didyma ranging from Morocco to eastern Kazakhstan. We found that, between ddRADseq and mtDNA results, there is a match only in populations that probably remained allopatric for long periods of time. Other mtDNA lineages may have resulted from introgression events and were probably affected by Wolbachia infection. The five main ddRADseq clades supported by STRUCTURE were parapatric or allopatric and showed high pairwise FST values, but some were also estimated to display various levels of gene flow. Melitaea didyma represents one of the first cases of deep mtDNA splits among European butterflies assessed by a genome-wide DNA analysis and reveals that the interpretation of patterns remains challenging even when a high amount of genomic data is available. These findings actualize the ongoing debate of species delimitation in allopatry, an issue probably of relevance to a significant proportion of global biodiversity.}, }
@article {pmid31515862, year = {2019}, author = {Després, L}, title = {One, two or more species? Mitonuclear discordance and species delimitation.}, journal = {Molecular ecology}, volume = {28}, number = {17}, pages = {3845-3847}, doi = {10.1111/mec.15211}, pmid = {31515862}, issn = {1365-294X}, mesh = {Animals ; Butterflies/genetics ; Cell Nucleus/*genetics ; Climate ; DNA, Mitochondrial/genetics ; Gene Flow ; Geography ; High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing ; Mitochondria/*genetics ; *Phylogeny ; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide/genetics ; Species Specificity ; }, abstract = {Delimiting species boundaries is central to understand ecological and evolutionary processes, and to monitor biodiversity patterns over time and space. Yet, most of our current knowledge on animal diversity and phylogeny relies on morphological and mitochondrial (mt) DNA variation, a popular molecular marker also used as a barcode to assign samples to species. For morphologically undistinguishable sympatric species (cryptic species), the congruence of several independent markers is necessary to define separate species. Nuclear markers are becoming more accessible, and have confirmed that cryptic species are widespread in all animal phyla (Fišer, Robinson, &amp; Malard, 2018). However, striking differences between the mitochondrial and nuclear variation patterns are also commonly found within single species. Mitonuclear discordance can result from incomplete lineage sorting, sex-biased dispersal, asymmetrical introgression, natural selection or Wolbachia-mediated genetic sweeps. But more generally, the distinct mode of transmission of these two types of markers (maternal vs. biparental) is sufficient to explain their distinct sensitivity to purely demographic events such as spatial range and population size fluctuations over time. In a From the Cover manuscript in this issue of Molecular Ecology, Hijonosa et al. (2019) show that highly divergent mtDNA lineages coexist in a widespread European butterfly (Figure 1). None of the hundreds of nuclear markers analyzed was associated with mt lineages, nor was Wolbachia variation. These findings rule out the presence of cryptic species but shed light on complex demographic history of lineage divergence/fusion during the Pleistocene climatic fluctuations, and pave the way to a better integration of both mt and nuclear information in demographic models.}, }
@article {pmid31513297, year = {2020}, author = {Schwartz, RA and Al-Qubati, Y and Zieleniewski, Ł and Shah, R and Kapila, R}, title = {Onchocerciasis (river blindness): larva-induced eczema (onchodermatitis) from an important oculocutaneous tropical disease spilling over into North America and Europe.}, journal = {International journal of dermatology}, volume = {59}, number = {9}, pages = {1065-1070}, doi = {10.1111/ijd.14614}, pmid = {31513297}, issn = {1365-4632}, abstract = {Onchocerciasis is a leading cause of blindness in the world. It may be seen in temperate climates of the United States and Europe in immigrants and travelers from endemic regions, often linked to poverty and war. One should be aware of an incubation period that can be up to 15 months. In its early stage and throughout its course, onchocerciasis has noteworthy skin findings, facilitating diagnosis, as onchodermatitis resembles common eczema with variable degrees of papular, lichenoid, atrophic, and pigmentary alterations, features not suggestive if one is unaware of an individual's immigration and travel history. The same concept applies for the encysted worms (onchocercomas), as they tend to appear as common skin cysts and benign neoplasms. New methods can be employed to increase diagnostic sensitivity and specificity. Ivermectin is the gold standard of therapy, the use of which has almost miraculously eliminated this disease from large areas of the earth. However, its effect remains isolated to microfilariae and can be devastating in those coinfected with Loa loa. Recently, the symbiotic relationship between adult worms and Wolbachia bacteria has been discovered and, with it, the possibility of adding doxycycline as a treatment option. We also discuss coinfection with HIV and other diseases.}, }
@article {pmid31507561, year = {2019}, author = {Meng, L and Li, X and Cheng, X and Zhang, H}, title = {16S rRNA Gene Sequencing Reveals a Shift in the Microbiota of Diaphorina citri During the Psyllid Life Cycle.}, journal = {Frontiers in microbiology}, volume = {10}, number = {}, pages = {1948}, pmid = {31507561}, issn = {1664-302X}, abstract = {The Asian citrus psyllid (Diaphorina citri) is a major pest of citrus trees as it transmits Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus (CLas). The composition of a host's microbiota can affect the evolution and ecological distribution of the host. This study monitored the compositional shifts in the citrus psyllid microbiota through all the life stages (egg, nymph 1-5 stages, and adult) by next-generation sequencing (NGS) and quantitative real-time PCR. There were clear differences in both α- and β-diversity of microbiota through the psyllid life stages. Microbiota diversity was markedly higher in the nymph 2-5 stages than in the adult, egg, and nymph 1 stages. Proteobacteria were dominant in all the life stages of D. citri, representing >97.5% of the total bacterial community, and Candidatus Profftella armature was the dominant genus in all the life stages. Data from the qPCR analysis showed an exponential increase in the populations of three D. citri endosymbionts: Candidatus Profftella armature, Candidatus Carsonella ruddii, and Wolbachia. The gut bacterium Pantoea was present in all the life stages, but it was markedly higher in the nymph 2-5 stages. The microbiota composition substantially differed among the egg-nymph 1, nymphs 2-5, and adult stages. Therefore, we successfully characterized the microbiota dynamics and thus identified a microbiota shift during the life cycle of D. citri by 16S rRNA gene sequencing and quantitative PCR. Moreover, 16S rRNA gene sequencing suggested that D. citri acquired the ability to bear CLas in the nymph 1 stage. This study enhances our understanding of microbial establishment in the developing D. citri and provides a reference resource for the identification of potential biocontrol approaches against this pest.}, }
@article {pmid31505135, year = {2019}, author = {Ross, PA and Turelli, M and Hoffmann, AA}, title = {Evolutionary Ecology of Wolbachia Releases for Disease Control.}, journal = {Annual review of genetics}, volume = {53}, number = {}, pages = {93-116}, pmid = {31505135}, issn = {1545-2948}, support = {/WT_/Wellcome Trust/United Kingdom ; R01 GM104325/GM/NIGMS NIH HHS/United States ; }, mesh = {Animals ; Biological Evolution ; Communicable Disease Control/*methods ; Cytoplasm ; Environment ; Genetic Fitness ; Host-Pathogen Interactions/*physiology ; Insect Vectors/microbiology/*virology ; Insecta/microbiology/virology ; Mosquito Vectors/microbiology/virology ; Wolbachia/*physiology ; }, abstract = {Wolbachia is an endosymbiotic Alphaproteobacteria that can suppress insect-borne diseases through decreasing host virus transmission (population replacement) or through decreasing host population density (population suppression). We contrast natural Wolbachia infections in insect populations with Wolbachia transinfections in mosquitoes to gain insights into factors potentially affecting the long-term success of Wolbachia releases. Natural Wolbachia infections can spread rapidly, whereas the slow spread of transinfections is governed by deleterious effects on host fitness and demographic factors. Cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI) generated by Wolbachia is central to both population replacement and suppression programs, but CI in nature can be variable and evolve, as can Wolbachia fitness effects and virus blocking. Wolbachia spread is also influenced by environmental factors that decrease Wolbachia titer and reduce maternal Wolbachia transmission frequency. More information is needed on the interactions between Wolbachia and host nuclear/mitochondrial genomes, the interaction between invasion success and local ecological factors, and the long-term stability of Wolbachia-mediated virus blocking.}, }
@article {pmid31504075, year = {2019}, author = {Perlmutter, JI and Bordenstein, SR and Unckless, RL and LePage, DP and Metcalf, JA and Hill, T and Martinez, J and Jiggins, FM and Bordenstein, SR}, title = {The phage gene wmk is a candidate for male killing by a bacterial endosymbiont.}, journal = {PLoS pathogens}, volume = {15}, number = {9}, pages = {e1007936}, pmid = {31504075}, issn = {1553-7374}, support = {WT094664MA/WT_/Wellcome Trust/United Kingdom ; R21 HD086833/HD/NICHD NIH HHS/United States ; R01 AI139154/AI/NIAID NIH HHS/United States ; P30 DK058404/DK/NIDDK NIH HHS/United States ; R21 AI133522/AI/NIAID NIH HHS/United States ; P30 EY008126/EY/NEI NIH HHS/United States ; P30 CA068485/CA/NCI NIH HHS/United States ; R01 AI132581/AI/NIAID NIH HHS/United States ; /WT_/Wellcome Trust/United Kingdom ; U24 DK059637/DK/NIDDK NIH HHS/United States ; P30 DK020593/DK/NIDDK NIH HHS/United States ; R00 GM114714/GM/NIGMS NIH HHS/United States ; }, mesh = {Animals ; Animals, Genetically Modified ; DNA-Binding Proteins/genetics/physiology ; Drosophila/embryology/microbiology/virology ; Drosophila melanogaster/embryology/microbiology/virology ; Female ; Genes, Lethal ; Genes, Viral ; Host Microbial Interactions/genetics/physiology ; Male ; Prophages/*genetics/*pathogenicity/physiology ; Sex Ratio ; Symbiosis/genetics/physiology ; Viral Proteins/genetics/physiology ; Wolbachia/*pathogenicity/*virology ; }, abstract = {Wolbachia are the most widespread maternally-transmitted bacteria in the animal kingdom. Their global spread in arthropods and varied impacts on animal physiology, evolution, and vector control are in part due to parasitic drive systems that enhance the fitness of infected females, the transmitting sex of Wolbachia. Male killing is one common drive mechanism wherein the sons of infected females are selectively killed. Despite decades of research, the gene(s) underlying Wolbachia-induced male killing remain unknown. Here using comparative genomic, transgenic, and cytological approaches in fruit flies, we identify a candidate gene in the eukaryotic association module of Wolbachia prophage WO, termed WO-mediated killing (wmk), which transgenically causes male-specific lethality during early embryogenesis and cytological defects typical of the pathology of male killing. The discovery of wmk establishes new hypotheses for the potential role of phage genes in sex-specific lethality, including the control of arthropod pests and vectors.}, }
@article {pmid31500667, year = {2019}, author = {Fisher, ML and Levine, JF and Guy, JS and Mochizuki, H and Breen, M and Schal, C and Watson, DW}, title = {Lack of influence by endosymbiont Wolbachia on virus titer in the common bed bug, Cimex lectularius.}, journal = {Parasites &amp; vectors}, volume = {12}, number = {1}, pages = {436}, pmid = {31500667}, issn = {1756-3305}, support = {2016scholarship//W. M. Keck Foundation/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; Bedbugs/*microbiology/*virology ; Calicivirus, Feline/*growth &amp; development/*isolation &amp; purification ; *Microbial Interactions ; *Viral Load ; Wolbachia/*growth &amp; development ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: The common bed bug, Cimex lectularius, is an obligatory blood-feeding ectoparasite that requires a blood meal to molt and produce eggs. Their frequent biting to obtain blood meals and intimate association with humans increase the potential for disease transmission. However, despite more than 100 years of inquiry into bed bugs as potential disease vectors, they still have not been conclusively linked to any pathogen or disease. This ecological niche is extraordinarily rare, given that nearly every other blood-feeding arthropod is associated with some type of human or zoonotic disease. Bed bugs rely on the bacteria Wolbachia as an obligate endosymbiont to biosynthesize B vitamins, since they acquire a nutritionally deficient diet, but it is unknown if Wolbachia confers additional benefits to its bed bug host. In some insects, Wolbachia induces resistance to viruses such as Dengue, Chikungunya, West Nile, Drosophila C and Zika, and primes the insect immune system in other blood-feeding insects. Wolbachia might have evolved a similar role in its mutualistic association with the bed bug. In this study, we evaluated the influence of Wolbachia on virus replication within C. lectularius.<br><br>METHODS: We used feline calicivirus as a model pathogen. We fed 40 bed bugs from an established line of Wolbachia-cured and a line of Wolbachia-positive C. lectularius a virus-laden blood meal, and quantified the amount of virus over five time intervals post-feeding. The antibiotic rifampicin was used to cure bed bugs of Wolbachia.<br><br>RESULTS: There was a significant effect of time post-feeding, as the amount of virus declined by ~90% over 10 days in both groups, but no significant difference in virus titer was observed between the Wolbachia-positive and Wolbachia-cured groups.<br><br>CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that other mechanisms are involved in virus suppression within bed bugs, independent of the influence of Wolbachia, and our conclusions underscore the need for future research.}, }
@article {pmid31499724, year = {2019}, author = {Zheng, B and Chen, LH and Sun, QW}, title = {Analyzing the control of dengue by releasing Wolbachia-infected male mosquitoes through a delay differential equation model.}, journal = {Mathematical biosciences and engineering : MBE}, volume = {16}, number = {5}, pages = {5531-5550}, doi = {10.3934/mbe.2019275}, pmid = {31499724}, issn = {1551-0018}, mesh = {Aedes/*microbiology/*virology ; Algorithms ; Animals ; Bacterial Infections ; Communicable Disease Control ; Cytoplasm/metabolism ; Dengue/*epidemiology/*prevention &amp; control ; Dengue Virus ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Models, Theoretical ; Mosquito Vectors/microbiology/virology ; Pest Control, Biological ; *Wolbachia ; }, abstract = {To date, an innovative strategy to control dengue is to release Wolbachia-infected male mosquitoes into wild areas to sterilize wild female mosquito vectors by cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI). To investigate the efficacy of Wolbachia in blocking dengue virus transmission, we develop a deterministic mathematical model of human and mosquito populations in which one dengue serotype circulates. The delay differential equation model captures the respective extrinsic and intrinsic incu-bation periods (EIP and IIP) in the mosquito and human, as well as the maturation delay between mating and emergence of adult mosquitoes, which have received relatively little attention. We analyze the existence and stability of disease-free equilibria, and obtain a sufficient and necessary condition on the existence of the disease-endemic equilibrium. We also determine two threshold values of the release ratio $\theta$, denoted by $\theta_1^*$ and $\theta_2^*$ with $\theta_1^*>\theta_2^*$. When $\theta>\theta_1^*$, the mosquito population will be eradicated eventually. When $\theta_2^*<\theta < \theta_1^*$, a complete mosquito eradication becomes impossible, but virus eradication is ensured at the meantime. When $\theta<\theta_2^*$, the disease-endemic equilibrium emerges that allows dengue virus to circulate between humans and mosquitoes. We carry out sensitivity analysis of the threshold values in terms of the model parameters, and simulate several possible control strate-gies with different release ratios, which confirm the public awareness that reducing mosquito bites and killing adult mosquitoes are the most effective strategy to control the epidemic. Our model provides new insights on the effectiveness of Wolbachia in reducing dengue at a population level.}, }
@article {pmid31499687, year = {2019}, author = {Huang, MG and Tang, MX and Yu, JS and Zheng, B}, title = {The impact of mating competitiveness and incomplete cytoplasmic incompatibility on Wolbachia-driven mosquito population suppressio.}, journal = {Mathematical biosciences and engineering : MBE}, volume = {16}, number = {5}, pages = {4741-4757}, doi = {10.3934/mbe.2019238}, pmid = {31499687}, issn = {1551-0018}, mesh = {Aedes/microbiology/physiology/virology ; Animals ; Bioengineering ; China/epidemiology ; Cytoplasm/microbiology ; Dengue/epidemiology/prevention &amp; control/transmission ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Mathematical Concepts ; Models, Biological ; Mosquito Control/*methods/statistics &amp; numerical data ; Mosquito Vectors/*microbiology/*pathogenicity/virology ; Population Dynamics/statistics &amp; numerical data ; Reproduction ; Wolbachia/*physiology ; }, abstract = {To control mosquito-borne diseases such as dengue, malaria, and Zika, {\it Wolbachia}-infected male mosquitoes have been released in open areas to suppress wild mosquito population driven by cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI). In this work, we initiate a preliminary assessment on how the CI intensity $\xi$, and the mating competitiveness $\mu$ of released males relative to wild males, impact the suppression efficacy by a delay differential equation model. Our analysis identifies a threshold CI intensity $\xi_0\in (0, 1)$ as an increasing function of the natural reproduction rate of the wild mosquitoes, and a threshold value $r^*$ for the ratio $r(t)$ between the numbers of released males and wild males. The population suppression fails when $\xi\le \xi_0$, and succeeds when $\xi>\xi_0$ and $r(t)\ge r^*$. Our analyses indicate that $\xi$ plays a more important role than $\mu$ in the population suppression. For instance, a slight decrease of $\xi$ from 1 to 0.92 is more devastating than halving $\mu$ from 1 to 0.5. In our estimation of the optimal starting date for infected male release to target a more than $95\%$ wild population reduction during the peak season of dengue in Guangzhou, we find that the optimal date is almost independent of $\mu$ but is sensitive to $\xi$. If CI is complete, then starting about two months ahead can be an optimal option for less financial and labor costs. A slight reduction in the CI intensity requires a considerably earlier starting date.}, }
@article {pmid31499668, year = {2019}, author = {Liu, YF and Sun, GW and Wang, L and Guo, ZM}, title = {Establishing Wolbachia in the wild mosquito population: The effects of wind and critical patch size.}, journal = {Mathematical biosciences and engineering : MBE}, volume = {16}, number = {5}, pages = {4399-4414}, doi = {10.3934/mbe.2019219}, pmid = {31499668}, issn = {1551-0018}, mesh = {Aedes/*microbiology ; Animals ; Computer Simulation ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Mathematical Concepts ; Models, Biological ; Mosquito Vectors/*microbiology ; Pest Control, Biological/*methods/statistics &amp; numerical data ; Population Dynamics/statistics &amp; numerical data ; Vector Borne Diseases/prevention &amp; control/transmission ; Wind ; Wolbachia/*physiology ; }, abstract = {Releasing mosquitoes with Wolbachia into the wild mosquito population is becoming the very promising strategy to control mosquito-borne infections. To investigate the effects of wind and critical patch size on the Wolbachia establishment in the wild mosquito population, in this paper, we propose a diffusion-reaction-advection system in a heterogeneous environment. By studying the related eigenvalue problems, we derive various conditions under which Wolbachia can fully establish in the entire wild mosquito population. Our findings may provide some useful insights on designing practical releasing strategies to control the mosquito population.}, }
@article {pmid31499610, year = {2019}, author = {Wang, LX and Shi, PJ and Zhang, HG}, title = {Bifurcation analysis of a wild and sterile mosquito model.}, journal = {Mathematical biosciences and engineering : MBE}, volume = {16}, number = {5}, pages = {3215-3234}, doi = {10.3934/mbe.2019160}, pmid = {31499610}, issn = {1551-0018}, mesh = {Algorithms ; Animals ; California ; Computer Simulation ; Culicidae/microbiology/*physiology ; Female ; *Infertility ; Male ; Models, Biological ; Mosquito Vectors ; Pest Control, Biological/*methods/statistics &amp; numerical data ; Population Dynamics ; Wolbachia ; }, abstract = {The bifurcation of an ordinary differential equation model describing interaction of the wild and the released sterile mosquitoes is analyzed. It is shown that the model undergoes a sequence of bifurcations including saddle-node bifurcation, supercritical Hopf bifurcation, subcritical Hopf bifurcation, homoclinic bifurcation and Bogdanov-Takens bifurcation. We also find that the model displays monostable, bistable or tristable dynamics. This analysis suggests that the densities of the initial wild mosquitoes and the released sterile ones determine the asymptotic states of both populations. This study may give an insight into the estimation number of the released sterile mosquitoes.}, }
@article {pmid31497407, year = {2019}, author = {Ning, SF and Zhou, JC and Liu, QQ and Zhao, Q and Dong, H}, title = {Gradual, temperature-induced change of secondary sexual characteristics in Trichogramma pretiosum infected with parthenogenesis-inducing Wolbachia.}, journal = {PeerJ}, volume = {7}, number = {}, pages = {e7567}, pmid = {31497407}, issn = {2167-8359}, abstract = {Intersex is an intermediate stage of sexual differentiation in insects. Determining intersex morphology and the cause of its production will aid in the understanding of the mechanism of sexual differentiation in insects. In this paper, Wolbachia-infected Trichogramma pretiosum (T. preW+) that shows thelytokous parthenogenesis were used as subjects. In order to determine the causes of the T. preW+ intersex and the influence of parental generation temperature on gradual changes in secondary masculinization in intersex offspring, we examined the occurrence of intersex offspring (F1 and F2 generation) after the parental generations were treated with high temperature (27, 29, 31, and 33 °C) and described the external morphology of the intersexes. The results showed that the T. preW+ parental generation temperature is positively correlated with the probability of intersex offspring. The probability of F1 intersex is significantly higher than that of F2 intersex in different high temperature. The degree of secondary masculinization in T. preW+ intersexes increases as parental generation temperature increases. In addition, our study first identified 11 intersex types in T. preW+ and found that the primary and secondary sexual characteristics showed a regular distribution. We also found that the D type and H type of intersex have the highest frequency of appearance. The external genitalia of most intersexes were female, and only three intersex types have male external genitalia. Conclusions were ultimately obtained: Wolbachia is a direct factor that causes the occurrence of intersexes, while high temperature is an indirect factor that determines the external morphology of intersexes. The effects of high temperature on T. preW+ intersexes is passed through the parental generation to offspring, and this maternal effect weakens as the number of generations increases. In T. preW+ intersex individuals, most exhibit female primary sexual characteristics, and secondary sexual characteristics exhibit signs of masculinization.}, }
@article {pmid31496523, year = {2019}, author = {Wan Sulaiman, WA and Kamtchum-Tatuene, J and Mohamed, MH and Ramachandran, V and Ching, SM and Sazlly Lim, SM and Hashim, HZ and Inche Mat, LN and Hoo, FK and Basri, H}, title = {Anti-Wolbachia therapy for onchocerciasis &amp; lymphatic filariasis: Current perspectives.}, journal = {The Indian journal of medical research}, volume = {149}, number = {6}, pages = {706-714}, pmid = {31496523}, issn = {0971-5916}, mesh = {Adult ; Albendazole/therapeutic use ; Animals ; Anti-Bacterial Agents/therapeutic use ; Doxycycline/therapeutic use ; Drug Therapy, Combination ; Elephantiasis, Filarial/*drug therapy/epidemiology/microbiology ; Humans ; India/epidemiology ; Neglected Diseases/*drug therapy/epidemiology/microbiology ; Onchocerciasis/*drug therapy/epidemiology/microbiology ; Tropical Medicine ; Wolbachia/drug effects/*pathogenicity ; }, abstract = {Onchocerciasis and lymphatic filariasis (LF) are human filarial diseases belonging to the group of neglected tropical diseases, leading to permanent and long-term disability in infected individuals in the endemic countries such as Africa and India. Microfilaricidal drugs such as ivermectin and albendazole have been used as the standard therapy in filariasis, although their efficacy in eliminating the diseases is not fully established. Anti-Wolbachia therapy employs antibiotics and is a promising approach showing potent macrofilaricidal activity and also prevents embryogenesis. This has translated to clinical benefits resulting in successful eradication of microfilarial burden, thus averting the risk of adverse events from target species as well as those due to co-infection with loiasis. Doxycycline shows potential as an anti-Wolbachia treatment, leading to the death of adult parasitic worms. It is readily available, cheap and safe to use in adult non-pregnant patients. Besides doxycycline, several other potential antibiotics are also being investigated for the treatment of LF and onchocerciasis. This review aims to discuss and summarise recent developments in the use of anti-Wolbachia drugs to treat onchocerciasis and LF.}, }
@article {pmid31495336, year = {2019}, author = {O'Reilly, KM and Hendrickx, E and Kharisma, DD and Wilastonegoro, NN and Carrington, LB and Elyazar, IRF and Kucharski, AJ and Lowe, R and Flasche, S and Pigott, DM and Reiner, RC and Edmunds, WJ and Hay, SI and Yakob, L and Shepard, DS and Brady, OJ}, title = {Estimating the burden of dengue and the impact of release of wMel Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes in Indonesia: a modelling study.}, journal = {BMC medicine}, volume = {17}, number = {1}, pages = {172}, pmid = {31495336}, issn = {1741-7015}, support = {206471/Z/17/Z/WT_/Wellcome Trust/United Kingdom ; 206250/Z/17/Z/WT_/Wellcome Trust/United Kingdom ; 208812/Z/17/Z/WT_/Wellcome Trust/United Kingdom ; }, mesh = {Aedes/*microbiology ; Animals ; Cost of Illness ; Dengue/epidemiology/*prevention &amp; control/transmission ; Dengue Virus ; Humans ; Indonesia/epidemiology ; *Models, Theoretical ; Pest Control, Biological/*methods ; *Wolbachia ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes reduce dengue virus transmission, and city-wide releases in Yogyakarta city, Indonesia, are showing promising entomological results. Accurate estimates of the burden of dengue, its spatial distribution and the potential impact of Wolbachia are critical in guiding funder and government decisions on its future wider use.<br><br>METHODS: Here, we combine multiple modelling methods for burden estimation to predict national case burden disaggregated by severity and map the distribution of burden across the country using three separate data sources. An ensemble of transmission models then predicts the estimated reduction in dengue transmission following a nationwide roll-out of wMel Wolbachia.<br><br>RESULTS: We estimate that 7.8 million (95% uncertainty interval [UI] 1.8-17.7 million) symptomatic dengue cases occurred in Indonesia in 2015 and were associated with 332,865 (UI 94,175-754,203) lost disability-adjusted life years (DALYs). The majority of dengue's burden was due to non-severe cases that did not seek treatment or were challenging to diagnose in outpatient settings leading to substantial underreporting. Estimated burden was highly concentrated in a small number of large cities with 90% of dengue cases occurring in 15.3% of land area. Implementing a nationwide Wolbachia population replacement programme was estimated to avert 86.2% (UI 36.2-99.9%) of cases over a long-term average.<br><br>CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest interventions targeted to the highest burden cities can have a disproportionate impact on dengue burden. Area-wide interventions, such as Wolbachia, that are deployed based on the area covered could protect people more efficiently than individual-based interventions, such as vaccines, in such dense environments.}, }
@article {pmid31491378, year = {2019}, author = {Zheng, Y and Shen, W and Bi, J and Chen, MY and Wang, RF and Ai, H and Wang, YF}, title = {Small RNA analysis provides new insights into cytoplasmic incompatibility in Drosophila melanogaster induced by Wolbachia.}, journal = {Journal of insect physiology}, volume = {118}, number = {}, pages = {103938}, doi = {10.1016/j.jinsphys.2019.103938}, pmid = {31491378}, issn = {1879-1611}, mesh = {3' Untranslated Regions ; Animals ; Cytoplasm/*genetics/pathology ; Drosophila melanogaster/embryology/genetics/metabolism/*microbiology ; Female ; *Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental ; Male ; MicroRNAs/genetics ; RNA, Small Untranslated ; Symbiosis ; Testis ; Wolbachia/*physiology ; }, abstract = {Wolbachia is a genus of endosymbiotic bacteria that induce a wide range of effects on their insect hosts. Cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI) is the most common phenotype mediated by Wolbachia and results in embryonic lethality when Wolbachia-infected males mate with uninfected females. Studies have revealed that bacteria can regulate many cellular processes in their hosts using small non-coding RNAs, so we investigated the involvement of small RNAs (sRNAs) in CI. Comparison of sRNA libraries between Wolbachia-infected and uninfected Drosophila melanogaster testes revealed 18 novel microRNAs (miRNAs), of which 12 were expressed specifically in Wolbachia-infected flies and one specifically in Wolbachia-uninfected flies. Furthermore, ten miRNAs showed differential expression, with four upregulated and six downregulated in Wolbachia-infected flies. Of the upregulated miRNAs, nov-miR-12 exhibited the highest upregulation in the testes of D. melanogaster. We then identified pipsqueak (psq) as the target gene of nov-miR-12 with the greatest complementarity in its 3' untranslated region (UTR). Wolbachia infection was correlated with reduced psq expression in D. melanogaster, and luciferase assays demonstrated that nov-miR-12 could downregulate psq through binding to its 3'UTR region. Knockdown of psq in Wolbachia-free fly testes significantly reduced egg hatching rate and mimicked the cellular abnormalities of Wolbachia-induced CI in embryos, including asynchronous nuclear division, chromatin bridging, and chromatin fragmentation. These results suggest that Wolbachia may induce CI in insect hosts by miRNA-mediated changes in host gene expression. Moreover, these findings reveal a potential molecular strategy for elucidating the complex interactions between endosymbionts and their insect hosts, such as Wolbachia-driven CI.}, }
@article {pmid31488182, year = {2019}, author = {Rohde, BB and Staunton, KM and Zeak, NC and Beebe, N and Snoad, N and Bondarenco, A and Liddington, C and Anderson, JA and Xiang, W and Mankin, RW and Ritchie, SA}, title = {Waterproof, low-cost, long-battery-life sound trap for surveillance of male Aedes aegypti for rear-and-release mosquito control programmes.}, journal = {Parasites &amp; vectors}, volume = {12}, number = {1}, pages = {417}, pmid = {31488182}, issn = {1756-3305}, support = {DGE 1315138//National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship/ ; }, mesh = {Aedes/*physiology/virology ; Animals ; Costs and Cost Analysis ; Dengue/prevention &amp; control ; Female ; Male ; Mosquito Control/economics/*instrumentation/*methods ; Mosquito Vectors/physiology/virology ; *Sound ; Virus Diseases/*prevention &amp; control ; Zika Virus Infection/prevention &amp; control/transmission ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Sterile male rear-and-release programmes are of growing interest for controlling Aedes aegypti, including use an &quot;incompatible insect technique&quot; (IIT) to suppress transmission of dengue, Zika, and other viruses. Under IIT, males infected with Wolbachia are released into the suppression area to induce cytoplasmic incompatibility in uninfected populations. These and similar mosquito-release programmes require cost-effective field surveys of both sexes to optimize the locations, timing, and quantity of releases. Unfortunately, traps that sample male Ae. aegypti effectively are expensive and usually require mains power. Recently, an electronic lure was developed that attracts males using a 484 Hz sinusoidal tone mimicking the female wingbeat frequencies, broadcast in a 120 s on/off cycle. When deployed in commercially available gravid Aedes traps (GATs), the new combination, sound-GAT (SGAT), captures both males and females effectively. Given its success, there is interest in optimizing SGAT to reduce cost and power usage while maximizing catch rates.<br><br>METHODS: Options considered in this study included use of a smaller, lower-power microcontroller (Tiny) with either the original or a lower-cost speaker (lcS). A 30 s on/off cycle was tested in addition to the original 120 s cycle to minimize the potential that the longer cycle induced habituation. The original SGAT was compared against other traps incorporating the Tiny-based lures for mosquito capture in a large semi-field cage. The catch rates in waterproofed versions of this trap were then compared with catch rates in standard [BG-Sentinel 2 (BGS 2); Biogents AG, Regensburg, Germany] traps during an IIT field study in the Innisfail region of Queensland, Australia in 2017.<br><br>RESULTS: The system with a low-power microcontroller and low-cost speaker playing a 30 s tone (Tiny-lcS-30s) caught the highest proportion of males. The mean proportions of males caught in a semi-field cage were not significantly different among the original design and the four low-power, low-cost versions of the SGAT. During the IIT field study, the waterproofed version of the highest-rated, Tiny-lcS-30s SGAT captured male Ae. aegypti at similar rates as co-located BGS-2 traps.<br><br>CONCLUSIONS: Power- and cost-optimized, waterproofed versions of male Ae. aegypti acoustic lures in GATs are now available for field use in areas with sterile male mosquito rear-and-release programmes.}, }
@article {pmid31481018, year = {2019}, author = {Christensen, S and Camacho, M and Sharmin, Z and Momtaz, AJMZ and Perez, L and Navarro, G and Triana, J and Samarah, H and Turelli, M and Serbus, LR}, title = {Quantitative methods for assessing local and bodywide contributions to Wolbachia titer in maternal germline cells of Drosophila.}, journal = {BMC microbiology}, volume = {19}, number = {1}, pages = {206}, pmid = {31481018}, issn = {1471-2180}, support = {R01 GM104325/GM/NIGMS NIH HHS/United States ; }, mesh = {Animal Feed/analysis ; Animals ; Cytological Techniques/*methods ; Drosophila melanogaster/metabolism/*microbiology ; Female ; Ovary/growth &amp; development/microbiology ; Ovum/growth &amp; development/*microbiology ; Polymerase Chain Reaction/*methods ; Wolbachia/genetics/*growth &amp; development/isolation &amp; purification ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Little is known about how bacterial endosymbionts colonize host tissues. Because many insect endosymbionts are maternally transmitted, egg colonization is critical for endosymbiont success. Wolbachia bacteria, carried by approximately half of all insect species, provide an excellent model for characterizing endosymbiont infection dynamics. To date, technical limitations have precluded stepwise analysis of germline colonization by Wolbachia. It is not clear to what extent titer-altering effects are primarily mediated by growth rates of Wolbachia within cell lineages or migration of Wolbachia between cells.<br><br>RESULTS: The objective of this work is to inform mechanisms of germline colonization through use of optimized methodology. The approaches are framed in terms of nutritional impacts on Wolbachia. Yeast-rich diets in particular have been shown to suppress Wolbachia titer in the Drosophila melanogaster germline. To determine the extent of Wolbachia sensitivity to diet, we optimized 3-dimensional, multi-stage quantification of Wolbachia titer in maternal germline cells. Technical and statistical validation confirmed the identity of Wolbachia in vivo, the reproducibility of Wolbachia quantification and the statistical power to detect these effects. The data from adult feeding experiments demonstrated that germline Wolbachia titer is distinctly sensitive to yeast-rich host diets in late oogenesis. To investigate the physiological basis for these nutritional impacts, we optimized methodology for absolute Wolbachia quantification by real-time qPCR. We found that yeast-rich diets exerted no significant effect on bodywide Wolbachia titer, although ovarian titers were significantly reduced. This suggests that host diets affects Wolbachia distribution between the soma and late stage germline cells. Notably, relative qPCR methods distorted apparent wsp abundance, due to altered host DNA copy number in yeast-rich conditions. This highlights the importance of absolute quantification data for testing mechanistic hypotheses.<br><br>CONCLUSIONS: We demonstrate that absolute quantification of Wolbachia, using well-controlled cytological and qPCR-based methods, creates new opportunities to determine how bacterial abundance within the germline relates to bacterial distribution within the body. This methodology can be applied to further test germline infection dynamics in response to chemical treatments, genetic conditions, new host/endosymbiont combinations, or potentially adapted to analyze other cell and tissue types.}, }
@article {pmid31477173, year = {2019}, author = {Attardo, GM and Abd-Alla, AMM and Acosta-Serrano, A and Allen, JE and Bateta, R and Benoit, JB and Bourtzis, K and Caers, J and Caljon, G and Christensen, MB and Farrow, DW and Friedrich, M and Hua-Van, A and Jennings, EC and Larkin, DM and Lawson, D and Lehane, MJ and Lenis, VP and Lowy-Gallego, E and Macharia, RW and Malacrida, AR and Marco, HG and Masiga, D and Maslen, GL and Matetovici, I and Meisel, RP and Meki, I and Michalkova, V and Miller, WJ and Minx, P and Mireji, PO and Ometto, L and Parker, AG and Rio, R and Rose, C and Rosendale, AJ and Rota-Stabelli, O and Savini, G and Schoofs, L and Scolari, F and Swain, MT and Takáč, P and Tomlinson, C and Tsiamis, G and Van Den Abbeele, J and Vigneron, A and Wang, J and Warren, WC and Waterhouse, RM and Weirauch, MT and Weiss, BL and Wilson, RK and Zhao, X and Aksoy, S}, title = {Comparative genomic analysis of six Glossina genomes, vectors of African trypanosomes.}, journal = {Genome biology}, volume = {20}, number = {1}, pages = {187}, pmid = {31477173}, issn = {1474-760X}, support = {D43 TW007391/TW/FIC NIH HHS/United States ; R01AI051584/NH/NIH HHS/United States ; R03TW009444/NH/NIH HHS/United States ; R01 AI051584/AI/NIAID NIH HHS/United States ; R01 AI068932/AI/NIAID NIH HHS/United States ; R03TW008413/NH/NIH HHS/United States ; U54HG003079/HG/NHGRI NIH HHS/United States ; U01AI115648/NH/NIH HHS/United States ; R21AI109263//National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases/International ; }, mesh = {Animals ; DNA Transposable Elements/genetics ; Drosophila melanogaster/genetics ; Female ; Gene Expression Regulation ; Genes, Insect ; Genes, X-Linked ; *Genome, Insect ; *Genomics ; Geography ; Insect Proteins/genetics ; Insect Vectors/*genetics ; Male ; Mutagenesis, Insertional/genetics ; Phylogeny ; Repetitive Sequences, Nucleic Acid/genetics ; Sequence Homology, Amino Acid ; Synteny/genetics ; Trypanosoma/*parasitology ; Tsetse Flies/*genetics ; Wolbachia/genetics ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Tsetse flies (Glossina sp.) are the vectors of human and animal trypanosomiasis throughout sub-Saharan Africa. Tsetse flies are distinguished from other Diptera by unique adaptations, including lactation and the birthing of live young (obligate viviparity), a vertebrate blood-specific diet by both sexes, and obligate bacterial symbiosis. This work describes the comparative analysis of six Glossina genomes representing three sub-genera: Morsitans (G. morsitans morsitans, G. pallidipes, G. austeni), Palpalis (G. palpalis, G. fuscipes), and Fusca (G. brevipalpis) which represent different habitats, host preferences, and vectorial capacity.<br><br>RESULTS: Genomic analyses validate established evolutionary relationships and sub-genera. Syntenic analysis of Glossina relative to Drosophila melanogaster shows reduced structural conservation across the sex-linked X chromosome. Sex-linked scaffolds show increased rates of female-specific gene expression and lower evolutionary rates relative to autosome associated genes. Tsetse-specific genes are enriched in protease, odorant-binding, and helicase activities. Lactation-associated genes are conserved across all Glossina species while male seminal proteins are rapidly evolving. Olfactory and gustatory genes are reduced across the genus relative to other insects. Vision-associated Rhodopsin genes show conservation of motion detection/tracking functions and variance in the Rhodopsin detecting colors in the blue wavelength ranges.<br><br>CONCLUSIONS: Expanded genomic discoveries reveal the genetics underlying Glossina biology and provide a rich body of knowledge for basic science and disease control. They also provide insight into the evolutionary biology underlying novel adaptations and are relevant to applied aspects of vector control such as trap design and discovery of novel pest and disease control strategies.}, }
@article {pmid31471686, year = {2019}, author = {Li, Y and Liu, X and Guo, H}, title = {Population Dynamics of Wolbachia in Laodelphax striatellus (Fallén) Under Successive Stress of Antibiotics.}, journal = {Current microbiology}, volume = {76}, number = {11}, pages = {1306-1312}, pmid = {31471686}, issn = {1432-0991}, support = {31672027//the National Natural Science Foundation of China/ ; cx(16)1001//the Independent Innovation Fund of Agricultural Science and Technology in Jiangsu province, China/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; Anti-Bacterial Agents/*pharmacology ; Biodiversity ; Female ; Hemiptera/*microbiology ; Male ; Tetracycline/*pharmacology ; Wolbachia/*drug effects/growth &amp; development ; }, abstract = {Wolbachia are the most common symbionts in arthropods; antibiotic treatment for eliminating the symbionts from their host is necessary to investigate the functions. Tetracycline antibiotics are widely used to remove endosymbiont Wolbachia from insect hosts. However, very little has been known on the effects of tetracycline on population size of Wolbachia in small brown planthopper (SBPH), Laodelphax striatellus (Fallén), an important insect pest of rice in Asia. Here, we investigated the dynamics of Wolbachia population density in females and males of L. striatellus by real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR method. The Wolbachia density in females and males of L. striatellus all declined sharply after treatment with 2 mg/mL tetracycline for one generation, and continued to decrease to a level which could not be detected by both qPCR and diagnostic PCR after treated for another generation, then maintained at 0 in the following three generations with continuous antibiotic treatment. Wolbachia infection did not recover in L. striatellus after stopping tetracycline treatment for ten generations. This is the first report to precisely monitor the population dynamics of Wolbachia in L. striatellus during successive tetracycline treatment and after that. The results provide a useful method for evaluating the efficiency of artificial operation of endosymbionts.}, }
@article {pmid31469838, year = {2019}, author = {Jiménez, NE and Gerdtzen, ZP and Olivera-Nappa, Á and Salgado, JC and Conca, C}, title = {A systems biology approach for studying Wolbachia metabolism reveals points of interaction with its host in the context of arboviral infection.}, journal = {PLoS neglected tropical diseases}, volume = {13}, number = {8}, pages = {e0007678}, pmid = {31469838}, issn = {1935-2735}, mesh = {Aedes/microbiology ; Animals ; Drosophila melanogaster/microbiology ; *Host Microbial Interactions ; Hymenoptera/microbiology ; *Symbiosis ; Systems Biology/methods ; Wolbachia/*growth &amp; development/*metabolism ; }, abstract = {Wolbachia are alpha-proteobacteria known to infect arthropods, which are of interest for disease control since they have been associated with improved resistance to viral infection. Although several genomes for different strains have been sequenced, there is little knowledge regarding the relationship between this bacterium and their hosts, particularly on their dependency for survival. Motivated by the potential applications on disease control, we developed genome-scale models of four Wolbachia strains known to infect arthropods: wAlbB (Aedes albopictus), wVitA (Nasonia vitripennis), wMel and wMelPop (Drosophila melanogaster). The obtained metabolic reconstructions exhibit a metabolism relying mainly on amino acids for energy production and biomass synthesis. A gap analysis was performed to detect metabolic candidates which could explain the endosymbiotic nature of this bacterium, finding that amino acids, requirements for ubiquinone precursors and provisioning of metabolites such as riboflavin could play a crucial role in this relationship. This work provides a systems biology perspective for studying the relationship of Wolbachia with its host and the development of new approaches for control of the spread of arboviral diseases. This approach, where metabolic gaps are key objects of study instead of just additions to complete a model, could be applied to other endosymbiotic bacteria of interest.}, }
@article {pmid31462916, year = {2019}, author = {Ayala, D and Akone-Ella, O and Rahola, N and Kengne, P and Ngangue, MF and Mezeme, F and Makanga, BK and Nigg, M and Costantini, C and Simard, F and Prugnolle, F and Roche, B and Duron, O and Paupy, C}, title = {Natural Wolbachia infections are common in the major malaria vectors in Central Africa.}, journal = {Evolutionary applications}, volume = {12}, number = {8}, pages = {1583-1594}, pmid = {31462916}, issn = {1752-4571}, abstract = {During the last decade, the endosymbiont bacterium Wolbachia has emerged as a biological tool for vector disease control. However, for long time, it was believed that Wolbachia was absent in natural populations of Anopheles. The recent discovery that species within the Anopheles gambiae complex host Wolbachia in natural conditions has opened new opportunities for malaria control research in Africa. Here, we investigated the prevalence and diversity of Wolbachia infection in 25 African Anopheles species in Gabon (Central Africa). Our results revealed the presence of Wolbachia in 16 of these species, including the major malaria vectors in this area. The infection prevalence varied greatly among species, confirming that sample size is a key factor to detect the infection. Moreover, our sequencing and phylogenetic analyses showed the important diversity of Wolbachia strains that infect Anopheles. Co-evolutionary analysis unveiled patterns of Wolbachia transmission within some Anopheles species, suggesting that past independent acquisition events were followed by co-cladogenesis. The large diversity of Wolbachia strains that infect natural populations of Anopheles offers a promising opportunity to select suitable phenotypes for suppressing Plasmodium transmission and/or manipulating Anopheles reproduction, which in turn could be used to reduce the malaria burden in Africa.}, }
@article {pmid31462331, year = {2019}, author = {Shi, C and Beller, L and Deboutte, W and Yinda, KC and Delang, L and Vega-Rúa, A and Failloux, AB and Matthijnssens, J}, title = {Stable distinct core eukaryotic viromes in different mosquito species from Guadeloupe, using single mosquito viral metagenomics.}, journal = {Microbiome}, volume = {7}, number = {1}, pages = {121}, pmid = {31462331}, issn = {2049-2618}, mesh = {Aedes/*virology ; Animals ; Culex/*virology ; Genome, Viral/*genetics ; Guadeloupe ; Metagenome/*genetics ; Metagenomics ; Mosquito Vectors/*virology ; Phylogeny ; *Viruses/classification/genetics/isolation &amp; purification ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Mosquitoes are the most important invertebrate viral vectors in humans and harbor a high diversity of understudied viruses, which has been shown in many mosquito virome studies in recent years. These studies generally performed metagenomics sequencing on pools of mosquitoes, without assessment of the viral diversity in individual mosquitoes. To address this issue, we applied our optimized viral metagenomics protocol (NetoVIR) to compare the virome of single and pooled Aedes aegypti and Culex quinquefasciatus mosquitoes collected from different locations in Guadeloupe, in 2016 and 2017.<br><br>RESULTS: The total read number and viral reads proportion of samples containing a single mosquito have no significant difference compared with those of pools containing five mosquitoes, which proved the feasibility of using single mosquito for viral metagenomics. A comparative analysis of the virome revealed a higher abundance and more diverse eukaryotic virome in Aedes aegypti, whereas Culex quinquefasciatus harbors a richer and more diverse phageome. The majority of the identified eukaryotic viruses were mosquito-species specific. We further characterized the genomes of 11 novel eukaryotic viruses. Furthermore, qRT-PCR analyses of the six most abundant eukaryotic viruses indicated that the majority of individual mosquitoes were infected by several of the selected viruses with viral genome copies per mosquito ranging from 267 to 1.01 × 108 (median 7.5 × 106) for Ae. aegypti and 192 to 8.69 × 106 (median 4.87 × 104) for Cx. quinquefasciatus. Additionally, in Cx. quinquefasciatus, a number of phage contigs co-occurred with several marker genes of Wolbachia sp. strain wPip.<br><br>CONCLUSIONS: We firstly demonstrate the feasibility to use single mosquito for viral metagenomics, which can provide much more precise virome profiles of mosquito populations. Interspecific comparisons show striking differences in abundance and diversity between the viromes of Ae. aegypti and Cx. quinquefasciatus. Those two mosquito species seem to have their own relatively stable &quot;core eukaryotic virome&quot;, which might have important implications for the competence to transmit important medically relevant arboviruses. The presence of Wolbachia in Cx. quinquefasciatus might explain (1) the lower overall viral load compared to Ae. aegypti, (2) the identification of multiple unknown phage contigs, and (3) the difference in competence for important human pathogens. How these viruses, phages, and bacteria influence the physiology and vector competence of mosquito hosts warrants further research.}, }
@article {pmid31451771, year = {2019}, author = {Ford, SA and Allen, SL and Ohm, JR and Sigle, LT and Sebastian, A and Albert, I and Chenoweth, SF and McGraw, EA}, title = {Selection on Aedes aegypti alters Wolbachia-mediated dengue virus blocking and fitness.}, journal = {Nature microbiology}, volume = {4}, number = {11}, pages = {1832-1839}, pmid = {31451771}, issn = {2058-5276}, support = {R01 AI143758/AI/NIAID NIH HHS/United States ; }, mesh = {Aedes/*genetics/microbiology/virology ; Animals ; Dengue Virus/genetics/*pathogenicity ; Evolution, Molecular ; Female ; Gene Frequency ; Genetic Fitness ; Genome, Bacterial ; Insect Proteins/*genetics ; Male ; Mosquito Vectors/physiology ; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide ; Wolbachia/*physiology ; }, abstract = {The dengue, Zika and chikungunya viruses are transmitted by the mosquito Aedes aegypti and pose a substantial threat to global public health. Current vaccines and mosquito control strategies have limited efficacy, so novel interventions are needed1,2. Wolbachia are bacteria that inhabit insect cells and have been found to reduce viral infection-a phenotype that is referred to as viral 'blocking'3. Although not naturally found in A. aegypti4, Wolbachia were stably introduced into this mosquito in 20114,5 and were shown to reduce the transmission potential of dengue, Zika and chikungunya6,7. Subsequent field trials showed Wolbachia's ability to spread through A. aegypti populations and reduce the local incidence of dengue fever8. Despite these successes, the evolutionary stability of viral blocking is unknown. Here, we utilized artificial selection to reveal genetic variation in the mosquito that affects Wolbachia-mediated dengue blocking. We found that mosquitoes exhibiting weaker blocking also have reduced fitness, suggesting the potential for natural selection to maintain blocking. We also identified A. aegypti genes that affect blocking strength, shedding light on a possible mechanism for the trait. These results will inform the use of Wolbachia as biocontrol agents against mosquito-borne viruses and direct further research into measuring and improving their efficacy.}, }
@article {pmid31442887, year = {2019}, author = {Genchi, M and Vismarra, A and Lucchetti, C and Viglietti, A and Crosara, S and Gnudi, G and Quintavalla, C and Schaper, R and Kramer, L}, title = {Efficacy of imidacloprid 10%/moxidectin 2.5% spot on (Advocate®, Advantage Multi®) and doxycycline for the treatment of natural Dirofilaria immitis infections in dogs.}, journal = {Veterinary parasitology}, volume = {273}, number = {}, pages = {11-16}, doi = {10.1016/j.vetpar.2019.07.011}, pmid = {31442887}, issn = {1873-2550}, mesh = {Animals ; Antigens, Helminth/blood ; Arsenicals/therapeutic use ; Dirofilaria immitis ; Dirofilariasis/*drug therapy ; Dog Diseases/drug therapy ; Dogs ; Doxycycline/*therapeutic use ; Drug Therapy, Combination ; Female ; Filaricides/therapeutic use ; Macrolides/*therapeutic use ; Male ; Neonicotinoids/*therapeutic use ; Nitro Compounds/*therapeutic use ; Time Factors ; Treatment Outcome ; Triazines/therapeutic use ; }, abstract = {Heartworm infection (also known as dirofilariosis due to Dirofilaria immitis) in dogs causes chronic pulmonary disease that, if left untreated, can lead to right-side congestive heart failure. Currently, the only registered drug for adulticide therapy in dogs with heartworm disease (HWD) is melarsomine dihydrochloride. The recent targeting of the bacterial endosymbiont Wolbachia, through antibiotic therapy of the infected host, has offered an interesting alternative for the treatment of HWD. Recent reports of the adulticide activity of an ivermectin/doxycycline combination protocol has lead the American Heartworm Society (AHS) to include in its guidelines that, in cases where arsenical therapy is not possible or is contraindicated, a monthly heartworm preventive along with doxycycline for a 4-week period might be considered. In the present study, 20 dogs with confirmed natural D. immitis infection were included following owner consent. Fourteen dogs were treated with a topical formulation containing 10% w/v imidacloprid and 2.5% w/v moxidectin (Advocate®, Advantage Multi®, Bayer), monthly for nine months, associated to doxycycline (10 mg/kg/BID) for the first 30 days. Six dogs were treated with melarsomine (Immiticide®, Merial) (2.5 mg/kg) at enrollment, followed one month later by two injections 24 h apart. The presence of circulating antigens and the number of microfilariae (mf) were evaluated at the moment of enrollment and then at 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 12, 18, 24 months post enrollment. Echocardiogram and radiographs were performed at month 0, 6, 12, 18, 24. Monthly moxidectin combined with 30 days of doxycycline eliminated circulating microfilariae within one month, thus breaking the transmission cycle very quickly. Furthermore, dogs treated with the combination protocol started to become negative for circulating antigens at 4 months from the beginning of treatment and all except one were antigen negative at 9 months. All dogs treated with melarsomine were antigen negative by 5 months from the beginning of the treatment. No dogs showed worsening of pulmonary patterns or criteria indicative of pulmonary hypertension 12 to 24 months after. For the criteria mf concentration, antigen concentration, radiography and echocardiography at 12, 18 and 24 months the non-inferiority for the moxidectin group could be proven for a non-inferiority margin of 15% for the rate difference. Dogs treated with moxidectin and doxycycline became negative for microfilariae and antigens sooner when compared to melarsomine in the present study and to dogs treated with doxycycline combined with ivermectin in studies previously published.}, }
@article {pmid31442178, year = {2019}, author = {Cohnstaedt, LW and Alfonso-Parra, C}, title = {2018 Highlights of Mosquito and Vector Biology and Control in Latin America.}, journal = {Journal of the American Mosquito Control Association}, volume = {35}, number = {1}, pages = {40-46}, doi = {10.2987/18-6769.1}, pmid = {31442178}, issn = {1943-6270}, mesh = {Animals ; *Culicidae ; Latin America ; *Mosquito Control ; *Mosquito Vectors ; }, abstract = {The 28th Annual Latin American Symposium presented by the American Mosquito Control Association (AMCA) was held as part of the 84th Annual Meeting of the AMCA held in Kansas City, MO, in February 2018. The Latin American Symposium promotes the participation of vector control specialists, public health workers, and academic members from Latin America and the sharing of scientific data between continents. Generally, presentations are in Spanish with simultaneous translation into English. The majority of presentation slides are in English to facilitate communication among all meeting attendees. This publication includes summaries of 14 oral presentations by participants from Colombia, Mexico, and the United States of America. Topics addressed in the 3 sessions of the symposium included: larval habitats, insecticide resistance, new Aedes mosquito traps, blood meal analysis and fitness outcomes, vertical transmission of dengue, and transstadial composition of midgut microbiota. Control techniques discussed included sterile insect technique (SIT) with radiation, SIT by Wolbachia, thermal fogging, ultra-low volume pesticide applications, indoor residual spraying, Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis de Barjac (Bti), and Spinosad larval treatments. Presentations were also given on species composition and diversity of phlebotomine sand flies. Presentations were related to the vector species belonging to the mosquito genera, Anopheles, Aedes, and Culex as well as phlebotomine sand flies involved in the transmission of the causal agents of malaria, arboviruses (dengue, chikungunya, Zika), and leishmaniasis.}, }
@article {pmid31434963, year = {2019}, author = {Bennett, KL and Gómez-Martínez, C and Chin, Y and Saltonstall, K and McMillan, WO and Rovira, JR and Loaiza, JR}, title = {Dynamics and diversity of bacteria associated with the disease vectors Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus.}, journal = {Scientific reports}, volume = {9}, number = {1}, pages = {12160}, pmid = {31434963}, issn = {2045-2322}, mesh = {Aedes/growth &amp; development/*microbiology ; Animals ; Bacteria/genetics/*growth &amp; development ; Disease Vectors ; Ecosystem ; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration ; Larva/microbiology ; *Microbiota ; Panama ; Principal Component Analysis ; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S/chemistry/genetics/metabolism ; Sequence Analysis, DNA ; Temperature ; Water/chemistry ; Wolbachia/genetics/growth &amp; development ; }, 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.}, }
@article {pmid31432763, year = {2019}, author = {Charlesworth, J and Weinert, LA and Araujo, EV and Welch, JJ}, title = {Wolbachia, Cardinium and climate: an analysis of global data.}, journal = {Biology letters}, volume = {15}, number = {8}, pages = {20190273}, pmid = {31432763}, issn = {1744-957X}, support = {109385/Z/15/Z/WT_/Wellcome Trust/United Kingdom ; }, mesh = {Animals ; *Arthropods ; Bacteroidetes ; Insecta ; Symbiosis ; *Wolbachia ; }, abstract = {Bacterial endosymbionts are very common in terrestrial arthropods, but infection levels vary widely among populations. Experiments and within-species comparisons suggest that environmental temperature might be important in explaining this variation. To investigate the importance of temperature, at broad geographical and taxonomic scales, we extended a global database of terrestrial arthropods screened for Wolbachia and Cardinium. Our final dataset contained data from more than 117 000 arthropods (over 2500 species) screened for Wolbachia and more than 18 000 arthropods (over 800 species) screened for Cardinium, including samples from 137 different countries, with mean temperatures varying from -6.5 to 29.2°C. In insects and relatives, Cardinium infection showed a clear and consistent tendency to increase with temperature. For Wolbachia, a tendency to increase with temperature in temperate climates is counteracted by reduced prevalence in the tropics, resulting in a weak negative trend overall. We discuss the implications of these results for natural and introduced symbionts in regions affected by climate change.}, }
@article {pmid31430401, year = {2019}, author = {Mathé-Hubert, H and Kaech, H and Hertaeg, C and Jaenike, J and Vorburger, C}, title = {Nonrandom associations of maternally transmitted symbionts in insects: The roles of drift versus biased cotransmission and selection.}, journal = {Molecular ecology}, volume = {28}, number = {24}, pages = {5330-5346}, doi = {10.1111/mec.15206}, pmid = {31430401}, issn = {1365-294X}, mesh = {Animals ; Aphids/*genetics/microbiology ; Bayes Theorem ; Drosophila/genetics/microbiology ; Gene Transfer, Horizontal/genetics ; Maternal Inheritance/genetics ; Microbiota/genetics ; Phylogeny ; Spiroplasma/*genetics ; Symbiosis/*genetics ; Wolbachia/*genetics ; }, abstract = {Virtually all higher organisms form holobionts with associated microbiota. To understand the biology of holobionts we need to know how species assemble and interact. Controlled experiments are suited to study interactions between particular symbionts, but they only accommodate a tiny portion of the diversity within each species. Alternatively, interactions can be inferred by testing if associations among symbionts in the field are more or less frequent than expected under random assortment. However, random assortment may not be a valid null hypothesis for maternally transmitted symbionts since drift alone can result in associations. Here, we analyse a European field survey of endosymbionts in pea aphids (Acyrthosiphon pisum), confirming that symbiont associations are pervasive. To interpret them, we develop a model simulating the effect of drift on symbiont associations. We show that drift induces apparently nonrandom assortment, even though horizontal transmissions and maternal transmission failures tend to randomise symbiont associations. We also use this model in the approximate Bayesian computation framework to revisit the association between Spiroplasma and Wolbachia in Drosophila neotestacea. New field data reported here reveal that this association has disappeared in the investigated location, yet a significant interaction between Spiroplasma and Wolbachia can still be inferred. Our study confirms that negative and positive associations are pervasive and often induced by symbiont-symbiont interactions. Nevertheless, some associations are also likely to be driven by drift. This possibility needs to be considered when performing such analyses, and our model is helpful for this purpose.}, }
@article {pmid31425852, year = {2019}, author = {Huang, HJ and Cui, JR and Chen, J and Bing, XL and Hong, XY}, title = {Proteomic analysis of Laodelphax striatellus gonads reveals proteins that may manipulate host reproduction by Wolbachia.}, journal = {Insect biochemistry and molecular biology}, volume = {113}, number = {}, pages = {103211}, doi = {10.1016/j.ibmb.2019.103211}, pmid = {31425852}, issn = {1879-0240}, mesh = {Animals ; Gonads/growth &amp; development/microbiology ; Hemiptera/genetics/growth &amp; development/*physiology ; Insect Proteins/*genetics/metabolism ; Male ; Nymph/genetics/growth &amp; development ; Proteome ; Proteomics ; Reproduction ; Wolbachia/*physiology ; }, abstract = {Wolbachia are intracellular bacteria that manipulate host reproduction by several mechanisms including cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI). However, the underlying mechanisms of Wolbachia-induced CI are not entirely clear. Here, we monitored the Wolbachia distribution in the male gonads of the small brown planthopper (Laodelphax striatellus, SBPH) at different development stages, and investigated the influence of Wolbachia on male gonads by a quantitative proteomic analysis. A total of 276 differentially expressed proteins were identified, with the majority of them participating in metabolism, modification, and reproduction. Knocking down the expression of outer dense fiber protein (ODFP) and venom allergen 5-like (VA5L) showed decreased egg reproduction, and these two genes might be responsible for Wolbachia improved fecundity in infected L. striatellus; whereas knocking down the expression of cytosol amino-peptidase-like (CAL) significantly decreased the egg hatch rate in Wolbachia-uninfected L. striatellus, but not in the Wolbachia-infected one. Considering that the mRNA/protein level of CAL was downregulated by Wolbachia infection and dsCAL treatment closely mimicked Wolbachia-induced CI, we presumed that CAL might be one of the factors determining the CI phenotype.}, }
@article {pmid31425566, year = {2019}, author = {Doremus, MR and Kelly, SE and Hunter, MS}, title = {Exposure to opposing temperature extremes causes comparable effects on Cardinium density but contrasting effects on Cardinium-induced cytoplasmic incompatibility.}, journal = {PLoS pathogens}, volume = {15}, number = {8}, pages = {e1008022}, pmid = {31425566}, issn = {1553-7374}, mesh = {Animals ; Bacteroidetes/*physiology ; *Cold Temperature ; *Host-Pathogen Interactions ; *Hot Temperature ; *Reproduction ; Symbiosis ; Wasps/*microbiology ; }, abstract = {Terrestrial arthropods, including insects, commonly harbor maternally inherited intracellular symbionts that confer benefits to the host or manipulate host reproduction to favor infected female progeny. These symbionts may be especially vulnerable to thermal stress, potentially leading to destabilization of the symbiosis and imposing costs to the host. For example, increased temperatures can reduce the density of a common reproductive manipulator, Wolbachia, and the strength of its crossing incompatibility (cytoplasmic incompatibility, or CI) phenotype. Another manipulative symbiont, Cardinium hertigii, infects ~ 6-10% of Arthropods, and also can induce CI, but there is little homology between the molecular mechanisms of CI induced by Cardinium and Wolbachia. Here we investigated whether temperature disrupts the CI phenotype of Cardinium in a parasitic wasp host, Encarsia suzannae. We examined the effects of both warm (32°C day/ 29°C night) and cool (20°C day/ 17°C night) temperatures on Cardinium CI and found that both types of temperature stress modified aspects of this symbiosis. Warm temperatures reduced symbiont density, pupal developmental time, vertical transmission rate, and the strength of both CI modification and rescue. Cool temperatures also reduced symbiont density, however this resulted in stronger CI, likely due to cool temperatures prolonging the host pupal stage. The opposing effects of cool and warm-mediated reductions in symbiont density on the resulting CI phenotype indicates that CI strength may be independent of density in this system. Temperature stress also modified the CI phenotype only if it occurred during the pupal stage, highlighting the likely importance of this stage for CI induction in this symbiosis.}, }
@article {pmid31417112, year = {2019}, author = {Lorenzo-Carballa, MO and Torres-Cambas, Y and Heaton, K and Hurst, GDD and Charlat, S and Sherratt, TN and Van Gossum, H and Cordero-Rivera, A and Beatty, CD}, title = {Widespread Wolbachia infection in an insular radiation of damselflies (Odonata, Coenagrionidae).}, journal = {Scientific reports}, volume = {9}, number = {1}, pages = {11933}, pmid = {31417112}, issn = {2045-2322}, mesh = {Alleles ; Animals ; Bayes Theorem ; *Biological Evolution ; Fiji ; Geography ; Gram-Negative Bacterial Infections/*microbiology ; Host-Pathogen Interactions ; Multilocus Sequence Typing ; Odonata/*microbiology ; Phylogeny ; Wolbachia/classification/*physiology ; }, abstract = {Wolbachia is one of the most common endosymbionts found infecting arthropods. Theory predicts symbionts like Wolbachia will be more common in species radiations, as host shift events occur with greatest frequency between closely related species. Further, the presence of Wolbachia itself may engender reproductive isolation, and promote speciation of their hosts. Here we screened 178 individuals belonging to 30 species of the damselfly genera Nesobasis and Melanesobasis - species radiations endemic to the Fiji archipelago in the South Pacific - for Wolbachia, using multilocus sequence typing to characterize bacterial strains. Incidence of Wolbachia was 71% in Nesobasis and 40% in Melanesobasis, and prevalence was also high, with an average of 88% in the Nesobasis species screened. We identified a total of 25 Wolbachia strains, belonging to supergroups A, B and F, with some epidemic strains present in multiple species. The occurrence of Wolbachia in both males and females, and the similar global prevalence found in both sexes rules out any strong effect of Wolbachia on the primary sex-ratio, but are compatible with the phenotype of cytoplasmic incompatibility. Nesobasis has higher species richness than most endemic island damselfly genera, and we discuss the potential for endosymbiont-mediated speciation within this group.}, }
@article {pmid31416478, year = {2019}, author = {Gonçalves, DDS and Hooker, DJ and Dong, Y and Baran, N and Kyrylos, P and Iturbe-Ormaetxe, I and Simmons, CP and O'Neill, SL}, title = {Detecting wMel Wolbachia in field-collected Aedes aegypti mosquitoes using loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP).}, journal = {Parasites &amp; vectors}, volume = {12}, number = {1}, pages = {404}, pmid = {31416478}, issn = {1756-3305}, mesh = {Aedes/*microbiology ; Animals ; Colorimetry ; DNA Primers ; Genes, Bacterial ; Mosquito Vectors/microbiology ; *Nucleic Acid Amplification Techniques ; Queensland ; Wolbachia/*isolation &amp; purification ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: The World Mosquito Program uses Wolbachia pipientis for the biocontrol of arboviruses transmitted by Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. Diagnostic testing for Wolbachia in laboratory colonies and in field-caught mosquito populations has typically employed PCR. New, simpler methods to diagnose Wolbachia infection in mosquitoes are required for large-scale operational use.<br><br>METHODS: Field-collected Ae. aegypti mosquitoes from North Queensland were tested using primers designed to detect the Wolbachia wsp gene, specific to the strain wMel. The results were analysed by colour change in the reaction mix. Furthermore, to confirm the efficiency of the LAMP assay, the results were compared to the gold-standard qPCR test.<br><br>RESULTS: A novel loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) colorimetric test for the wMel strain of Wolbachia was designed, developed and validated for use in a high-throughput setting. Against the standard qPCR test, the analytical sensitivity, specificity and diagnostic metrics were: sensitivity (99.6%), specificity (92.2%), positive predictive value (97.08%) and negative predictive value (99.30%).<br><br>CONCLUSIONS: We describe an alternative, novel and high-throughput method for diagnosing wMel Wolbachia infections in mosquitoes. This assay should support Wolbachia surveillance in both laboratory and field populations of Ae. aegypti.}, }
@article {pmid31411007, year = {2020}, author = {Zhu, YX and Song, ZR and Song, YL and Zhao, DS and Hong, XY}, title = {The microbiota in spider mite feces potentially reflects intestinal bacterial communities in the host.}, journal = {Insect science}, volume = {27}, number = {5}, pages = {859-868}, doi = {10.1111/1744-7917.12716}, pmid = {31411007}, issn = {1744-7917}, support = {2019M651864//China Postdoctoral Science Foundation/ ; 31672035//National Natural Science Foundation of China/ ; 31871976//National Natural Science Foundation of China/ ; 31901888//National Natural Science Foundation of China/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; Bacteria/*isolation &amp; purification ; Feces/microbiology ; Gastrointestinal Microbiome ; *Host Microbial Interactions ; Microbiota/*physiology ; RNA, Bacterial/analysis ; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S/analysis ; *Symbiosis ; Tetranychidae/*microbiology ; }, abstract = {Microorganisms provide many physiological functions to herbivorous hosts. Spider mites (genus Tetranychus) are important agricultural pests throughout the world; however, the composition of the spider mite microbial community, especially gut microbiome, remains unclear. Here, we investigated the bacterial community in five spider mite species and their associated feces by deep sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene. The composition of the bacterial community was significantly different among the five prevalent spider mite species, and some bacterial symbionts showed host-species specificity. Moreover, the abundance of the bacterial community in spider mite feces was significantly higher than that in the corresponding spider mite samples. However, Flavobacterium was detected in all samples, and represent a &quot;core microbiome&quot;. Remarkably, the maternally inherited endosymbiont Wolbachia was detected in both spider mite and feces. Overall, these results offer insight into the complex community of symbionts in spider mites, and give a new direction for future studies.}, }
@article {pmid31409391, year = {2019}, author = {Lucchetti, C and Genchi, M and Venco, L and Menozzi, A and Serventi, P and Bertini, S and Bazzocchi, C and Kramer, LH and Vismarra, A}, title = {Differential ABC transporter gene expression in adult Dirofilaria immitis males and females following in vitro treatment with ivermectin, doxycycline or a combination of both.}, journal = {Parasites &amp; vectors}, volume = {12}, number = {1}, pages = {401}, pmid = {31409391}, issn = {1756-3305}, mesh = {ATP-Binding Cassette Transporters/*genetics ; Animals ; Dirofilaria immitis/*drug effects/*genetics ; Dirofilariasis/parasitology ; Dogs ; Doxycycline/*pharmacology ; Drug Combinations ; Female ; Ivermectin/*pharmacology ; Male ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Combination doxycycline/macrocyclic lactone (ML) protocols have been shown to provide a more rapid adulticidal and microfilaricidal effect than either MLs or doxycycline alone, although female worms were reported to have a higher tolerance to treatments compared to male worms. The present study aimed to evaluate how ABC transporters may be involved in the synergic effect of the combination treatment. Adult worms of D. immitis were treated in vitro for 24 hours with doxycycline (DOXY), ivermectin (IVM) and a combination of both, and changes in the modulation of ABC transporter genes were measured. Levels of doxycycline inside different treatment media, post-treatment, were determined through HPLC analysis.<br><br>RESULTS: Quantitative RT-PCR analysis showed the presence of changes in the modulation of ABC transporter genes evaluated in this study. In particular, in female worms, the combination treatment induced a substantial increase in gene expressions, especially of Dim-pgp-10 and Dim-haf-4; whereas in male worms, the greatest increase in gene expression was observed for Dim-pgp-10 and Dim-pgp-11 when treated with DMSO + IVM and DMSO + DOXY/IVM. HPLC analysis of the DOXY concentrations in the media after in vitro treatments of male worms showed a slight difference between the DMSO + DOXY samples and the combination (DMSO + DOXY + IVM), while no difference was observed among females.<br><br>CONCLUSIONS: Further studies are required to explain whether the modulation of cellular efflux plays a role, even partially, in the adulticide effect of doxycycline/macrocyclic lactone combinations in heartworm-infected dogs. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first study to evaluate P-gp expression in adult D. immitis.}, }
@article {pmid31407021, year = {2020}, author = {Bockoven, AA and Bondy, EC and Flores, MJ and Kelly, SE and Ravenscraft, AM and Hunter, MS}, title = {What Goes Up Might Come Down: the Spectacular Spread of an Endosymbiont Is Followed by Its Decline a Decade Later.}, journal = {Microbial ecology}, volume = {79}, number = {2}, pages = {482-494}, pmid = {31407021}, issn = {1432-184X}, support = {DEB-1020460//Division of Environmental Biology/ ; IOS-1256905//Division of Integrative Organismal Systems/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; Arizona ; Genetic Fitness ; Hemiptera/genetics/*microbiology/*physiology ; *Microbiota ; Rickettsia/*physiology ; Sex Ratio ; *Symbiosis ; }, abstract = {Facultative, intracellular bacterial symbionts of arthropods may dramatically affect host biology and reproduction. The length of these symbiont-host associations may be thousands to millions of years, and while symbiont loss is predicted, there have been very few observations of a decline of symbiont infection rates. In a population of the sweet potato whitefly species (Bemisia tabaci MEAM1) in Arizona, USA, we documented the frequency decline of a strain of Rickettsia in the Rickettsia bellii clade from near-fixation in 2011 to 36% of whiteflies infected in 2017. In previous studies, Rickettsia had been shown to increase from 1 to 97% from 2000 to 2006 and remained at high frequency for at least five years. At that time, Rickettsia infection was associated with both fitness benefits and female bias. In the current study, we established matrilines of whiteflies from the field (2016, Rickettsia infection frequency = 58%) and studied (a) Rickettsia vertical transmission, (b) fitness and sex ratios associated with Rickettsia infection, (c) symbiont titer, and (d) bacterial communities within whiteflies. The vertical transmission rate was high, approximately 98%. Rickettsia infection in the matrilines was not associated with fitness benefits or sex ratio bias and appeared to be slightly costly, as more Rickettsia-infected individuals produced non-hatching eggs. Overall, the titer of Rickettsia in the matrilines was lower in 2016 than in the whiteflies collected in 2011, but the titer distribution appeared bimodal, with high- and low-titer lines, and constancy of the average titer within lines over three generations. We found neither association between Rickettsia titer and fitness benefits or sex ratio bias nor evidence that Rickettsia was replaced by another secondary symbiont. The change in the interaction between symbiont and host in 2016 whiteflies may explain the drop in symbiont frequency we observed.}, }
@article {pmid31397383, year = {2019}, author = {Anderson, ML and Rustin, RC and Eremeeva, ME}, title = {Pilot survey of mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) from southeastern Georgia, USA for Wolbachia and Rickettsia felis (Rickettsiales: Rickettsiaceae).}, journal = {Journal of vector borne diseases}, volume = {56}, number = {2}, pages = {92-97}, doi = {10.4103/0972-9062.263714}, pmid = {31397383}, issn = {0972-9062}, mesh = {Animals ; Culicidae/*microbiology ; DNA, Bacterial/genetics ; Female ; Genotype ; Georgia ; Male ; Pilot Projects ; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S ; Rickettsiaceae/genetics/*isolation &amp; purification ; Wolbachia/genetics/*isolation &amp; purification ; }, abstract = {Background &amp; objectives: Mosquito surveillance is one of the critical functions of local health departments, particularly in the context of outbreaks of severe mosquito-borne viral infections. Unfortunately, some viral and parasitic infections transmitted by mosquitoes, manifests non-specific clinical symptoms which may actually be of rickettsial etiology, including Rickettsia felis infections. This study tested the hypothesis that mosquitoes from southeastern Georgia, USA may be infected with Rickettsia felis and Wolbachia, an endosymbiotic bacterium of the order Rickettsiales.<br><br>Methods: Specimens of the five most common mosquito species occurring in the region were collected using gravid and light-traps and identified using morphological keys. Mosquitoes were then pooled by species, sex, trap and collection site and their DNA was extracted. Molecular methods were used to confirm mosquito identification, and presence of Wolbachia and R. felis.<br><br>Results: Wolbachia DNA was detected in 90.8% of the mosquito pools tested, which included 98% pools of Cx. quinquefasciatus Say (Diptera: Culicidae), 95% pools of Ae. albopictus Skuse (Diptera: Culicidae), and 66.7% of pools of Cx. pipiens complex. Samples of An. punctipennis Say (Diptera: Culicidae) and An. crucians Wiedemann (Diptera: Culicidae) were tested negative for Wolbachia DNA. Three genotypes of Wolbachia sp. belonging to Group A (1 type) and Group B (2 types) were identified. DNA of R. felis was not found in any pool of mosquitoes tested.<br><br>This study provides a pilot data on the high presence of Wolbachia in Cx. quinque-fasciatus and Ae. albopictus mosquitoes prevalent in the study region. Whether the high prevalence of Wolbachia and its genetic diversity in mosquitoes affects the mosquitoes' susceptibility to R. felis infection in Georgia will need further evaluation.}, }
@article {pmid31396100, year = {2019}, author = {Liu, L and Zhang, KJ and Rong, X and Li, YY and Liu, H}, title = {Identification of Wolbachia-Responsive miRNAs in the Small Brown Planthopper, Laodelphax striatellus.}, journal = {Frontiers in physiology}, volume = {10}, number = {}, pages = {928}, pmid = {31396100}, issn = {1664-042X}, abstract = {Laodelphax striatellus is naturally infected with the Wolbachia strain wStri, which induces strong cytoplasmic incompatibility of its host. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of endogenous non-coding small RNAs that play a critical role in the regulation of gene expression at post-transcriptional level in various biological processes. Despite various studies reporting that Wolbachia affects the miRNA expression of their hosts, the molecular mechanism underlying interactions between Wolbachia and their host miRNAs has not been well understood. In order to better understand the impact of Wolbachia infection on its host, we investigated the differentially expressed miRNAs between Wolbachia-infected and Wolbachia-uninfected strains of L. striatellus. Compared with uninfected strains, Wolbachia infection resulted in up-regulation of 18 miRNAs and down-regulation of 6 miRNAs in male, while 25 miRNAs were up-regulated and 15 miRNAs were down-regulated in female. The target genes of these differentially expressed miRNAs involved in immune response regulation, reproduction, redox homeostasis and ecdysteroidogenesis were also annotated in both sexes. We further verified the expression of several significantly differentially expressed miRNAs and their predicted target genes by qRT-PCR method. The results suggested that Wolbachia appears to reduce the expression of genes related to fertility in males and increase the expression of genes related to fecundity in females. At the same time, Wolbachia may enhance the expression of immune-related genes in both sexes. All of the results in this study may be helpful in further exploration of the molecular mechanisms by which Wolbachia affects on its hosts.}, }
@article {pmid31384012, year = {2019}, author = {Klinges, JG and Rosales, SM and McMinds, R and Shaver, EC and Shantz, AA and Peters, EC and Eitel, M and Wörheide, G and Sharp, KH and Burkepile, DE and Silliman, BR and Vega Thurber, RL}, title = {Phylogenetic, genomic, and biogeographic characterization of a novel and ubiquitous marine invertebrate-associated Rickettsiales parasite, Candidatus Aquarickettsia rohweri, gen. nov., sp. nov.}, journal = {The ISME journal}, volume = {13}, number = {12}, pages = {2938-2953}, pmid = {31384012}, issn = {1751-7370}, mesh = {Animals ; Aquatic Organisms/*microbiology ; Genome, Bacterial ; Genomics ; Gram-Negative Bacterial Infections/microbiology/*veterinary ; Invertebrates/*microbiology ; Parasites/classification/genetics/isolation &amp; purification ; *Phylogeny ; Rickettsiales/classification/genetics/*isolation &amp; purification ; }, abstract = {Bacterial symbionts are integral to the health and homeostasis of invertebrate hosts. Notably, members of the Rickettsiales genus Wolbachia influence several aspects of the fitness and evolution of their terrestrial hosts, but few analogous partnerships have been found in marine systems. We report here the genome, phylogenetics, and biogeography of a ubiquitous and novel Rickettsiales species that primarily associates with marine organisms. We previously showed that this bacterium was found in scleractinian corals, responds to nutrient exposure, and is associated with reduced host growth and increased mortality. This bacterium, like other Rickettsiales, has a reduced genome indicative of a parasitic lifestyle. Phylogenetic analysis places this Rickettsiales within a new genus we define as &quot;Candidatus Aquarickettsia.&quot; Using data from the Earth Microbiome Project and SRA databases, we also demonstrate that members of &quot;Ca. Aquarickettsia&quot; are found globally in dozens of invertebrate lineages. The coral-associated &quot;Candidatus A. rohweri&quot; is the first finished genome in this new clade. &quot;Ca. A. rohweri&quot; lacks genes to synthesize most sugars and amino acids but possesses several genes linked to pathogenicity including Tlc, an antiporter that exchanges host ATP for ADP, and a complete Type IV secretion system. Despite its inability to metabolize nitrogen, &quot;Ca. A. rohweri&quot; possesses the NtrY-NtrX two-component system involved in sensing and responding to extracellular nitrogen. Given these data, along with visualization of the parasite in host tissues, we hypothesize that &quot;Ca. A. rohweri&quot; reduces coral health by consuming host nutrients and energy, thus weakening and eventually killing host cells. Last, we hypothesize that nutrient enrichment, which is increasingly common on coral reefs, encourages unrestricted growth of &quot;Ca. A. rohweri&quot; in its host by providing abundant N-rich metabolites to be scavenged.}, }
@article {pmid31381563, year = {2019}, author = {Hübner, MP and Koschel, M and Struever, D and Nikolov, V and Frohberger, SJ and Ehrens, A and Fendler, M and Johannes, I and von Geldern, TW and Marsh, K and Turner, JD and Taylor, MJ and Ward, SA and Pfarr, K and Kempf, DJ and Hoerauf, A}, title = {In vivo kinetics of Wolbachia depletion by ABBV-4083 in L. sigmodontis adult worms and microfilariae.}, journal = {PLoS neglected tropical diseases}, volume = {13}, number = {8}, pages = {e0007636}, pmid = {31381563}, issn = {1935-2735}, mesh = {Animals ; Anti-Bacterial Agents/*pharmacology ; Doxycycline/pharmacology ; Female ; Filariasis ; Filarioidea/drug effects/*microbiology ; Gerbillinae ; Kinetics ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Microfilariae/drug effects/embryology/*microbiology ; Models, Animal ; Wolbachia/*drug effects/*physiology ; }, abstract = {Depletion of Wolbachia endosymbionts of human pathogenic filariae using 4-6 weeks of doxycycline treatment can lead to permanent sterilization and adult filarial death. We investigated the anti-Wolbachia drug candidate ABBV-4083 in the Litomosoides sigmodontis rodent model to determine Wolbachia depletion kinetics with different regimens. Wolbachia reduction occurred in mice as early as 3 days after the initiation of ABBV-4083 treatment and continued throughout a 10-day treatment period. Importantly, Wolbachia levels continued to decline after a 5-day-treatment from 91.5% to 99.9% during a 3-week washout period. In jirds, two weeks of ABBV-4083 treatment (100mg/kg once-per-day) caused a >99.9% Wolbachia depletion in female adult worms, and the kinetics of Wolbachia depletion were recapitulated in peripheral blood microfilariae. Similar to Wolbachia depletion, inhibition of embryogenesis was time-dependent in ABBV-4083-treated jirds, leading to a complete lack of late embryonic stages (stretched microfilariae) and lack of peripheral microfilariae in 5/6 ABBV-4083-treated jirds by 14 weeks after treatment. Twice daily treatment in comparison to once daily treatment with ABBV-4083 did not significantly improve Wolbachia depletion. Moreover, up to 4 nonconsecutive daily treatments within a 14-dose regimen did not significantly erode Wolbachia depletion. Within the limitations of an animal model that does not fully recapitulate human filarial disease, our studies suggest that Wolbachia depletion should be assessed clinically no earlier than 3-4 weeks after the end of treatment, and that Wolbachia depletion in microfilariae may be a viable surrogate marker for the depletion within adult worms. Furthermore, strict daily adherence to the dosing regimen with anti-Wolbachia candidates may not be required, provided that the full regimen is subsequently completed.}, }
@article {pmid31380084, year = {2019}, author = {Yoshida, K and Sanada-Morimura, S and Huang, SH and Tokuda, M}, title = {Influences of two coexisting endosymbionts, CI-inducing Wolbachia and male-killing Spiroplasma, on the performance of their host Laodelphax striatellus (Hemiptera: Delphacidae).}, journal = {Ecology and evolution}, volume = {9}, number = {14}, pages = {8214-8224}, pmid = {31380084}, issn = {2045-7758}, abstract = {The small brown planthopper Laodelphax striatellus (Hemiptera: Delphacidae) is reported to have the endosymbiont Wolbachia, which shows a strong cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI) between infected males and uninfected females. In the 2000s, female-biased L. striatellus populations were found in Taiwan, and this sex ratio distortion was the result of male-killing induced by the infection of another endosymbiont, Spiroplasma. Spiroplasma infection is considered to negatively affect both L. striatellus and Wolbachia because the male-killing halves the offspring of L. striatellus and hinders the spread of Wolbachia infection via CI. Spiroplasma could have traits that increase the fitness of infected L. striatellus and/or coexisting organisms because the coinfection rates of Wolbachia and Spiroplasma were rather high in some areas. In this study, we investigated the influences of the infection of these two endosymbionts on the development, reproduction, and insecticide resistance of L. striatellus in the laboratory. Our results show that the single-infection state of Spiroplasma had a negative influence on the fertility of L. striatellus, while the double-infection state had no significant influence. At late nymphal and adult stages, the abundance of Spiroplasma was lower in the double-infection state than in the single-infection state. In the double-infection state, the reduction of Spiroplasma density may be caused by competition between the two endosymbionts, and the negative influence of Spiroplasma on the fertility of host may be relieved. The resistance of L. striatellus to four insecticides was compared among different infection states of endosymbionts, but Spiroplasma infection did not contribute to increase insecticide resistance. Because positive influences of Spiroplasma infection were not found in terms of the development, reproduction, and insecticide resistance of L. striatellus, other factors improving the fitness of Spiroplasma-infected L. striatellus may be related to the high frequency of double infection in some L. striatellus populations.}, }
@article {pmid31380078, year = {2019}, author = {Hu, G and Zhang, L and Yun, Y and Peng, Y}, title = {Taking insight into the gut microbiota of three spider species: No characteristic symbiont was found corresponding to the special feeding style of spiders.}, journal = {Ecology and evolution}, volume = {9}, number = {14}, pages = {8146-8156}, pmid = {31380078}, issn = {2045-7758}, abstract = {Microorganisms in insect guts have been recognized as having a great impact on their hosts' nutrition, health, and behavior. Spiders are important natural enemies of pests, and the composition of the gut microbiota of spiders remains unclear. Will the bacterial taxa in spiders be same as the bacterial taxa in insects, and what are the potential functions of the gut bacteria in spiders? To gain insight into the composition of the gut bacteria in spiders and their potential function, we collected three spider species, Pardosa laura, Pardosa astrigera, and Nurscia albofasciata, in the field, and high-throughput sequencing of the 16S rRNA V3 and V4 regions was used to investigate the diversity of gut microbiota across the three spider species. A total of 23 phyla and 150 families were identified in these three spider species. The dominant bacterial phylum across all samples was Proteobacteria. Burkholderia, Ralstonia, Ochrobactrum, Providencia, Acinetobacter, Proteus, and Rhodoplanes were the dominant genera in the guts of the three spider species. The relative abundances of Wolbachia and Rickettsiella detected in N. albofasciata were significantly higher than those in the other two spider species. The relative abundance of Thermus, Amycolatopsis, Lactococcus, Acinetobacter Microbacterium, and Koribacter detected in spider gut was different among the three spider species. Biomolecular interaction networks indicated that the microbiota in the guts had complex interactions. The results of this study also suggested that at the genus level, some of the gut bacteria taxa in the three spider species were the same as the bacteria in insect guts.}, }
@article {pmid31380036, year = {2019}, author = {Su, Q and Wang, X and Ilyas, N and Zhang, F and Yun, Y and Jian, C and Peng, Y}, title = {Combined effects of elevated CO2 concentration and Wolbachia on Hylyphantes graminicola (Araneae: Linyphiidae).}, journal = {Ecology and evolution}, volume = {9}, number = {12}, pages = {7112-7121}, pmid = {31380036}, issn = {2045-7758}, abstract = {The increasing concentration of carbon dioxide in atmosphere is not only a major cause of global warming, but it also adversely affects the ecological diversity of invertebrates. This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of elevated CO2 concentration (ambient, 400 ppm and high, 800 ppm) and Wolbachia (Wolbachia-infected, W+ and Wolbachia-uninfected, W-) on Hylyphantes graminicola. The total survival rate, developmental duration, carapace width and length, body weight, sex ratio, net reproductive rate, nutrition content, and enzyme activity in H. graminicola were examined under four treatments: W- 400 ppm, W- 800 ppm, W+ 400 ppm, and W+ 800 ppm. Results showed that Wolbachia-infected spiders had significantly decreased the total developmental duration. Different instars showed variations up to some extent, but no obvious effect was found under elevated CO2 concentration. Total survival rate, sex ratio, and net reproductive rate were not affected by elevated CO2 concentration or Wolbachia infection. The carapace width of Wolbachia-uninfected spiders decreased significantly under elevated CO2 concentration, while the width, length and weight were not significantly affected in Wolbachia-infected spiders reared at ambient CO2 concentration. The levels of protein, specific activities of peroxidase, and amylase were significantly increased under elevated CO2 concentration or Wolbachia-infected spiders, while the total amino content was only increased in Wolbachia-infected spiders. Thus, our current finding suggested that elevated CO2 concentration and Wolbachia enhance nutrient contents and enzyme activity of H. graminicola and decrease development duration hence explore the interactive effects of factors which were responsible for reproduction regulation, but it also gives a theoretical direction for spider's protection in such a dynamic environment. Increased activities of enzymes and nutrients caused by Wolbachia infection aids for better survival of H. graminicola under stress.}, }
@article {pmid31375435, year = {2019}, author = {Dimopoulos, G}, title = {Combining Sterile and Incompatible Insect Techniques for Aedes albopictus Suppression.}, journal = {Trends in parasitology}, volume = {35}, number = {9}, pages = {671-673}, doi = {10.1016/j.pt.2019.07.006}, pmid = {31375435}, issn = {1471-5007}, support = {R01 AI141532/AI/NIAID NIH HHS/United States ; R01 AI122743/AI/NIAID NIH HHS/United States ; R21 AI131574/AI/NIAID NIH HHS/United States ; }, mesh = {*Aedes ; Animals ; *Dengue ; *Infertility ; Male ; Mosquito Vectors ; *Wolbachia ; }, abstract = {Traditional control strategies are failing to contain Aedes albopictus as an emerging major vector for dengue. A combination of approaches (Zheng et al., Nature, 2019) involving an artificial triple Wolbachia superinfection and low-dose irradiation enabled mass production of adult sterile males for release. The resulting suppression of field populations suggests feasibility for area-wide vector control.}, }
@article {pmid31369548, year = {2019}, author = {Schneider, DI and Saarman, N and Onyango, MG and Hyseni, C and Opiro, R and Echodu, R and O'Neill, M and Bloch, D and Vigneron, A and Johnson, TJ and Dion, K and Weiss, BL and Opiyo, E and Caccone, A and Aksoy, S}, title = {Spatio-temporal distribution of Spiroplasma infections in the tsetse fly (Glossina fuscipes fuscipes) in northern Uganda.}, journal = {PLoS neglected tropical diseases}, volume = {13}, number = {8}, pages = {e0007340}, pmid = {31369548}, issn = {1935-2735}, support = {R01 AI139525/AI/NIAID NIH HHS/United States ; R01 AI068932/AI/NIAID NIH HHS/United States ; D43 TW007391/TW/FIC NIH HHS/United States ; }, mesh = {Animals ; Coinfection ; DNA, Ribosomal/genetics ; Female ; Gram-Negative Bacterial Infections/*microbiology/*veterinary ; Insect Vectors/*microbiology/parasitology ; Male ; Prevalence ; Spiroplasma/genetics/*pathogenicity/physiology ; Symbiosis ; Trypanosoma ; Tsetse Flies/*microbiology/parasitology ; Uganda ; Wolbachia ; }, abstract = {Tsetse flies (Glossina spp.) are vectors of parasitic trypanosomes, which cause human (HAT) and animal African trypanosomiasis (AAT) in sub-Saharan Africa. In Uganda, Glossina fuscipes fuscipes (Gff) is the main vector of HAT, where it transmits Gambiense disease in the northwest and Rhodesiense disease in central, southeast and western regions. Endosymbionts can influence transmission efficiency of parasites through their insect vectors via conferring a protective effect against the parasite. It is known that the bacterium Spiroplasma is capable of protecting its Drosophila host from infection with a parasitic nematode. This endosymbiont can also impact its host's population structure via altering host reproductive traits. Here, we used field collections across 26 different Gff sampling sites in northern and western Uganda to investigate the association of Spiroplasma with geographic origin, seasonal conditions, Gff genetic background and sex, and trypanosome infection status. We also investigated the influence of Spiroplasma on Gff vector competence to trypanosome infections under laboratory conditions. Generalized linear models (GLM) showed that Spiroplasma probability was correlated with the geographic origin of Gff host and with the season of collection, with higher prevalence found in flies within the Albert Nile (0.42 vs 0.16) and Achwa River (0.36 vs 0.08) watersheds and with higher prevalence detected in flies collected in the intermediate than wet season. In contrast, there was no significant correlation of Spiroplasma prevalence with Gff host genetic background or sex once geographic origin was accounted for in generalized linear models. Additionally, we found a potential negative correlation of Spiroplasma with trypanosome infection, with only 2% of Spiroplasma infected flies harboring trypanosome co-infections. We also found that in a laboratory line of Gff, parasitic trypanosomes are less likely to colonize the midgut in individuals that harbor Spiroplasma infection. These results indicate that Spiroplasma infections in tsetse may be maintained by not only maternal but also via horizontal transmission routes, and Spiroplasma infections may also have important effects on trypanosome transmission efficiency of the host tsetse. Potential functional effects of Spiroplasma infection in Gff could have impacts on vector control approaches to reduce trypanosome infections.}, }
@article {pmid31362350, year = {2019}, author = {Satjawongvanit, H and Phumee, A and Tiawsirisup, S and Sungpradit, S and Brownell, N and Siriyasatien, P and Preativatanyou, K}, title = {Molecular Analysis of Canine Filaria and Its Wolbachia Endosymbionts in Domestic Dogs Collected from Two Animal University Hospitals in Bangkok Metropolitan Region, Thailand.}, journal = {Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland)}, volume = {8}, number = {3}, pages = {}, pmid = {31362350}, issn = {2076-0817}, abstract = {Canine filariasis is caused by several nematode species, such as Dirofilaria immitis, Dirofilaria repens, Brugia pahangi, Brugia malayi, and Acanthocheilonema reconditum. Zoonotic filariasis is one of the world's neglected tropical diseases. Since 2000, the World Health Organization (WHO) has promoted a global filarial eradication program to eliminate filariasis by 2020. Apart from vector control strategies, the infection control of reservoir hosts is necessary for more effective filariasis control. In addition, many studies have reported that Wolbachia is necessary for the development, reproduction, and survival of the filarial nematode. Consequently, the use of antibiotics to kill Wolbachia in nematodes has now become an alternative strategy to control filariasis. Previously, a case of subconjunctival dirofilariasis caused by Dirofilaria spp. has been reported in a woman who resides in the center of Bangkok, Thailand. Therefore, our study aimed to principally demonstrate the presence of filarial nematodes and Wolbachia bacteria in blood collected from domestic dogs from the Bangkok Metropolitan Region, Thailand. A total of 57 blood samples from dogs with suspected dirofilariasis who had visited veterinary clinics in Bangkok were collected. The investigations for the presence of microfilaria were carried out by using both microscopic and molecular examinations. PCR was used as the molecular detection method for the filarial nematodes based on the COI and ITS1 regions. The demonstration of Wolbachia was performed using PCR to amplify the FtsZ gene. All positive samples by PCR were then cloned and sequenced. The results showed that the filarial nematodes were detected in 16 samples (28.07%) using microscopic examinations. The molecular detection of filarial species using COI-PCR revealed that 50 samples (87.72%) were positive; these consisted of 33 (57.89%), 13 (22.81%), and 4 (7.02%) samples for D. immitis, B. pahangi, and B. malayi, respectively. While the ITS1-PCR showed that 41 samples (71.93%) were positive-30 samples (52.63%) were identified as containing D. immitis and 11 samples (19.30%) were identified to have B. pahangi, whereas B. malayi was not detected. Forty-seven samples (82.45%) were positive for Wolbachia DNA and the phylogenetic tree of all positive Wolbachia was classified into the supergroup C clade. This study has established fundamental data on filariasis associated with Wolbachia infection in domestic dogs in the Bangkok Metropolitan Region. An extensive survey of dog blood samples would provide valuable epidemiologic data on potential zoonotic filariasis in Thailand. In addition, this information could be used for the future development of more effective prevention and control strategies for canine filariasis in Thailand.}, }
@article {pmid33447371, year = {2019}, author = {Durovni, B and Saraceni, V and Eppinghaus, A and Riback, TIS and Moreira, LA and Jewell, NP and Dufault, SM and O'Neill, SL and Simmons, CP and Tanamas, SK and Anders, KL}, title = {The impact of large-scale deployment of Wolbachia mosquitoes on dengue and other Aedes-borne diseases in Rio de Janeiro and Niterói, Brazil: study protocol for a controlled interrupted time series analysis using routine disease surveillance data.}, journal = {F1000Research}, volume = {8}, number = {}, pages = {1328}, doi = {10.12688/f1000research.19859.2}, pmid = {33447371}, issn = {2046-1402}, mesh = {Aedes/*virology ; Animals ; Biological Control Agents ; Brazil/epidemiology ; *Chikungunya Fever/epidemiology/prevention &amp; control ; Cities ; *Dengue/epidemiology/prevention &amp; control ; Dengue Virus ; Humans ; Incidence ; Interrupted Time Series Analysis ; *Mosquito Control ; Mosquito Vectors/virology ; *Wolbachia ; Zika Virus ; *Zika Virus Infection/epidemiology/prevention &amp; control ; }, abstract = {Background: Rio de Janeiro and Niterói are neighbouring cities in southeastern Brazil which experience large dengue epidemics every 2 to 5 years, with >100,000 cases notified in epidemic years. Costs of vector control and direct and indirect costs due to the Aedes-borne diseases dengue, chikungunya and Zika were estimated to total $650 million USD in 2016, but traditional vector control strategies have not been effective in preventing mosquito-borne disease outbreaks. The Wolbachia method is a novel and self-sustaining approach for the biological control of Aedes-borne diseases, in which the transmission potential of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes is reduced by stably transfecting them with the Wolbachia bacterium (wMel strain). This paper describes a study protocol for evaluating the effect of large-scale non-randomised releases of Wolbachia--infected mosquitoes on the incidence of dengue, Zika and chikungunya in the two cities of Niterói and Rio de Janeiro. This follows a lead-in period since 2014 involving intensive community engagement, regulatory and public approval, entomological surveys, and small-scale pilot releases. Method: The Wolbachia releases during 2017-2019 covered a combined area of 170 km 2 with a resident population of 1.2 million, across Niterói and Rio de Janeiro. Untreated areas with comparable historical dengue profiles and demographic characteristics have been identified a priori as comparative control areas in each city. The proposed pragmatic epidemiological approach combines a controlled interrupted time series analysis of routinely notified suspected and laboratory-confirmed dengue and chikungunya cases, together with monitoring of Aedes-borne disease activity utilising outbreak signals routinely used in public health disease surveillance. Discussion: If the current project is successful, this model for control of mosquito-borne disease through Wolbachia releases can be expanded nationally and regionally.}, }
@article {pmid31358201, year = {2019}, author = {Liu, XD and Guo, HF}, title = {Importance of endosymbionts Wolbachia and Rickettsia in insect resistance development.}, journal = {Current opinion in insect science}, volume = {33}, number = {}, pages = {84-90}, doi = {10.1016/j.cois.2019.05.003}, pmid = {31358201}, issn = {2214-5753}, mesh = {Animals ; Inactivation, Metabolic ; Insecta/*microbiology/physiology ; *Insecticide Resistance ; Insecticides/toxicity ; Rickettsia/*physiology ; Symbiosis ; Wolbachia/*physiology ; }, abstract = {Endosymbionts play important roles in protecting hosts from environmental stress, such as natural enemies, heat, and toxins. Many insects are infected with the facultative nonessential endosymbionts Wolbachia and Rickettsia, which are the crux in this review, although other relevant symbiont genera will also be treated. Insecticide resistance of hosts can be related to infections with Wolbachia and Rickettsia. These endosymbionts commonly increase host susceptibility to chemical insecticides, but cases of increased resistance also exist. The symbiont-mediated insecticide resistance/susceptibility varies with species of insect, species of symbiont, and chemical compound. Changes in insecticide resistance levels of insects can be associated with fluctuations in population density of endosymbionts. Effects of endosymbionts on host fitness, metabolism, immune system, and gene expression may determine how endosymbionts influence insecticide resistance. A clearer understanding of these interactions can improve our knowledge about drivers of decreasing insecticide resistance.}, }
@article {pmid31351474, year = {2019}, author = {Singh, JA}, title = {Informed consent and community engagement in open field research: lessons for gene drive science.}, journal = {BMC medical ethics}, volume = {20}, number = {1}, pages = {54}, pmid = {31351474}, issn = {1472-6939}, mesh = {Animals ; *Communicable Disease Control/methods ; *Community Participation ; Community-Based Participatory Research/*ethics/methods/standards ; Culicidae/genetics ; Dengue/prevention &amp; control ; Disease Transmission, Infectious/prevention &amp; control ; Gene Drive Technology/*ethics/methods ; Humans ; *Informed Consent/ethics/standards ; Mosquito Control/ethics/methods ; Mosquito Vectors/genetics ; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic/ethics ; Trust ; Wolbachia ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: The development of the CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing system has generated new possibilities for the use of gene drive constructs to reduce or suppress mosquito populations to levels that do not support disease transmission. Despite this prospect, social resistance to genetically modified organisms remains high. Gene drive open field research thus raises important questions regarding what is owed to those who may not consent to such research, or those could be affected by the proposed research, but whose consent is not solicited. The precise circumstances under which informed consent must be obtained, and from whom, requires careful consideration. Furthermore, appropriate engagement processes should be central to any introduction of genetically modified mosquitos in proposed target settings.<br><br>DISCUSSION: In this work, international guidance documents on informed consent and engagement are reviewed and applied to the genetically modified mosquito research context. Five analogous research endeavours that involve area-wide / open field experiments are reviewed. The approach of each in respect to the solicitation of individual informed consent and community engagement are highlighted.<br><br>CONCLUSIONS: While the solicitation of individual informed consent in host settings of gene drive field trials may not be possible or feasible in some instances, local community and stakeholder engagement will be key to building trust towards the proposed conduct of such research. In this regard, the approaches taken by investigators and sponsors of political science field research and weather modification field research should be avoided. Rather, proponents of gene drive field research should look to the Eliminate Dengue field trials, cluster randomised trials, and pragmatic clinical trials for guidance regarding how the solicitation of individual informed consent of host communities ought to be managed, and how these communities ought to be engaged.}, }
@article {pmid31350319, year = {2019}, author = {Martin, E and Borucki, MK and Thissen, J and Garcia-Luna, S and Hwang, M and Wise de Valdez, M and Jaing, CJ and Hamer, GL and Frank, M}, title = {Mosquito-Borne Viruses and Insect-Specific Viruses Revealed in Field-Collected Mosquitoes by a Monitoring Tool Adapted from a Microbial Detection Array.}, journal = {Applied and environmental microbiology}, volume = {85}, number = {19}, pages = {}, pmid = {31350319}, issn = {1098-5336}, support = {R21 AI128953/AI/NIAID NIH HHS/United States ; }, mesh = {Aedes/virology ; Animals ; Arbovirus Infections/prevention &amp; control ; Arboviruses/*genetics/isolation &amp; purification ; Culex/virology ; Dengue Virus/genetics/isolation &amp; purification ; Female ; Flavivirus/genetics/isolation &amp; purification ; Insect Viruses/*genetics/*isolation &amp; purification ; Limit of Detection ; Mosquito Vectors/*virology ; Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis/instrumentation/*methods ; Reproducibility of Results ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Texas ; Wolbachia/virology ; }, abstract = {Several mosquito-borne diseases affecting humans are emerging or reemerging in the United States. The early detection of pathogens in mosquito populations is essential to prevent and control the spread of these diseases. In this study, we tested the potential applicability of the Lawrence Livermore Microbial Detection Array (LLMDA) to enhance biosurveillance by detecting microbes present in Aedes aegypti, Aedes albopictus, and Culex mosquitoes, which are major vector species globally, including in Texas. The sensitivity and reproducibility of the LLMDA were tested in mosquito samples spiked with different concentrations of dengue virus (DENV), revealing a detection limit of >100 but <1,000 PFU/ml. Additionally, field-collected mosquitoes from Chicago, IL, and College Station, TX, of known infection status (West Nile virus [WNV] and Culex flavivirus [CxFLAV] positive) were tested on the LLMDA to confirm its efficiency. Mosquito field samples of unknown infection status, collected in San Antonio, TX, and the Lower Rio Grande Valley (LRGV), TX, were run on the LLMDA and further confirmed by PCR or quantitative PCR (qPCR). The analysis of the field samples with the LLMDA revealed the presence of cell-fusing agent virus (CFAV) in A. aegypti populations. Wolbachia was also detected in several of the field samples (A. albopictus and Culex spp.) by the LLMDA. Our findings demonstrated that the LLMDA can be used to detect multiple arboviruses of public health importance, including viruses that belong to the Flavivirus, Alphavirus, and Orthobunyavirus genera. Additionally, insect-specific viruses and bacteria were also detected in field-collected mosquitoes. Another strength of this array is its ability to detect multiple viruses in the same mosquito pool, allowing for the detection of cocirculating pathogens in an area and the identification of potential ecological associations between different viruses. This array can aid in the biosurveillance of mosquito-borne viruses circulating in specific geographical areas.IMPORTANCE Viruses associated with mosquitoes have made a large impact on public and veterinary health. In the United States, several viruses, including WNV, DENV, and chikungunya virus (CHIKV), are responsible for human disease. From 2015 to 2018, imported Zika cases were reported in the United States, and in 2016 to 2017, local Zika transmission occurred in the states of Texas and Florida. With globalization and a changing climate, the frequency of outbreaks linked to arboviruses will increase, revealing a need to better detect viruses in vector populations. With the capacity of the LLMDA to detect viruses, bacteria, and fungi, this study highlights its ability to broadly screen field-collected mosquitoes and contribute to the surveillance and management of arboviral diseases.}, }
@article {pmid31348717, year = {2019}, author = {Speer, KA and Luetke, E and Bush, E and Sheth, B and Gerace, A and Quicksall, Z and Miyamoto, M and Dick, CW and Dittmar, K and Albury, N and Reed, DL}, title = {A Fly on the Cave Wall: Parasite Genetics Reveal Fine-scale Dispersal Patterns of Bats.}, journal = {The Journal of parasitology}, volume = {105}, number = {4}, pages = {555-566}, pmid = {31348717}, issn = {1937-2345}, mesh = {Algorithms ; Alleles ; Animal Distribution/*physiology ; Animals ; Bahamas ; Bayes Theorem ; Chiroptera/*parasitology/*physiology ; Cluster Analysis ; Consensus Sequence ; DNA, Mitochondrial/chemistry ; Diptera/genetics/microbiology/*physiology ; Ectoparasitic Infestations/parasitology/*veterinary ; Electron Transport Complex IV/chemistry/genetics ; Host-Parasite Interactions ; Markov Chains ; Sequence Alignment/veterinary ; Wolbachia/physiology ; }, abstract = {Dispersal influences the evolution and adaptation of organisms, but it can be difficult to detect. Host-specific parasites provide information about the dispersal of their hosts and may be valuable for examining host dispersal that does not result in gene flow or that has low signals of gene flow. We examined the population connectivity of the buffy flower bat, Erophylla sezekorni (Chiroptera: Phyllostomidae), and its associated obligate ectoparasite, Trichobius frequens (Diptera: Streblidae), across a narrow oceanic channel in The Bahamas that has previously been implicated as a barrier to dispersal in bats. Due to the horizontal transmission of T. frequens, we were able to test the hypothesis that bats are dispersing across this channel, but this dispersal does not result in gene flow, occurs rarely, or started occurring recently. We developed novel microsatellite markers for the family Streblidae in combination with previously developed markers for bats to genotype individuals from 4 islands in The Bahamas. We provide evidence for a single population of the host, E. sezekorni, but 2 populations of its bat flies, potentially indicating a recent reduction of gene flow in E. sezekorni, rare dispersal, or infrequent transportation of bat flies with their hosts. Despite high population differentiation in bat flies indicated by microsatellites, mitochondrial DNA shows no polymorphism, suggesting that bacterial reproductive parasites may be contributing to mitochondrial DNA sweeps. Parasites, including bat flies, provide independent information about their hosts and can be used to test hypotheses of host dispersal that may be difficult to assess using host genetics alone.}, }
@article {pmid31346538, year = {2019}, author = {Khanmohammadi, M and Falak, R and Meamar, AR and Arshadi, M and Akhlaghi, L and Razmjou, E}, title = {Molecular Detection and Phylogenetic Analysis of Endosymbiont Wolbachia pipientis (Rickettsiales: Anaplasmataceae) Isolated from Dirofilaria immitis in Northwest of Iran.}, journal = {Journal of arthropod-borne diseases}, volume = {13}, number = {1}, pages = {83-93}, pmid = {31346538}, issn = {2322-1984}, abstract = {Background: The purpose of this study was molecular detection and phylogenetic analysis of Wolbachia species of Dirofilaria immitis.<br><br>Methods: Adult filarial nematodes were collected from the cardiovascular and pulmonary arterial systems of naturally infected dogs, which caught in different geographical areas of Meshkin Shahr in Ardabil Province, Iran, during 2017. Dirofilaria immitis genomic DNA were extracted. Phylogenetic analysis for proofing of D. immitis was carried out using cytochrome oxidase I (COI) gene. Afterward, the purified DNA was used to determine the molecular pattern of the Wolbachia surface protein (WSP) gene sequence by PCR.<br><br>Results: Phylogeny and homology studies showed high consistency of the COI gene with the previously-registered sequences for D. immitis. Comparison of DNA sequences revealed no nucleotide variation between them. PCR showed that all of the collected parasites were infected with W. pipientis. The sequence of the WSP gene in Wolbachia species from D. immitis was significantly different from other species of Dirofilaria as well as other filarial species. The maximum homology was observed with the Wolbachia isolated from D. immitis. The greatest distance between WSP nucleotides of Wolbachia species found between D. immitis and those isolated from Onchocerca lupi.<br><br>Conclusion: PCR could be a simple but suitable method for detection of Wolbachia species. There is a pattern of host specificity between Wolbachia and Dirofilaria that can be related to ancestral evolutions. The results of this phylogenetic analysis and molecular characterization may help us for better identification of Wolbachia species and understanding of their coevolution.}, }
@article {pmid31340862, year = {2019}, author = {Carvajal, TM and Hashimoto, K and Harnandika, RK and Amalin, DM and Watanabe, K}, title = {Detection of Wolbachia in field-collected Aedes aegypti mosquitoes in metropolitan Manila, Philippines.}, journal = {Parasites &amp; vectors}, volume = {12}, number = {1}, pages = {361}, pmid = {31340862}, issn = {1756-3305}, support = {16H05750//Japanese Society for the Promotion of Science/ ; 17H01624//Japanese Society for the Promotion of Science/ ; 17K18906//Japanese Society for the Promotion of Science/ ; Bilateral Joint Research Projects//Japanese Society for the Promotion of Science/ ; Core-to-Core program (Asia-Africa Science Platforms)//Japanese Society for the Promotion of Science/ ; Y29-1-8//Leading Academia in Marine, Environmental Pollution Research/ ; }, mesh = {Aedes/*microbiology ; Animals ; DNA, Ribosomal ; Female ; Male ; Mosquito Vectors/*microbiology ; Philippines ; Phylogeny ; Wolbachia/genetics/*isolation &amp; purification ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Recent reports reveal the presence of Wolbachia in Ae. aegypti. Our study presents additional support for Wolbachia infection in Ae. aegypti by screening field-collected adult mosquitoes using two Wolbachia-specific molecular makers.<br><br>METHODS: A total of 672 Ae. aegypti adult mosquitoes were collected from May 2014 to January 2015 in Metropolitan Manila. Each individual sample was processed and screened for the presence of Wolbachia by selected markers, Wolbachia-specific 16S rDNA and its surface protein (wsp), under optimized PCR conditions and sequenced.<br><br>RESULTS: Totals of 113 (16.8%) and 89 (13.2%) individual mosquito samples were determined to be infected with Wolbachia using the wsp and 16S rDNA markers, respectively. The Ae. aegpyti wsp sample sequences were similar or identical to five known Wolbachia strains belonging to supergroups A and B while the majority of 16S rDNA sample sequences were similar to strains belonging to supergroup B. Overall, 80 (11.90%) individual mosquito samples showed positive amplifications in both markers and 69% showed congruence in supergroup identification (supergroup B).<br><br>CONCLUSIONS: By utilizing two Wolbachia-specific molecular makers, our study demonstrated the presence of Wolbachia from individual Ae. aegypti samples. Our results showed a low Wolbachia infection rate and inferred the detected strains belong to either supergroups A and B.}, }
@article {pmid31340757, year = {2019}, author = {He, Z and Zheng, Y and Yu, WJ and Fang, Y and Mao, B and Wang, YF}, title = {How do Wolbachia modify the Drosophila ovary? New evidences support the &quot;titration-restitution&quot; model for the mechanisms of Wolbachia-induced CI.}, journal = {BMC genomics}, volume = {20}, number = {1}, pages = {608}, pmid = {31340757}, issn = {1471-2164}, support = {31672352//National Natural Science Foundation of China/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; Cytosol ; Drosophila melanogaster/*microbiology ; Female ; Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental ; Genes, Insect ; Male ; MicroRNAs/genetics ; Ovary/*microbiology ; RNA, Messenger/genetics ; RNA-Seq ; Testis/microbiology ; Transcriptome ; Up-Regulation ; Wolbachia/*physiology ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI) is the most common phenotype induced by endosymbiont Wolbachia and results in embryonic lethality when Wolbachia-modified sperm fertilize eggs without Wolbachia. However, eggs carrying the same strain of Wolbachia can rescue this embryonic death, thus producing viable Wolbachia-infected offspring. Hence Wolbachia can be transmitted mainly by hosts' eggs. One of the models explaining CI is &quot;titration-restitution&quot;, which hypothesized that Wolbachia titrated-out some factors from the sperm and the Wolbachia in the egg would restitute the factors after fertilization. However, how infected eggs rescue CI and how hosts' eggs ensure the proliferation and transmission of Wolbachia are not well understood.<br><br>RESULTS: By RNA-seq analyses, we first compared the transcription profiles of Drosophila melanogaster adult ovaries with and without the wMel Wolbachia and identified 149 differentially expressed genes (DEGs), of which 116 genes were upregulated and 33 were downregulated by Wolbachia infection. To confirm the results obtained from RNA-seq and to screen genes potentially associated with reproduction, 15 DEGs were selected for quantitative RT-PCR (qRT-PCR). Thirteen genes showed the same changing trend as RNA-seq analyses. To test whether these genes are associated with CI, we also detected their expression levels in testes. Nine of them exhibited different changing trends in testes from those in ovaries. To investigate how these DEGs were regulated, sRNA sequencing was performed and identified seven microRNAs (miRNAs) that were all upregulated in fly ovaries by Wolbachia infection. Matching of miRNA and mRNA data showed that these seven miRNAs regulated 15 DEGs. Wolbachia-responsive genes in fly ovaries were involved in biological processes including metabolism, transportation, oxidation-reduction, immunity, and development.<br><br>CONCLUSIONS: Comparisons of mRNA and miRNA data from fly ovaries revealed 149 mRNAs and seven miRNAs that exhibit significant changes in expression due to Wolbachia infection. Notably, most of the DEGs showed variation in opposite directions in ovaries versus testes in the presence of Wolbachia, which generally supports the &quot;titration-restitution&quot; model for CI. Furthermore, genes related to metabolism were upregulated, which may benefit maximum proliferation and transmission of Wolbachia. This provides new insights into the molecular mechanisms of Wolbachia-induced CI and Wolbachia dependence on host ovaries.}, }
@article {pmid31340171, year = {2019}, author = {Pogorevc, D and Panter, F and Schillinger, C and Jansen, R and Wenzel, SC and Müller, R}, title = {Production optimization and biosynthesis revision of corallopyronin A, a potent anti-filarial antibiotic.}, journal = {Metabolic engineering}, volume = {55}, number = {}, pages = {201-211}, doi = {10.1016/j.ymben.2019.07.010}, pmid = {31340171}, issn = {1096-7184}, mesh = {Anti-Bacterial Agents/*biosynthesis ; Filaricides/*metabolism ; Lactones/*metabolism ; *Microorganisms, Genetically-Modified/genetics/metabolism ; *Myxococcus xanthus/genetics/metabolism ; }, abstract = {Corallopyronins (COR) are α-pyrone antibiotics from myxobacteria representing highly promising lead structures for the development of antibacterial therapeutic agents. Their ability to inhibit RNA polymerase through interaction with the &quot;switch region&quot;, a novel target, distant from binding sites of previously characterized RNA polymerase inhibitors (e.g. rifampicin), makes them particularly promising as antibiotic candidates. Corallopyronin A is currently also investigated as a lead compound for the treatment of lymphatic filariasis because of its superb activity against the nematode symbiont Wolbachia. As total synthesis is not a valid production option biotechnological optimization of compound supply is of utmost importance to further develop this highly potent compound class. Here we describe decisive improvements of the previously reported heterologous COR production and engineering platform yielding production of ~100 mg/L COR A. Furthermore, we provide a revised model of COR biosynthesis shedding light on the function of several biosynthetic proteins, including an unusual ECH-like enzyme providing dehydration functionality in trans and an uncharacterized protein conferring COR self-resistance in the myxobacterial heterologous host Myxococcus xanthus DK1622. We also report two new COR derivatives, COR D and oxyCOR A discovered in genetically engineered strains.}, }
@article {pmid31334893, year = {2019}, author = {Treanor, D and Hughes, WOH}, title = {Limited female dispersal predicts the incidence of Wolbachia across ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae).}, journal = {Journal of evolutionary biology}, volume = {32}, number = {10}, pages = {1163-1170}, doi = {10.1111/jeb.13510}, pmid = {31334893}, issn = {1420-9101}, mesh = {Animals ; Ants/genetics/*microbiology ; Female ; Species Specificity ; Symbiosis ; Wolbachia/*physiology ; }, abstract = {The endosymbiotic bacterium Wolbachia is perhaps the greatest panzootic in the history of life on Earth, yet remarkably little is known regarding the factors that determine its incidence across species. One possibility is that Wolbachia more easily invades species with structured populations, due to the increased strength of genetic drift and higher initial frequency of infection. This should enable strains that induce mating incompatibilities to more easily cross the threshold prevalence above which they spread to either fixation or a stable equilibrium infection prevalence. Here, we provide empirical support for this hypothesis by analysing the relationship between female dispersal (as a proxy for population structure) and the incidence of Wolbachia across 250 species of ants. We show that species in which the dispersal of reproductive females is limited are significantly more likely to be infected with Wolbachia than species whose reproductive ecology is consistent with significant dispersal of females, and that this relationship remains after controlling for host phylogeny. We suggest that structured host populations, in this case resulting from limited female dispersal, may be an important feature determining how easily Wolbachia becomes successfully established in a novel host, and thus its occurrence across a wide diversity of invertebrate hosts.}, }
@article {pmid31334887, year = {2019}, author = {Barash, NR and Thomas, B and Birkenheuer, AJ and Breitschwerdt, EB and Lemler, E and Qurollo, BA}, title = {Prevalence of Babesia spp. and clinical characteristics of Babesia vulpes infections in North American dogs.}, journal = {Journal of veterinary internal medicine}, volume = {33}, number = {5}, pages = {2075-2081}, pmid = {31334887}, issn = {1939-1676}, mesh = {Animals ; Babesia/classification/*isolation &amp; purification ; Babesiosis/*epidemiology/transmission ; Coinfection/veterinary ; Dog Diseases/epidemiology/microbiology/*parasitology/pathology ; Dogs ; North America/epidemiology ; Polymerase Chain Reaction/veterinary ; Prevalence ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Babesiosis is an important cause of thrombocytopenia and hemolytic anemia in dogs. Babesia vulpes, reported in European dogs and North American foxes, rarely has been reported in domestic North American dogs. Newly optimized polymerase chain reaction (PCR) primers facilitate more sensitive amplification of B. vulpes DNA.<br><br>OBJECTIVES: To determine the prevalence of Babesia sp. infections in dogs being tested for Babesia infection, and to describe co-infections and clinicopathologic abnormalities in B. vulpes positive dogs.<br><br>ANIMALS: Dog blood or tissue samples (n = 9367) submitted to a diagnostic laboratory between June 2015 and June 2018 were tested using an optimized Babesia PCR assay.<br><br>METHODS: Comprehensive canine vector-borne disease diagnostic testing was performed on convenience samples.<br><br>RESULTS: Babesia sp. DNA was amplified from 269/9367 (2.9%) North American dogs. Babesia sp. infections included B. gibsoni monoinfection (157; 1.7%), B. vulpes monoinfection (19; 0.20%), and B. gibsoni and B. vulpes coinfection (29; 0.31%). Forty-three of the 48 total B. vulpes-infected dogs were American Pit Bull Terrier-type breeds, of which 36 historically were involved with dog fights. Coinfections with Mycoplasma, Dirofilaria immitis, or Wolbachia and coexposures to Bartonella, Ehrlichia, and Rickettsia spp. were documented in B. vulpes-infected dogs. Clinicopathologic data in B. vulpes-infected dogs both with and without coinfections included anemia, thrombocytopenia, hyperglobulinemia, hypoalbuminemia, and proteinuria.<br><br>Babesia vulpes infection in domestic North American dogs is commonly found in conjunction with other coinfections, including B. gibsoni and hemotropic Mycoplasma. Similar to B. gibsoni, dog-to-dog transmission of B. vulpes may be a frequent mode of transmission.}, }
@article {pmid31323841, year = {2019}, author = {Bakowski, MA and McNamara, CW}, title = {Advances in Antiwolbachial Drug Discovery for Treatment of Parasitic Filarial Worm Infections.}, journal = {Tropical medicine and infectious disease}, volume = {4}, number = {3}, pages = {}, pmid = {31323841}, issn = {2414-6366}, abstract = {The intracellular bacteria now known as Wolbachia were first described in filarial worms in the 1970s, but the idea of Wolbachia being used as a macrofilaricidal target did not gain wide attention until the early 2000s, with research in filariae suggesting the requirement of worms for the endosymbiont. This new-found interest prompted the eventual organization of the Anti-Wolbachia Consortium (A-WOL) at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, who, among others have been active in the field of antiwolbachial drug discovery to treat filarial infections. Clinical proof of concept studies using doxycycline demonstrated the utility of the antiwolbachial therapy, but efficacious treatments were of long duration and not safe for all infected. With the advance of robotics, automation, and high-speed computing, the search for superior antiwolbachials shifted away from smaller studies with a select number of antibiotics to high-throughput screening approaches, centered largely around cell-based phenotypic screens due to the rather limited knowledge about, and tools available to manipulate, this bacterium. A concomitant effort was put towards developing validation approaches and in vivo models supporting drug discovery efforts. In this review, we summarize the strategies behind and outcomes of recent large phenotypic screens published within the last 5 years, hit compound validation approaches and promising candidates with profiles superior to doxycycline, including ones positioned to advance into clinical trials for treatment of filarial worm infections.}, }
@article {pmid31323076, year = {2019}, author = {Cheng, D and Chen, S and Huang, Y and Pierce, NE and Riegler, M and Yang, F and Zeng, L and Lu, Y and Liang, G and Xu, Y}, title = {Symbiotic microbiota may reflect host adaptation by resident to invasive ant species.}, journal = {PLoS pathogens}, volume = {15}, number = {7}, pages = {e1007942}, pmid = {31323076}, issn = {1553-7374}, mesh = {Adaptation, Physiological ; Animals ; Ants/*microbiology/*physiology ; Diet ; Ecosystem ; Feeding Behavior ; Host Microbial Interactions/*physiology ; *Introduced Species ; Microbiota/*physiology ; Species Specificity ; Symbiosis/physiology ; Vitamin B Complex/metabolism ; Wolbachia/physiology ; }, abstract = {Exotic invasive species can influence the behavior and ecology of native and resident species, but these changes are often overlooked. Here we hypothesize that the ghost ant, Tapinoma melanocephalum, living in areas that have been invaded by the red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta, displays behavioral differences to interspecific competition that are reflected in both its trophic position and symbiotic microbiota. We demonstrate that T. melanocephalum workers from S. invicta invaded areas are less aggressive towards workers of S. invicta than those inhabiting non-invaded areas. Nitrogen isotope analyses reveal that colonies of T. melanocephalum have protein-rich diets in S. invicta invaded areas compared with the carbohydrate-rich diets of colonies living in non-invaded areas. Analysis of microbiota isolated from gut tissue shows that T. melanocephalum workers from S. invicta invaded areas also have different bacterial communities, including a higher abundance of Wolbachia that may play a role in vitamin B provisioning. In contrast, the microbiota of workers of T. melanocephalum from S. invicta-free areas are dominated by bacteria from the orders Bacillales, Lactobacillales and Enterobacteriales that may be involved in sugar metabolism. We further demonstrate experimentally that the composition and structure of the bacterial symbiont communities as well as the prevalence of vitamin B in T. melanocephalum workers from S. invicta invaded and non-invaded areas can be altered if T. melanocephalum workers are supplied with either protein-rich or carbohydrate-rich food. Our results support the hypothesis that bacterial symbiont communities can help hosts by buffering behavioral changes caused by interspecies competition as a consequence of biological invasions.}, }
@article {pmid31316207, year = {2019}, author = {Zheng, X and Zhang, D and Li, Y and Yang, C and Wu, Y and Liang, X and Liang, Y and Pan, X and Hu, L and Sun, Q and Wang, X and Wei, Y and Zhu, J and Qian, W and Yan, Z and Parker, AG and Gilles, JRL and Bourtzis, K and Bouyer, J and Tang, M and Zheng, B and Yu, J and Liu, J and Zhuang, J and Hu, Z and Zhang, M and Gong, JT and Hong, XY and Zhang, Z and Lin, L and Liu, Q and Hu, Z and Wu, Z and Baton, LA and Hoffmann, AA and Xi, Z}, title = {Incompatible and sterile insect techniques combined eliminate mosquitoes.}, journal = {Nature}, volume = {572}, number = {7767}, pages = {56-61}, pmid = {31316207}, issn = {1476-4687}, mesh = {Aedes/growth &amp; development/*microbiology/*physiology ; Animals ; China ; Copulation ; Feasibility Studies ; Female ; Humans ; Insect Bites and Stings/prevention &amp; control ; Larva/growth &amp; development/microbiology/physiology ; Male ; Mosquito Control/*methods ; Mosquito Vectors/growth &amp; development/*microbiology/*physiology ; Quality Control ; Reproduction ; Wolbachia/*pathogenicity ; }, abstract = {The radiation-based sterile insect technique (SIT) has successfully suppressed field populations of several insect pest species, but its effect on mosquito vector control has been limited. The related incompatible insect technique (IIT)-which uses sterilization caused by the maternally inherited endosymbiotic bacteria Wolbachia-is a promising alternative, but can be undermined by accidental release of females infected with the same Wolbachia strain as the released males. Here we show that combining incompatible and sterile insect techniques (IIT-SIT) enables near elimination of field populations of the world's most invasive mosquito species, Aedes albopictus. Millions of factory-reared adult males with an artificial triple-Wolbachia infection were released, with prior pupal irradiation of the released mosquitoes to prevent unintentionally released triply infected females from successfully reproducing in the field. This successful field trial demonstrates the feasibility of area-wide application of combined IIT-SIT for mosquito vector control.}, }
@article {pmid31312785, year = {2019}, author = {Dietrich, CF and Chaubal, N and Hoerauf, A and Kling, K and Piontek, MS and Steffgen, L and Mand, S and Dong, Y}, title = {Review of Dancing Parasites in Lymphatic Filariasis.}, journal = {Ultrasound international open}, volume = {5}, number = {2}, pages = {E65-E74}, pmid = {31312785}, issn = {2509-596X}, abstract = {Lymphatic filariasis is an infection transmitted by blood-sucking mosquitoes with filarial nematodes of the species Wuchereria bancrofti, Brugia malayi und B. timori . It is prevalent in tropical countries throughout the world, with more than 60 million people infected and more than 1 billion living in areas with the risk of transmission. Worm larvae with a length of less than 1 mm are transmitted by mosquitoes, develop in human lymphatic tissue to adult worms with a length of 7-10 cm, live in the human body for up to 10 years and produce millions of microfilariae, which can be transmitted further by mosquitoes. The adult worms can be easily observed by ultrasonography because of their size and fast movements (the so-called &quot;filarial dance sign&quot;), which can be differentiated from other movements (e. g., blood in venous vessels) by their characteristic movement profile in pulsed-wave Doppler mode. Therapeutic options include (combinations of) ivermectin, albendazole, diethylcarbamazine and doxycycline. The latter depletes endosymbiotic Wolbachia bacteria from the worms and thus sterilizes and later kills the adult worms (macrofilaricidal or adulticidal effect).}, }
@article {pmid31311998, year = {2019}, author = {Ke, F and You, S and Huang, S and Chen, W and Liu, T and He, W and Xie, D and Li, Q and Lin, X and Vasseur, L and Gurr, GM and You, M}, title = {Herbivore range expansion triggers adaptation in a subsequently-associated third trophic level species and shared microbial symbionts.}, journal = {Scientific reports}, volume = {9}, number = {1}, pages = {10314}, pmid = {31311998}, issn = {2045-2322}, mesh = {Adaptation, Physiological ; Animals ; Brassica/*parasitology ; China ; DNA, Mitochondrial ; Genetic Variation ; Herbivory/*physiology ; Hymenoptera/*classification/physiology ; Introduced Species ; Moths/*classification/physiology ; Phylogeography ; Symbiosis ; }, abstract = {Invasive species may change the life history strategies, distribution, genetic configuration and trophic interactions of native species. The diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella L., is an invasive herbivore attacking cultivated and wild brassica plants worldwide. Here we present phylogeographic analyses of P. xylostella and one of its major parasitoids, Cotesia vestalis, using mitochondrial markers, revealing the genetic diversity and evolutionary history of these two species. We find evidence that C. vestalis originated in Southwest China, then adapted to P. xylostella as a new host by ecological sorting as P. xylostella expanded its geographic range into this region. Associated with the expansion of P. xylostella, Wolbachia symbionts were introduced into local populations of the parasitoid through horizontal transfer from its newly associated host. Insights into the evolutionary history and phylogeographic system of the herbivore and its parasitoid provide an important basis for better understanding the impacts of biological invasion on genetic configuration of local species.}, }
@article {pmid31302148, year = {2020}, author = {Iftikhar, M and Iftikhar, S and Sohail, A and Javed, S}, title = {AI- modelling of molecular identification and feminization of wolbachia infected Aedes aegypti.}, journal = {Progress in biophysics and molecular biology}, volume = {150}, number = {}, pages = {104-111}, doi = {10.1016/j.pbiomolbio.2019.07.001}, pmid = {31302148}, issn = {1873-1732}, mesh = {Aedes/*genetics/microbiology ; Animals ; *Artificial Intelligence ; Computer Simulation ; Feminization/*genetics ; Humans ; Infections ; Male ; Models, Biological ; Models, Theoretical ; Mosquito Vectors/*microbiology ; Reproduction/genetics ; Systems Analysis ; Wolbachia/*genetics ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: The genetic control strategies of vector borne diseases includes the replacement of a vector population by &quot;disease-refractory&quot; mosquitoes and the release of mosquitoes with a gene to control the vector's reproduction rates. Wolbachia are common intracellular bacteria that are found in arthropods and nematodes. Wolbachia infected male mosquitos have been used in different experimental trials around the world to suppress the target population of Aedes aegypti and this genetic control strategy has proved to be a promising alternative to other treatment strategies. Due to certain limitations, the successful application of this strategy is still awaited.<br><br>METHODS: Mathematical frame work for Wolbachia induced genetic control strategy has been developed in this article. With the aid of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools, accurate parametric values are depicted. For the first time, the model is well synchronized with the experimental findings. The model is comprised of the generalized varying coefficient and multiple mating rates between infected and uninfected compartments of Aedes aegypti dengue to forecast the disease control.<br><br>RESULTS: Two mathematical models are developed in this article to demonstrate different mating rates of the genetic control strategy. The important parameters and time varying coefficients are well demonstrated with the aid of numerical computations. The resulting thresholds and forecasting may prove to be a useful tool for future experimental studies.<br><br>CONCLUSIONS: From our analysis, we have concluded that the genetic control strategy is a promising technique and the role of Wolbachia infected male mosquitos, in genetic control strategies, can be better interpreted in an inexpensive manner with the aid of a theoretical model.}, }
@article {pmid31300838, year = {2020}, author = {White, JA and Styer, A and Rosenwald, LC and Curry, MM and Welch, KD and Athey, KJ and Chapman, EG}, title = {Endosymbiotic Bacteria Are Prevalent and Diverse in Agricultural Spiders.}, journal = {Microbial ecology}, volume = {79}, number = {2}, pages = {472-481}, pmid = {31300838}, issn = {1432-184X}, support = {0224651//U.S. Department of Agriculture/ ; 148-502-16-377//Kentucky Science and Engineering Foundation/ ; 148-502-10-261//Kentucky Science and Engineering Foundation/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; Bacteria/classification/*isolation &amp; purification ; Bacterial Physiological Phenomena ; Bacteriological Techniques/*methods ; Entomology/*methods ; Food Deprivation ; High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing ; Kentucky ; *Microbiota/genetics ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Spiders/*microbiology ; Symbiosis/*physiology ; }, abstract = {Maternally inherited bacterial endosymbionts are common in arthropods, but their distribution and prevalence are poorly characterized in many host taxa. Initial surveys have suggested that vertically transmitted symbionts may be particularly common in spiders (Araneae). Here, we used diagnostic PCR and high-throughput sequencing to evaluate symbiont infection in 267 individual spiders representing 14 species (3 families) of agricultural spiders. We found 27 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) that are likely endosymbiotic, including multiple strains of Wolbachia, Rickettsia, and Cardinium, which are all vertically transmitted and frequently associated with reproductive manipulation of arthropod hosts. Additional strains included Rickettsiella, Spiroplasma, Rhabdochlamydia, and a novel Rickettsiales, all of which could range from pathogenic to mutualistic in their effects upon their hosts. Seventy percent of spider species had individuals that tested positive for one or more endosymbiotic OTUs, and specimens frequently contained multiple symbiotic strain types. The most symbiont-rich species, Idionella rugosa, had eight endosymbiotic OTUs, with as many as five present in the same specimen. Individual specimens within infected spider species had a variety of symbiotypes, differing from one another in the presence or absence of symbiotic strains. Our sample included both starved and unstarved specimens, and dominant bacterial OTUs were consistent per host species, regardless of feeding status. We conclude that spiders contain a remarkably diverse symbiotic microbiota. Spiders would be an informative group for investigating endosymbiont population dynamics in time and space, and unstarved specimens collected for other purposes (e.g., food web studies) could be used, with caution, for such investigations.}, }
@article {pmid31300646, year = {2019}, author = {Reveillaud, J and Bordenstein, SR and Cruaud, C and Shaiber, A and Esen, ÖC and Weill, M and Makoundou, P and Lolans, K and Watson, AR and Rakotoarivony, I and Bordenstein, SR and Eren, AM}, title = {Author Correction: The Wolbachia mobilome in Culex pipiens includes a putative plasmid.}, journal = {Nature communications}, volume = {10}, number = {1}, pages = {3153}, doi = {10.1038/s41467-019-11234-5}, pmid = {31300646}, issn = {2041-1723}, support = {T32 EB009412/EB/NIBIB NIH HHS/United States ; }, abstract = {An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.}, }
@article {pmid31300097, year = {2019}, author = {Boucheikhchoukh, M and Mechouk, N and Benakhla, A and Raoult, D and Parola, P}, title = {Molecular evidence of bacteria in Melophagus ovinus sheep keds and Hippobosca equina forest flies collected from sheep and horses in northeastern Algeria.}, journal = {Comparative immunology, microbiology and infectious diseases}, volume = {65}, number = {}, pages = {103-109}, doi = {10.1016/j.cimid.2019.05.010}, pmid = {31300097}, issn = {1878-1667}, mesh = {Algeria/epidemiology ; Anaplasmataceae/genetics ; Animals ; Bacteria/*genetics/isolation &amp; purification ; Bartonella/genetics ; DNA, Bacterial/*genetics ; Diptera/*microbiology ; Disease Vectors ; Female ; Forests ; Horses/*parasitology ; Male ; Rickettsia/genetics ; Sheep/*parasitology ; }, abstract = {The sheep ked, Melophagus ovinus, and the forest fly, Hippobosca equina, are parasitic dipteran insects of veterinary importance. As hematophagous insects, they might be considered as potential vectors of diseases which may be transmissible to humans and animals. The purpose of this study was to present initial primary data about these two species in Algeria. To do so, we conducted a molecular survey to detect the presence of bacterial DNA in flies collected in Algeria. A total of 712 flies including, 683 Melophagus ovinus and 29 Hippobosca equina were collected from two regions in northeastern Algeria. Monitoring the monthly kinetics of M. ovinus infestations showed something resembling annual activity, with a high prevalence in January (21.67%) and May (20.94%). Real-time quantitative PCR assays showed that for 311 tested flies, 126 were positive for the Bartonella spp. rRNA intergenic spacer gene and 77 were positive for Anaplasmataceae. A random selection of positive samples was submitted for sequencing. The DNA of Bartonella chomelii and Bartonella melophagi were amplified in, respectively, five and four H. equina. 25 M. ovinus positive samples were infected by Bartonella melophagi. Amplification and sequencing of the Anaplasma spp. 23S rRNA gene revealed that both species were infected by Wolbachia sp. which had previously been detected in Cimex lectularius bed bugs. Overall, this study expanded knowledge about bacteria present in parasitic flies of domestic animals in Algeria.}, }
@article {pmid31279737, year = {2019}, author = {Nebbak, A and Dahmana, H and Almeras, L and Raoult, D and Boulanger, N and Jaulhac, B and Mediannikov, O and Parola, P}, title = {Co-infection of bacteria and protozoan parasites in Ixodes ricinus nymphs collected in the Alsace region, France.}, journal = {Ticks and tick-borne diseases}, volume = {10}, number = {6}, pages = {101241}, doi = {10.1016/j.ttbdis.2019.06.001}, pmid = {31279737}, issn = {1877-9603}, mesh = {Animals ; Babesia/classification/isolation &amp; purification ; Bartonella/classification/isolation &amp; purification ; Borrelia/isolation &amp; purification ; France ; Ixodes/growth &amp; development/*microbiology/*parasitology ; Nymph/growth &amp; development/microbiology/parasitology ; Phylogeny ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Rickettsia/isolation &amp; purification ; Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization ; Wolbachia/isolation &amp; purification ; }, abstract = {Fifty nymphal Ixodes ricinus ticks collected in Alsace, France, identified by morphological criteria and using MALDI-TOF MS, were tested by PCR to detect tick-associated bacteria and protozoan parasites. Seventy percent (35/50) of ticks contained at least one microorganism; 26% (9/35) contained two or more species. Several human pathogens were identified including Borrelia burgdorferi s.s. (4%), Borrelia afzelii (2%), Borrelia garinii (2%), Borrelia valaisiana (4%), Borrelia miyamotoi (2%), Rickettsia helvetica (6%) and &quot;Babesia venatorum&quot; (2%). Bartonella spp. (10%) and a Wolbachia spp. (8%) were also detected. The most common co-infections involved Anaplasmataceae with Borrelia spp. (4%), Anaplasmataceae with Bartonella spp. (6%) and Anaplasmataceae with Rickettsia spp. (6%). Co-infection involving three different groups of bacteria was seen between bacteria of the family Anaplasmataceae, Borrelia spp. and Bartonella spp. (2%). Results highlight the panel of infectious agents carried by Ixodes ricinus. Co-infection suggests the possibility of transmission of more than one pathogen to human and animals during tick blood feeding.}, }
@article {pmid31274094, year = {2019}, author = {Naciri, M}, title = {[Wolbachia bacteria inhibits mosquito infection by various human pathogens].}, journal = {Medecine sciences : M/S}, volume = {35}, number = {6-7}, pages = {584-585}, doi = {10.1051/medsci/2019115}, pmid = {31274094}, issn = {1958-5381}, mesh = {Aedes/microbiology/virology ; Animals ; Antibiosis ; Culicidae/*microbiology/virology ; Dengue Virus ; Humans ; Longevity ; Mosquito Control/*methods ; Mosquito Vectors/*microbiology/virology ; Wolbachia/*physiology ; }, }
@article {pmid31267762, year = {2019}, author = {Lima-Barbero, JF and Díaz-Sanchez, S and Sparagano, O and Finn, RD and de la Fuente, J and Villar, M}, title = {Metaproteomics characterization of the alphaproteobacteria microbiome in different developmental and feeding stages of the poultry red mite Dermanyssus gallinae (De Geer, 1778).}, journal = {Avian pathology : journal of the W.V.P.A}, volume = {48}, number = {sup1}, pages = {S52-S59}, doi = {10.1080/03079457.2019.1635679}, pmid = {31267762}, issn = {1465-3338}, mesh = {Alphaproteobacteria/*isolation &amp; purification ; Animals ; Chickens/*parasitology ; Female ; *Microbiota ; Mites/*microbiology ; Poultry Diseases/*parasitology ; Proteomics ; }, abstract = {The poultry red mite (PRM), Dermanyssus gallinae (De Geer, 1778), is a worldwide distributed ectoparasite and considered a major pest affecting the laying hen industry in Europe. Based on available information in other ectoparasites, the mite microbiome might participate in several biological processes and the acquisition, maintenance and transmission of pathogens. However, little is known about the role of PRM as a mechanical carrier or a biological vector in the transmission of pathogenic bacteria. Herein, we used a metaproteomics approach to characterize the alphaproteobacteria in the microbiota of PRM, and variations in its profile with ectoparasite development (nymphs vs. adults) and feeding (unfed vs. fed). The results showed that the bacterial community associated with D. gallinae was mainly composed of environmental and commensal bacteria. Putative symbiotic bacteria of the genera Wolbachia, C. Tokpelaia and Sphingomonas were identified, together with potential pathogenic bacteria of the genera Inquilinus, Neorickettsia and Roseomonas. Significant differences in the composition of alphaproteobacterial microbiota were associated with mite development and feeding, suggesting that bacteria have functional implications in metabolic pathways associated with blood feeding. These results support the use of metaproteomics for the characterization of alphaproteobacteria associated with the D. gallinae microbiota that could provide relevant information for the understanding of mite-host interactions and the development of potential control interventions. Research highlights Metaproteomics is a valid approach for microbiome characterization in ectoparasites. Alphaproteobacteria putative bacterial symbionts were identified in D. gallinae. Mite development and feeding were related to variations in bacterial community. Potentially pathogenic bacteria were identified in mite microbiota.}, }
@article {pmid31265751, year = {2020}, author = {Yang, K and Xie, K and Zhu, YX and Huo, SM and Hoffmann, A and Hong, XY}, title = {Wolbachia dominate Spiroplasma in the co-infected spider mite Tetranychus truncatus.}, journal = {Insect molecular biology}, volume = {29}, number = {1}, pages = {19-37}, doi = {10.1111/imb.12607}, pmid = {31265751}, issn = {1365-2583}, mesh = {Animals ; Coinfection/microbiology ; Female ; Fertility ; Gene Expression Profiling ; Male ; Spiroplasma/*physiology ; Symbiosis ; Tetranychidae/genetics/metabolism/*microbiology ; Wolbachia/*physiology ; }, abstract = {Wolbachia and Spiroplasma are both maternally inherited endosymbionts in arthropods, and they can co-infect the same species. However, how they interact with each other in the same host is not clear. Here we investigate a co-infected Tetranychus truncatus spider mite strain that shares the same genetic background with singly infected and uninfected strains to detect the impacts of the two symbionts on their host. We found that Wolbachia-infected and Spiroplasma-infected mites can suffer significant fitness costs involving decreased fecundity, although with no effect on lifespan or development. Wolbachia induced incomplete cytoplasmic incompatibility in T. truncatus both in singly infected and doubly infected strains, resulting in female killing. In both females and males of the co-infected spider mite strain, Wolbachia density was higher than Spiroplasma density. Transcriptome analysis of female adults showed that the most differentially expressed genes were found between the co-infected strain and both the singly infected Spiroplasma strain and uninfected strain. The Wolbachia strain had the fewest differentially expressed genes compared with the co-infected strain, consistent with the higher density of Wolbachia in the co-infected strain. Wolbachia, therefore, appears to have a competitive advantage in host mites over Spiroplasma and is likely maintained in populations by cytoplasmic incompatibility despite having deleterious fitness effects.}, }
@article {pmid31259313, year = {2019}, author = {Rocha, MN and Duarte, MM and Mansur, SB and Silva, BDME and Pereira, TN and Adelino, TÉR and Giovanetti, M and Alcantara, LCJ and Santos, FM and Costa, VRM and Teixeira, MM and Iani, FCM and Costa, VV and Moreira, LA}, title = {Pluripotency of Wolbachia against Arboviruses: the case of yellow fever.}, journal = {Gates open research}, volume = {3}, number = {}, pages = {161}, pmid = {31259313}, issn = {2572-4754}, abstract = {Background: Yellow fever outbreaks have re-emerged in Brazil during 2016-18, with mortality rates up to 30%. Although urban transmission has not been reported since 1942, the risk of re-urbanization of yellow fever is significant, as Aedes aegypti is present in most tropical and sub-tropical cities in the World and still remains the main vector of urban YFV. Although the YFV vaccine is safe and effective, it does not always reach populations at greatest risk of infection and there is an acknowledged global shortage of vaccine supply. The introgression of Wolbachia bacteria into Ae. aegypti mosquito populations is being trialed in several countries (www.worldmosquito.org) as a biocontrol method against dengue, Zika and chikungunya. Here, we studied the ability of Wolbachia to reduce the transmission potential of Ae. aegypti mosquitoes for Yellow fever virus (YFV). Methods: Two recently isolated YFV (primate and human) were used to challenge field-derived wild-type and Wolbachia-infected (wMel +) Ae. aegypti mosquitoes. The YFV infection status was followed for 7, 14 and 21 days post-oral feeding (dpf). The YFV transmission potential of mosquitoes was evaluated via nano-injection of saliva into uninfected mosquitoes or by inoculation in mice. Results: We found that Wolbachia was able to significantly reduce the prevalence of mosquitoes with YFV infected heads and thoraces for both viral isolates. Furthermore, analyses of mosquito saliva, through indirect injection into naïve mosquitoes or via interferon-deficient mouse model, indicated Wolbachia was associated with profound reduction in the YFV transmission potential of mosquitoes (14dpf). Conclusions: Our results suggest that Wolbachia introgression could be used as a complementary strategy for prevention of urban yellow fever transmission, along with the human vaccination program.}, }
@article {pmid31254009, year = {2019}, author = {Kelly, M and Price, SL and de Oliveira Ramalho, M and Moreau, CS}, title = {Diversity of Wolbachia Associated with the Giant Turtle Ant, Cephalotes atratus.}, journal = {Current microbiology}, volume = {76}, number = {11}, pages = {1330-1337}, pmid = {31254009}, issn = {1432-0991}, support = {1559779//NSF DBI/ ; 1900357//National Science Foundation/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; Ants/*microbiology/physiology ; *Biodiversity ; Multilocus Sequence Typing ; Phylogeny ; Symbiosis ; Wolbachia/classification/genetics/*isolation &amp; purification/physiology ; }, abstract = {Symbiotic relationships between organisms are common throughout the tree of life, and often these organisms share an evolutionary history. In turtle ants (Cephalotes), symbiotic associations with bacteria are known to be especially important for supplementing the nutrients that their herbivorous diets do not provide. However, much remains unknown about the diversity of many common bacterial symbionts with turtle ants, such as Wolbachia. Here, we surveyed the diversity of Wolbachia, focusing on one species of turtle ant with a particularly wide geographic range, Cephalotes atratus. Colonies were collected from the entire range of C. atratus, and we detected the presence of Wolbachia by sequencing multiple individuals per colony for wsp. Then, using the multilocus sequence typing (MLST) approach, we determined each individual's unique sequence type (ST) based on comparison to sequences published in the Wolbachia MLST Database (https://pubmlst.org/wolbachia/). The results of this study suggest that there is a high level of diversity of Wolbachia strains among colonies from different regions, while the diversity within colonies is very low. Additionally, 13 novel variants (alleles) were uncovered. These results suggest that the level of diversity of Wolbachia within species is affected by geography, and the high level of diversity observed among Cephalotes atratus populations may be explained by their wide geographic range.}, }
@article {pmid31247412, year = {2019}, author = {Sicard, M and Bonneau, M and Weill, M}, title = {Wolbachia prevalence, diversity, and ability to induce cytoplasmic incompatibility in mosquitoes.}, journal = {Current opinion in insect science}, volume = {34}, number = {}, pages = {12-20}, doi = {10.1016/j.cois.2019.02.005}, pmid = {31247412}, issn = {2214-5753}, mesh = {Animals ; Culicidae/*microbiology ; Female ; Genes, Bacterial ; Male ; *Mosquito Control ; *Wolbachia ; }, abstract = {To protect humans and domestic animals from mosquito borne diseases, alternative methods to chemical insecticides have to be found. Pilot studies using the vertically transmitted bacterial endosymbiont Wolbachia were already launched in different parts of the world. Wolbachia can be used either in Incompatible Insect Technique (IIT), to decrease mosquito population, or to decrease the ability of mosquitoes to transmit pathogens. Not all mosquito species are naturally infected with Wolbachia: while in Culex pipiens and Aedes albopictus almost all individuals harbor Wolbachia, putative infections have to be further investigated in Anopheles species and in Aedes aegypti. All Wolbachia-based control methods rely on the ability of Wolbachia to induce cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI) resulting in embryonic death in incompatible crossings. Knowledge on CI diversity in mosquito is required to find the better Wolbachia-mosquito associations to optimize the success of both 'sterile insect' and 'pathogen blocking' Wolbachia-based methods.}, }
@article {pmid31242186, year = {2019}, author = {Shropshire, JD and Bordenstein, SR}, title = {Two-By-One model of cytoplasmic incompatibility: Synthetic recapitulation by transgenic expression of cifA and cifB in Drosophila.}, journal = {PLoS genetics}, volume = {15}, number = {6}, pages = {e1008221}, pmid = {31242186}, issn = {1553-7404}, support = {P30 DK058404/DK/NIDDK NIH HHS/United States ; R01 AI132581/AI/NIAID NIH HHS/United States ; R21 HD086833/HD/NICHD NIH HHS/United States ; }, mesh = {Animals ; Animals, Genetically Modified/genetics/growth &amp; development ; Bacteriophages/*genetics ; Cytoplasm/genetics/metabolism/microbiology ; Disease Vectors ; Drosophila melanogaster/*genetics/growth &amp; development/microbiology ; Female ; Gene Expression Regulation/genetics ; Male ; Maternal Inheritance/genetics ; Reproduction/genetics ; Viral Proteins/*genetics ; Wolbachia/*genetics/pathogenicity/virology ; }, abstract = {Wolbachia are maternally inherited bacteria that infect arthropod species worldwide and are deployed in vector control to curb arboviral spread using cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI). CI kills embryos when an infected male mates with an uninfected female, but the lethality is rescued if the female and her embryos are likewise infected. Two phage WO genes, cifAwMel and cifBwMel from the wMel Wolbachia deployed in vector control, transgenically recapitulate variably penetrant CI, and one of the same genes, cifAwMel, rescues wild type CI. The proposed Two-by-One genetic model predicts that CI and rescue can be recapitulated by transgenic expression alone and that dual cifAwMel and cifBwMel expression can recapitulate strong CI. Here, we use hatch rate and gene expression analyses in transgenic Drosophila melanogaster to demonstrate that CI and rescue can be synthetically recapitulated in full, and strong, transgenic CI comparable to wild type CI is achievable. These data explicitly validate the Two-by-One model in wMel-infected D. melanogaster, establish a robust system for transgenic studies of CI in a model system, and represent the first case of completely engineering male and female animal reproduction to depend upon bacteriophage gene products.}, }
@article {pmid31238839, year = {2019}, author = {Ritchie, SA and Staunton, KM}, title = {Reflections from an old Queenslander: can rear and release strategies be the next great era of vector control?.}, journal = {Proceedings. Biological sciences}, volume = {286}, number = {1905}, pages = {20190973}, pmid = {31238839}, issn = {1471-2954}, mesh = {Aedes ; Animals ; Dengue ; *Mosquito Control ; *Mosquito Vectors ; *Pest Control, Biological ; Queensland ; Wolbachia ; Zika Virus Infection ; }, abstract = {In this perspective, I discuss the great eras of vector control, centring on Aedes aegypti, the primary vector of dengue, Zika and several other viruses. Since the discovery and acceptance of the role of mosquitoes as vectors of disease agents, several significant strategies have been developed and deployed to control them and the diseases they transmit. Environmental management, insecticides and, to a lesser extent, biological control have emerged as great eras of vector control. In the past decade, the release of massive numbers of specifically modified mosquitoes that mate with wild populations has emerged as a significant new strategy to fight vector-borne diseases. These reared and released mosquitoes have been modified by the addition of a symbiont (e.g. Wolbachia bacteria), radiation or introduction of a genetic construct to either sterilize the wild mosquitoes they mate with, crashing the population, or to reduce the wild population's capacity to vector pathogens. Will these new rear and release strategies become the next great era of vector control? From my vantage point as a dengue control manager and researcher involved in two Wolbachia programmes, I will discuss the hurdles that rear and release programmes face to gain widespread acceptance and success.}, }
@article {pmid31234915, year = {2019}, author = {Zueva, T and Morchón, R and Carretón, E and Montoya-Alonso, JA and Santana, A and Bargues, MD and Mas-Coma, S and Rodríguez-Barbero, A and Simón, F}, title = {Angiogenic response in an in vitro model of dog microvascular endothelial cells stimulated with antigenic extracts from Dirofilaria immitis adult worms.}, journal = {Parasites &amp; vectors}, volume = {12}, number = {1}, pages = {315}, pmid = {31234915}, issn = {1756-3305}, support = {Castilla y León//Agencia de Desarrollo Económico/ ; Spain (cofinanced with FEDER funds)//Agencia de Desarrollo Económico/ ; Project No. RD16/0027/0018//RICET Red de Investigación de Centros de Enfermedades Tropicales/ ; Project No. RD16/0027/0023//Financial support for Valencia team obtained by RICET/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; Antigens, Bacterial/pharmacology ; Antigens, Helminth/*pharmacology ; Capillaries/drug effects ; Cell Survival/drug effects ; Cells, Cultured ; Dirofilaria immitis/*chemistry/microbiology ; Dogs ; Endothelial Cells/*drug effects ; Inflammation ; Neovascularization, Physiologic/*drug effects ; Wolbachia/chemistry/genetics ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Angiogenesis can occur under pathological conditions when stimuli such as inflammation, vascular obstruction or hypoxia exist. These stimuli are present in cardiopulmonary dirofilariosis (Dirofilaria immitis). The aim of this study was to analyze the capacity of D. immitis antigens to modify the expression of angiogenic factors and trigger the formation of pseudocapillaries (tube-like structures) in an in vitro model of endothelial cells.<br><br>METHODS: The expression of VEGF-A, sFlt, mEndoglin and sEndoglin in cultures of canine microvascular endothelial cells stimulated with extract of adult worms of D. immitis obtained from an untreated dog (DiSA) and from a dog treated for 15 days with doxycycline (tDiSA), was determined by using commercial kits. The capacity of pseudocapillary formation was evaluated analyzing cell connections and cell groups in Matrigel cell cultures stimulated with DiSA and tDiSA. In both cases non-stimulated cultures were used as controls.<br><br>RESULTS: First, we demonstrated that worms obtained from the dog treated with doxycycline showed a significantly lower amount of Wolbachia (less than 60%) than worms removed from the untreated dog. Only DiSA was able to significantly increase the expression of the proangiogenic factor VEGF-A in the endotelial cells cultures. None of the D. immitis extracts modified the expression of sFlt. tDiSA extract was able to modify the expression of the endoglins, significantly decreasing the expression of the pro-angiogenic mEndoglin and increasing the anti-angiogenic sEndoglin. The formation of pseudocapillaries was negatively influenced by tDiSA, which reduced the organization and number of cellular connections.<br><br>CONCLUSIONS: The ability of antigens from adult D. immitis worms to modify the expression of pro and anti-angiogenic factors in endotelial cell cultures was demonstrated, as well as the trend to form pseudocapillaries in vitro. The capacity of stimulation may be linked to the amount of Wolbachia present in the antigenic extracts.}, }
@article {pmid31234774, year = {2019}, author = {Thapa, S and Zhang, Y and Allen, MS}, title = {Bacterial microbiomes of Ixodes scapularis ticks collected from Massachusetts and Texas, USA.}, journal = {BMC microbiology}, volume = {19}, number = {1}, pages = {138}, pmid = {31234774}, issn = {1471-2180}, mesh = {Animals ; Bacteria/*classification/genetics/isolation &amp; purification ; Dogs/microbiology ; Female ; High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing/*methods ; Ixodes/*microbiology ; Male ; Massachusetts ; Microbiota ; Phylogeny ; Phylogeography ; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S/*genetics ; Sequence Analysis, DNA/methods ; Sex Characteristics ; Texas ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: The blacklegged tick, Ixodes scapularis, is the primary vector of the Lyme disease spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi in North America. Though the tick is found across the eastern United States, Lyme disease is endemic to the northeast and upper midwest and rare or absent in the southern portion of the vector's range. In an effort to better understand the tick microbiome from diverse geographic and climatic regions, we analysed the bacterial community of 115 I. scapularis adults collected from vegetation in Texas and Massachusetts, representing extreme ends of the vector's range, by massively parallel sequencing of the 16S V4 rRNA gene. In addition, 7 female I. scapularis collected from dogs in Texas were included in the study.<br><br>RESULTS: Male I. scapularis ticks had a more diverse bacterial microbiome in comparison to the female ticks. Rickettsia spp. dominated the microbiomes of field-collected female I. scapularis from both regions, as well as half of the males from Texas. In addition, the male and female ticks captured from Massachusetts contained high proportions of the pathogens Anaplasma and Borrelia, as well as the arthropod endosymbiont Wolbachia. None of these were found in libraries generated from ticks collected in Texas. Pseudomonas, Acinetobacter and Mycobacterium were significantly differently abundant (p < 0.05) between the male ticks from Massachusetts and Texas. Anaplasma and Borrelia were found in 15 and 63% of the 62 Massachusetts ticks, respectively, with a co-infection rate of 11%. Female ticks collected from Texas dogs were particularly diverse, and contained several genera including Rickettsia, Pseudomonas, Bradyrhizobium, Sediminibacterium, and Ralstonia.<br><br>CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicate that the bacterial microbiomes of I. scapularis ticks vary by sex and geography, with significantly more diversity in male microbiomes compared to females. We found that sex plays a larger role than geography in shaping the composition/diversity of the I. scapularis microbiome, but that geography affects what additional taxa are represented (beyond Rickettsia) and whether pathogens are found. Furthermore, recent feeding may have a role in shaping the tick microbiome, as evident from a more complex bacterial community in female ticks from dogs compared to the wild-caught questing females. These findings may provide further insight into the differences in the ability of the ticks to acquire, maintain and transmit pathogens. Future studies on possible causes and consequences of these differences will shed additional light on tick microbiome biology and vector competence.}, }
@article {pmid31233646, year = {2019}, author = {Hinojosa, JC and Koubínová, D and Szenteczki, MA and Pitteloud, C and Dincă, V and Alvarez, N and Vila, R}, title = {A mirage of cryptic species: Genomics uncover striking mitonuclear discordance in the butterfly Thymelicus sylvestris.}, journal = {Molecular ecology}, volume = {28}, number = {17}, pages = {3857-3868}, doi = {10.1111/mec.15153}, pmid = {31233646}, issn = {1365-294X}, mesh = {Animals ; Bayes Theorem ; Butterflies/*genetics ; Cell Nucleus/*genetics ; Electron Transport Complex IV/genetics ; Genetic Loci ; *Genomics ; Likelihood Functions ; Mitochondria/*genetics ; Phylogeny ; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide/genetics ; Species Specificity ; }, abstract = {Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequencing has led to an unprecedented rise in the identification of cryptic species. However, it is widely acknowledged that nuclear DNA (nuDNA) sequence data are also necessary to properly define species boundaries. Next generation sequencing techniques provide a wealth of nuclear genomic data, which can be used to ascertain both the evolutionary history and taxonomic status of putative cryptic species. Here, we focus on the intriguing case of the butterfly Thymelicus sylvestris (Lepidoptera: Hesperiidae). We identified six deeply diverged mitochondrial lineages; three distributed all across Europe and found in sympatry, suggesting a potential case of cryptic species. We then sequenced these six lineages using double-digest restriction-site associated DNA sequencing (ddRADseq). Nuclear genomic loci contradicted mtDNA patterns and genotypes generally clustered according to geography, i.e., a pattern expected under the assumption of postglacial recolonization from different refugia. Further analyses indicated that this strong mtDNA/nuDNA discrepancy cannot be explained by incomplete lineage sorting, sex-biased asymmetries, NUMTs, natural selection, introgression or Wolbachia-mediated genetic sweeps. We suggest that this mitonuclear discordance was caused by long periods of geographic isolation followed by range expansions, homogenizing the nuclear but not the mitochondrial genome. These results highlight T. sylvestris as a potential case of multiple despeciation and/or lineage fusion events. We finally argue, since mtDNA and nuDNA do not necessarily follow the same mechanisms of evolution, their respective evolutionary history reflects complementary aspects of past demographic and biogeographic events.}, }
@article {pmid31229556, year = {2020}, author = {Parvathi, A and Jasna, V and Aswathy, VK and Aparna, S and Nathan, VK and Jyothibabu, R}, title = {Dominance of Wolbachia sp. in the deep-sea sediment bacterial metataxonomic sequencing analysis in the Bay of Bengal, Indian Ocean.}, journal = {Genomics}, volume = {112}, number = {1}, pages = {1030-1041}, doi = {10.1016/j.ygeno.2019.06.019}, pmid = {31229556}, issn = {1089-8646}, mesh = {Alphaproteobacteria/isolation &amp; purification ; Bacteria/classification/genetics/isolation &amp; purification ; Biodiversity ; Firmicutes/isolation &amp; purification ; Geologic Sediments/chemistry/*microbiology ; High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing ; Indian Ocean ; Metagenomics ; Oceans and Seas ; Proteobacteria/isolation &amp; purification ; Sequence Analysis, DNA ; Wolbachia/genetics/*isolation &amp; purification ; }, abstract = {The Bay of Bengal, located in the north-eastern part of the Indian Ocean is world's largest bay occupying an area of ~8,39,000 mile2. The variability in bacterial community structure and function in sediment ecosystems of the Bay of Bengal is examined by Illumina high-throughput metagenomic sequencing. Of five metataxonomics data sets presented, two (SD1 and SD2) were from stations close to the shore and three (SD4, SD5, and SD6) were from the deep-sea (~3000 m depth). Phylum Proteobacteria (90.27 to 92.52%) dominated the deep-sea samples, whereas phylum Firmicutes (65.35 to 90.98%) dominated the coastal samples. Comparative analysis showed that coastal and deep-sea sediments showed distinct microbial communities. Wolbachia species, belonging to class Alphaproteobacteria was the most dominant species in the deep-sea sediments. The gene functions of bacterial communities were predicted for deep-sea and coastal sediment ecosystems. The results indicated that deep-sea sediment bacterial communities were involved in metabolic activities like dehalogenation and sulphide oxidation.}, }
@article {pmid31229468, year = {2019}, author = {Bock, W and Jayathunga, Y}, title = {Optimal control of a multi-patch Dengue model under the influence of Wolbachia bacterium.}, journal = {Mathematical biosciences}, volume = {315}, number = {}, pages = {108219}, doi = {10.1016/j.mbs.2019.108219}, pmid = {31229468}, issn = {1879-3134}, mesh = {Aedes/*microbiology ; Animals ; *Basic Reproduction Number ; Dengue/*prevention &amp; control/*transmission ; Humans ; *Models, Biological ; *Mosquito Vectors ; *Pest Control, Biological ; *Wolbachia/pathogenicity ; }, abstract = {In this work, a multi-patch model for dengue transmission dynamics including the bacterium Wolbachia is studied and by that the control efforts to minimize the disease spread by host and vector control are investigated. The multi-patch system models the host movement within the patches which coupled via a residence-time budgeting matrix P. Numerical results confirm that the control mechanism embedded in incidence rates of the disease transmission, effectively reduce the spread of the disease.}, }
@article {pmid31227544, year = {2019}, author = {Cooper, BS and Vanderpool, D and Conner, WR and Matute, DR and Turelli, M}, title = {Wolbachia Acquisition by Drosophila yakuba-Clade Hosts and Transfer of Incompatibility Loci Between Distantly Related Wolbachia.}, journal = {Genetics}, volume = {212}, number = {4}, pages = {1399-1419}, pmid = {31227544}, issn = {1943-2631}, support = {R01 GM104325/GM/NIGMS NIH HHS/United States ; R01 GM121750/GM/NIGMS NIH HHS/United States ; R35 GM124701/GM/NIGMS NIH HHS/United States ; }, mesh = {Animals ; Drosophila/*genetics/microbiology/physiology ; Female ; *Gene Transfer, Horizontal ; Genome, Bacterial ; Genome, Insect ; Genome, Mitochondrial ; Host-Pathogen Interactions ; Infertility/*genetics ; Male ; Phylogeny ; Wolbachia/*genetics/pathogenicity ; }, abstract = {Maternally transmitted Wolbachia infect about half of insect species, yet the predominant mode(s) of Wolbachia acquisition remains uncertain. Species-specific associations could be old, with Wolbachia and hosts codiversifying (i.e., cladogenic acquisition), or relatively young and acquired by horizontal transfer or introgression. The three Drosophila yakuba-clade hosts [(D. santomea, D. yakuba) D. teissieri] diverged ∼3 MYA and currently hybridize on the West African islands Bioko and São Tomé. Each species is polymorphic for nearly identical Wolbachia that cause weak cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI)-reduced egg hatch when uninfected females mate with infected males. D. yakuba-clade Wolbachia are closely related to wMel, globally polymorphic in D. melanogaster We use draft Wolbachia and mitochondrial genomes to demonstrate that D. yakuba-clade phylogenies for Wolbachia and mitochondria tend to follow host nuclear phylogenies. However, roughly half of D. santomea individuals, sampled both inside and outside of the São Tomé hybrid zone, have introgressed D. yakuba mitochondria. Both mitochondria and Wolbachia possess far more recent common ancestors than the bulk of the host nuclear genomes, precluding cladogenic Wolbachia acquisition. General concordance of Wolbachia and mitochondrial phylogenies suggests that horizontal transmission is rare, but varying relative rates of molecular divergence complicate chronogram-based statistical tests. Loci that cause CI in wMel are disrupted in D. yakuba-clade Wolbachia; but a second set of loci predicted to cause CI are located in the same WO prophage region. These alternative CI loci seem to have been acquired horizontally from distantly related Wolbachia, with transfer mediated by flanking Wolbachia-specific ISWpi1 transposons.}, }
@article {pmid31222094, year = {2019}, author = {Mateos, M and Silva, NO and Ramirez, P and Higareda-Alvear, VM and Aramayo, R and Erickson, JW}, title = {Effect of heritable symbionts on maternally-derived embryo transcripts.}, journal = {Scientific reports}, volume = {9}, number = {1}, pages = {8847}, pmid = {31222094}, issn = {2045-2322}, support = {R03 AI078348/AI/NIAID NIH HHS/United States ; }, mesh = {Animals ; Drosophila melanogaster/*embryology/genetics/*microbiology ; Embryo, Nonmammalian/*microbiology ; Female ; Genes, Insect/genetics ; Host-Pathogen Interactions/genetics ; Male ; Phenotype ; RNA, Ribosomal ; Reproduction/genetics ; Ribosome Inactivating Proteins/genetics/physiology ; Sequence Analysis, RNA ; Spiroplasma/enzymology ; *Symbiosis ; Transcriptome/*genetics ; Wolbachia ; }, abstract = {Maternally-transmitted endosymbiotic bacteria are ubiquitous in insects. Among other influential phenotypes, many heritable symbionts of arthropods are notorious for manipulating host reproduction through one of four reproductive syndromes, which are generally exerted during early developmental stages of the host: male feminization; parthenogenesis induction; male killing; and cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI). Major advances have been achieved in understanding mechanisms and identifying symbiont factors involved in reproductive manipulation, particularly male killing and cytoplasmic incompatibility. Nonetheless, whether cytoplasmically-transmitted bacteria influence the maternally-loaded components of the egg or early embryo has not been examined. In the present study, we investigated whether heritable endosymbionts that cause different reproductive phenotypes in Drosophila melanogaster influence the mRNA transcriptome of early embryos. We used mRNA-seq to evaluate differential expression in Drosophila embryos lacking endosymbionts (control) to those harbouring the male-killing Spiroplasma poulsonii strain MSRO-Br, the CI-inducing Wolbachia strain wMel, or Spiroplasma poulsonii strain Hyd1; a strain that lacks a reproductive phenotype and is naturally associated with Drosophila hydei. We found no consistent evidence of influence of symbiont on mRNA composition of early embryos, suggesting that the reproductive manipulation mechanism does not involve alteration of maternally-loaded transcripts. In addition, we capitalized on several available mRNA-seq datasets derived from Spiroplasma-infected Drosophila melanogaster embryos, to search for signals of depurination of rRNA, consistent with the activity of Ribosome Inactivating Proteins (RIPs) encoded by Spiroplasma poulsonii. We found small but statistically significant signals of depurination of Drosophila rRNA in the Spiroplasma treatments (both strains), but not in the symbiont-free control or Wolbachia treatment, consistent with the action of RIPs. The depurination signal was slightly stronger in the treatment with the male-killing strain. This result supports a recent report that RIP-induced damage contributes to male embryo death.}, }
@article {pmid31215133, year = {2020}, author = {Su, QC and Wang, X and Deng, C and Yun, YL and Zhao, Y and Peng, Y}, title = {Transcriptome responses to elevated CO2 level and Wolbachia-infection stress in Hylyphantes graminicola (Araneae: Linyphiidae).}, journal = {Insect science}, volume = {27}, number = {5}, pages = {908-920}, doi = {10.1111/1744-7917.12701}, pmid = {31215133}, issn = {1744-7917}, support = {2016YFD0200900//State's Key Project of Research and Development Plan/ ; 31672317//National Natural Science Foundation of China/ ; 2016jzxjh012//Competitive Planning Projects of Hubei Academy of Agricultural Sciences/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; Carbon Dioxide/*physiology ; Female ; Spiders/drug effects/*genetics/microbiology ; Stress, Physiological ; Transcriptome/drug effects/*genetics ; Wolbachia/*physiology ; }, abstract = {Hylyphantes graminicola is a resident spider species found in maize and cotton fields and is an important biological control agent of various pests. Previous studies have demonstrated that stress from elevated CO2 and Wolbachia infection can strongly affect spider species. Thus, based on CO2 levels (400 ppm, current atmospheric CO2 concentration and 800 ppm, high CO2 concentration) and Wolbachia status (Wolbachia-infected, W+ and Wolbachia-uninfected, W-), we divided H. graminicola individuals into four treatment groups: W- 400 ppm, W- 800 ppm, W+ 400 ppm, and W+ 800 ppm. To investigate the effects of elevated CO2 levels (W- 400 vs W- 800), Wolbachia infection (W- 400 vs W+ 400), and the interactions between these two factors (W- 400 vs W+ 800), high-throughput transcriptome sequencing was employed to characterize the de novo transcriptome of the spiders and identify stress-related differentially expressed genes (DEGs). De novo assembly of complementary DNA sequences generated 86 688 unigenes, 23 938 of which were annotated in public databases. A total of 84, 21, and 157 DEGs were found among W- 400 vs W- 800, W- 400 vs W+ 400, and W- 400 vs W+ 800, respectively. Functional enrichment analysis revealed that metabolic processes, signaling, and catalytic activity were significantly affected by elevated CO2 levels and Wolbachia infection. Our findings suggest that the impact of elevated CO2 levels and Wolbachia infection on the H. graminicola transcriptome was, to a large extent, on genes involved in metabolic processes. This study is the first description of transcriptome changes in response to elevated CO2 levels and Wolbachia infection in spiders.}, }
@article {pmid31214820, year = {2019}, author = {Konecka, E and Olszanowski, Z}, title = {First Evidence of Intracellular Bacteria Cardinium in Thermophilic Mite Microzetorchestes emeryi (Acari: Oribatida): Molecular Screening of Bacterial Endosymbiont Species.}, journal = {Current microbiology}, volume = {76}, number = {9}, pages = {1038-1044}, pmid = {31214820}, issn = {1432-0991}, mesh = {Animals ; Bacteroidetes/classification/*genetics/*isolation &amp; purification/physiology ; DNA, Bacterial/genetics ; DNA, Ribosomal/genetics ; Mites/*microbiology/physiology ; Phylogeny ; Poland ; Symbiosis ; }, abstract = {We undertook the issue of the distribution of intracellular bacteria among Oribatida (Acari). Six genera of bacteria were detected by PCR and Sanger DNA sequencing: Wolbachia, Cardinium, Rickettsia, Spiroplasma, Arsenophonus, and Hamiltonella. Our research, for the first time, revealed the presence of Cardinium in Microzetorchestes emeryi in two subpopulations separated from each other by 300 m. The percentages of infected animals were the same in both subpopulations-ca. 20%. The identity of 16S rDNA sequences of Cardinium between these two subpopulations of M. emeryi was 97%. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the Cardinium in M. emeryi was clustered into the group A. The occurrence of M. emeryi in Poland has not been reported before and our report is the first one. Cardinium maybe help the thermophilic M. emeryi to adapt to low temperatures in the Central Europe.}, }
@article {pmid31208002, year = {2019}, author = {Schebeck, M and Feldkirchner, L and Stauffer, C and Schuler, H}, title = {Dynamics of an Ongoing Wolbachia Spread in the European Cherry Fruit Fly, Rhagoletis cerasi (Diptera: Tephritidae).}, journal = {Insects}, volume = {10}, number = {6}, pages = {}, pmid = {31208002}, issn = {2075-4450}, support = {P31441-B29//Austrian Science Fund/ ; I 2604/FWF_/Austrian Science Fund FWF/Austria ; J-3527-B22//Austrian Science Fund/ ; P 26749/FWF_/Austrian Science Fund FWF/Austria ; P26749-B25//Austrian Science Fund/ ; }, abstract = {Numerous terrestrial arthropods are infected with the alphaproteobacterium Wolbachia. This endosymbiont is usually transmitted vertically from infected females to their offspring and can alter the reproduction of hosts through various manipulations, like cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI), enhancing its spread in new host populations. Studies on the spatial and temporal dynamics of Wolbachia under natural conditions are scarce. Here, we analyzed Wolbachia infection frequencies in populations of the European cherry fruit fly, Rhagoletis cerasi (L.), in central Germany-an area of an ongoing spread of the CI-inducing strain wCer2. In total, 295 individuals from 19 populations were PCR-screened for the presence of wCer2 and their mitochondrial haplotype. Results were compared with historic data to understand the infection dynamics of the ongoing wCer2 invasion. An overall wCer2 infection frequency of about 30% was found, ranging from 0% to 100% per population. In contrast to an expected smooth transition from wCer2-infected to completely wCer2-uninfected populations, a relatively scattered infection pattern across geography was observed. Moreover, a strong Wolbachia-haplotype association was detected, with only a few rare misassociations. Our results show a complex dynamic of an ongoing Wolbachia spread in natural field populations of R. cerasi.}, }
@article {pmid31204356, year = {2019}, author = {Watanabe, A and Takaku, S and Yokota, K and Hayashi, S and Tamaki, N and Kokeguchi, S}, title = {A survey of Lasioderma serricorne (Fabricius) in Japanese Dental Clinics.}, journal = {Biocontrol science}, volume = {24}, number = {2}, pages = {117-121}, doi = {10.4265/bio.24.117}, pmid = {31204356}, issn = {1884-0205}, mesh = {Animals ; Bacteria/*classification/*isolation &amp; purification ; Cluster Analysis ; Coleoptera/*microbiology ; DNA, Bacterial/chemistry/genetics ; DNA, Ribosomal/chemistry/genetics ; *Dental Clinics ; Japan ; Phylogeny ; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S/genetics ; Sequence Analysis, DNA ; }, abstract = {This study was to survey the capturing rate in Japanese dental clinics of the Lasioderma serricorne (cigarette beetles) , and to evaluate the beetle's potential as a carrier for transmission of nosocomial pathogens. L. serricorne imagoes were captured in pheromone traps in 14 Japanese dental clinics in August and September 2012 and 2013, and their numbers recorded. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for the bacterial antibiotic-resistant genes mecA, vanA, vanB, blaIMP, and blaVIM was performed on the captured L. serricorne imagoes. Bacterial species in the captured specimens were identified by 16S rRNA PCR and sequencing analysis. The L. serricorne imagoes were captured from 10 dental clinics (71.4%) . We failed to detect the presence of nosocomial antibiotic-resistant pathogens in L. serricorne imagoes. The bacterial species detected most commonly in the imagoes was Wolbachia sp., an intracellular proteobacterium infecting certain insect species. Monitoring of insects including L. serricorne should be incorporated into regiment of the infection control.}, }
@article {pmid31194893, year = {2020}, author = {Ant, TH and Herd, C and Louis, F and Failloux, AB and Sinkins, SP}, title = {Wolbachia transinfections in Culex quinquefasciatus generate cytoplasmic incompatibility.}, journal = {Insect molecular biology}, volume = {29}, number = {1}, pages = {1-8}, pmid = {31194893}, issn = {1365-2583}, support = {BB/K004506/BB_/Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council/United Kingdom ; 202888/WT_/Wellcome Trust/United Kingdom ; 108508/WT_/Wellcome Trust/United Kingdom ; }, mesh = {Aedes/microbiology ; Animals ; Culex/*microbiology ; Female ; Male ; Mosquito Control/methods ; Mosquito Vectors/microbiology ; Pest Control, Biological/methods ; Salivary Glands/microbiology ; Symbiosis ; Wolbachia/classification/*physiology ; }, abstract = {Culex quinquefasciatus is an important mosquito vector of a number of viral and protozoan pathogens of humans and animals, and naturally carries the endosymbiont Wolbachia pipientis, strain wPip. Wolbachia are used in two distinct vector control strategies: firstly, population suppression caused by mating incompatibilities between mass-released transinfected males and wild females; and secondly, the spread of pathogen transmission-blocking strains through populations. Using embryonic microinjection, two novel Wolbachia transinfections were generated in C. quinquefasciatus using strains native to the mosquito Aedes albopictus: a wAlbB single infection, and a wPip plus wAlbA superinfection. The wAlbB infection showed full bidirectional cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI) with wild-type C. quinquefasciatus in reciprocal crosses. The wPipwAlbA superinfection showed complete unidirectional CI, and therefore population invasion potential. Whereas the wAlbB strain showed comparatively low overall densities, similar to the native wPip, the wPipwAlbA superinfection reached over 400-fold higher densities in the salivary glands compared to the native wPip, suggesting it may be a candidate for pathogen transmission blocking.}, }
@article {pmid31191980, year = {2019}, author = {Koh, C and Audsley, MD and Di Giallonardo, F and Kerton, EJ and Young, PR and Holmes, EC and McGraw, EA}, title = {Sustained Wolbachia-mediated blocking of dengue virus isolates following serial passage in Aedes aegypti cell culture.}, journal = {Virus evolution}, volume = {5}, number = {1}, pages = {vez012}, pmid = {31191980}, issn = {2057-1577}, abstract = {Wolbachia is an intracellular endosymbiont of insects that inhibits the replication of a range of pathogens in its arthropod hosts. The release of Wolbachia into wild populations of mosquitoes is an innovative biocontrol effort to suppress the transmission of arthropod-borne viruses (arboviruses) to humans, most notably dengue virus. The success of the Wolbachia-based approach hinges upon the stable persistence of the 'pathogen blocking' effect, whose mechanistic basis is poorly understood. Evidence suggests that Wolbachia may affect viral replication via a combination of competition for host resources and activation of host immunity. The evolution of resistance against Wolbachia and pathogen blocking in the mosquito or the virus could reduce the public health impact of the symbiont releases. Here, we investigate if dengue 3 virus (DENV-3) is capable of accumulating adaptive mutations that improve its replicative capacity during serial passage in Wolbachia wMel-infected cells. During the passaging regime, viral isolates in Wolbachia-infected cells exhibited greater variation in viral loads compared to controls. The viral loads of these isolates declined rapidly during passaging due to the blocking effects of Wolbachia carriage, with several being lost all together and the remainder recovering to low but stable levels. We attempted to sequence the genomes of the surviving passaged isolates but, given their low abundance, were unable to obtain sufficient depth of coverage for evolutionary analysis. In contrast, viral loads in Wolbachia-free control cells were consistently high during passaging. The surviving isolates passaged in the presence of Wolbachia exhibited a reduced ability to replicate even in Wolbachia-free cells. These experiments demonstrate the challenge for dengue in evolving resistance to Wolbachia-mediated blocking.}, }
@article {pmid31186318, year = {2019}, author = {Chrostek, E and Gerth, M}, title = {Is Anopheles gambiae a Natural Host of Wolbachia?.}, journal = {mBio}, volume = {10}, number = {3}, pages = {}, pmid = {31186318}, issn = {2150-7511}, mesh = {Africa ; Animals ; Anopheles/*microbiology ; Female ; Genome, Bacterial ; Malaria/transmission ; Male ; Metagenomics ; Mosquito Vectors/*microbiology ; Phylogeny ; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S/genetics ; *Symbiosis ; Wolbachia/*genetics/isolation &amp; purification ; }, abstract = {Wolbachia (Alphaproteobacteria, Rickettsiales) is an intraovarially transmitted symbiont of insects able to exert striking phenotypes, including reproductive manipulations and pathogen blocking. These phenotypes make Wolbachia a promising tool to combat mosquito-borne diseases. Although Wolbachia is present in the majority of terrestrial arthropods, including many disease vectors, it was considered absent from Anopheles gambiae mosquitos, the main vectors of malaria in sub-Saharan Africa. In 2014, Wolbachia sequences were detected in A. gambiae samples collected in Burkina Faso. Subsequently, similar evidence came from collections all over Africa, revealing a high Wolbachia 16S rRNA sequence diversity, low abundance, and a lack of congruence between host and symbiont phylogenies. Here, we reanalyze and discuss recent evidence on the presence of Wolbachia sequences in A. gambiae. We find that although detected at increasing frequencies, the unusual properties of these Wolbachia sequences render them insufficient to diagnose natural infections in A. gambiae Future studies should focus on uncovering the origin of Wolbachia sequence variants in Anopheles and seeking sequence-independent evidence for this new symbiosis. Understanding the ecology of Anopheles mosquitos and their interactions with Wolbachia will be key in designing successful, integrative approaches to limit malaria spread. Although the prospect of using Wolbachia to fight malaria is intriguing, the newly discovered strains do not bring it closer to realization.IMPORTANCEAnopheles gambiae mosquitos are the main vectors of malaria, threatening around half of the world's population. The bacterial symbiont Wolbachia can interfere with disease transmission by other important insect vectors, but until recently, it was thought to be absent from natural A. gambiae populations. Here, we critically analyze the genomic, metagenomic, PCR, imaging, and phenotypic data presented in support of the presence of natural Wolbachia infections in A. gambiae We find that they are insufficient to diagnose Wolbachia infections and argue for the need of obtaining robust data confirming basic Wolbachia characteristics in this system. Determining the Wolbachia infection status of Anopheles is critical due to its potential to influence Anopheles population structure and Plasmodium transmission.}, }
@article {pmid31176069, year = {2019}, author = {Caragata, EP and Tikhe, CV and Dimopoulos, G}, title = {Curious entanglements: interactions between mosquitoes, their microbiota, and arboviruses.}, journal = {Current opinion in virology}, volume = {37}, number = {}, pages = {26-36}, pmid = {31176069}, issn = {1879-6265}, support = {R01 AI078997/AI/NIAID NIH HHS/United States ; R21 AI136456/AI/NIAID NIH HHS/United States ; R01 AI141532/AI/NIAID NIH HHS/United States ; R01 AI081877/AI/NIAID NIH HHS/United States ; R01 AI121253/AI/NIAID NIH HHS/United States ; R21 AI131574/AI/NIAID NIH HHS/United States ; R01 AI061576/AI/NIAID NIH HHS/United States ; R01 AI122743/AI/NIAID NIH HHS/United States ; }, mesh = {Aedes/immunology/microbiology/virology ; Animals ; Anopheles/immunology/microbiology/virology ; Arbovirus Infections/immunology/microbiology/virology ; Arboviruses/pathogenicity ; Biological Control Agents/immunology ; Culex/immunology/microbiology/virology ; Dengue Virus/pathogenicity ; Host Microbial Interactions/*immunology ; Humans ; Immunity, Innate ; Microbial Interactions/*immunology ; Microbiota ; *Mosquito Vectors/immunology/microbiology/virology ; Virus Diseases/immunology/microbiology/virology ; Wolbachia/*immunology ; }, abstract = {Mosquitoes naturally harbor a diverse community of microorganisms that play a crucial role in their biology. Mosquito-microbiota interactions are abundant and complex. They can dramatically alter the mosquito immune response, and impede or enhance a mosquito's ability to transmit medically important arboviral pathogens. Yet critically, given the massive public health impact of arboviral disease, few such interactions have been well characterized. In this review, we describe the current state of knowledge of the role of microorganisms in mosquito biology, how microbial-induced changes to mosquito immunity moderate infection with arboviruses, cases of mosquito-microbial-virus interactions with a defined mechanism, and the molecular interactions that underlie the endosymbiotic bacterium Wolbachia's ability to block virus infection in mosquitoes.}, }
@article {pmid31174466, year = {2019}, author = {Baião, GC and Schneider, DI and Miller, WJ and Klasson, L}, title = {The effect of Wolbachia on gene expression in Drosophila paulistorum and its implications for symbiont-induced host speciation.}, journal = {BMC genomics}, volume = {20}, number = {1}, pages = {465}, pmid = {31174466}, issn = {1471-2164}, support = {2014-4353//Vetenskapsrådet/ ; P28255-B22//Austrian Science Fund/ ; }, mesh = {Amino Acids/metabolism ; Animals ; Carbohydrate Metabolism/genetics ; Drosophila/*genetics/metabolism/*microbiology ; Female ; *Genetic Speciation ; Immunity/genetics ; Lipid Metabolism/genetics ; Male ; Muscles/metabolism ; Pheromones/metabolism ; Proteolysis ; RNA-Seq ; Reproduction/genetics ; *Symbiosis ; Transcriptome ; Wolbachia/*physiology ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: The Neotropical fruit fly Drosophila paulistorum (Diptera: Drosophilidae) is a species complex in statu nascendi comprising six reproductively isolated semispecies, each harboring mutualistic Wolbachia strains. Although wild type flies of each semispecies are isolated from the others by both pre- and postmating incompatibilities, mating between semispecies and successful offspring development can be achieved once flies are treated with antibiotics to reduce Wolbachia titer. Here we use RNA-seq to study the impact of Wolbachia on D. paulistorum and investigate the hypothesis that the symbiont may play a role in host speciation. For that goal, we analyze samples of heads and abdomens of both sexes of the Amazonian, Centro American and Orinocan semispecies of D. paulistorum.<br><br>RESULTS: We identify between 175 and 1192 differentially expressed genes associated with a variety of biological processes that respond either globally or according to tissue, sex or condition in the three semispecies. Some of the functions associated with differentially expressed genes are known to be affected by Wolbachia in other species, such as metabolism and immunity, whereas others represent putative novel phenotypes involving muscular functions, pheromone signaling, and visual perception.<br><br>CONCLUSIONS: Our results show that Wolbachia affect a large number of biological functions in D. paulistorum, particularly when present in high titer. We suggest that the significant metabolic impact of the infection on the host may cause several of the other putative and observed phenotypes. We also speculate that the observed differential expression of genes associated with chemical communication and reproduction may be associated with the emergence of pre- and postmating barriers between semispecies, which supports a role for Wolbachia in the speciation of D. paulistorum.}, }
@article {pmid31173475, year = {2020}, author = {Xie, K and Lu, YJ and Yang, K and Huo, SM and Hong, XY}, title = {Co-infection of Wolbachia and Spiroplasma in spider mite Tetranychus truncatus increases male fitness.}, journal = {Insect science}, volume = {27}, number = {5}, pages = {921-937}, pmid = {31173475}, issn = {1744-7917}, support = {31672035//National Natural Science Foundation of China/ ; 31871976//National Natural Science Foundation of China/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; *Genetic Fitness ; Male ; Spiroplasma/*physiology ; *Symbiosis ; Tetranychidae/*genetics/microbiology ; Wolbachia/*physiology ; }, abstract = {Wolbachia and Spiroplasma are intracellular bacteria that are of great interest to entomologists, because of their ability to alter insect host biology in multiple ways. In the spider mite Tetranychus truncatus, co-infection of Wolbachia and Spiroplasma can induce cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI) and fitness costs; however, little is known about the effect of co-infection at the genetic level and the molecular mechanisms underlying CI. In this study, we explored the influence of the two symbionts on male mite host fitness and used RNA sequencing to generate the transcriptomes of T. truncatus with four different types of infection. In total, we found symbiont-infected lines had a higher hatch proportion than the uninfected line, and the development time of the uninfected line was longer than that of the other lines. Co-infection changed the expression of many genes related to digestion detoxification, reproduction, immunity and oxidation reduction. Our results indicate that co-infection of Wolbachia and Spiroplasma confers multiple effects on their hosts, and helps illuminate the complex interactions between endosymbionts and arthropods.}, }
@article {pmid31167953, year = {2020}, author = {Bonning, BC}, title = {The Insect Virome: Opportunities and Challenges.}, journal = {Current issues in molecular biology}, volume = {34}, number = {}, pages = {1-12}, doi = {10.21775/cimb.034.001}, pmid = {31167953}, issn = {1467-3045}, mesh = {Animals ; Biodiversity ; Genome, Viral ; Host-Pathogen Interactions/genetics/immunology ; Insect Viruses/*classification/*genetics ; Insecta/genetics/immunology/*virology ; Invertebrates ; Metagenomics ; Microbiota ; }, abstract = {The insect virome is composed of a myriad of viruses. Both field populations and laboratory colonies of insects harbour diverse viruses, including viruses that infect the insect itself, viruses of microbes associated with the insect, and viruses associated with ingested materials. Metagenomics analysis for identification of virus-derived sequences has allowed for new appreciation of the extent and diversity of the insect virome. The complex interactions between insect viruses and host antiviral immune pathways (RNA interference and apoptosis), and between viruses and other members of the microbiome (e.g. Wolbachia) are becoming apparent. In this chapter, an overview of the diversity of viruses in insects and recent virus discovery research for specific insects and insect-derived cell lines is provided. The opportunities and challenges associated with the insect virome, including the potential impacts of viruses on both research and insect management programs are also addressed.}, }
@article {pmid31162017, year = {2019}, author = {Batsa Debrah, L and Phillips, RO and Pfarr, K and Klarmann-Schulz, U and Opoku, VS and Nausch, N and Owusu, W and Mubarik, Y and Sander, AL and Lämmer, C and Ritter, M and Layland, LE and Jacobsen, M and Debrah, AY and Hoerauf, A}, title = {The Efficacy of Doxycycline Treatment on Mansonella perstans Infection: An Open-Label, Randomized Trial in Ghana.}, journal = {The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene}, volume = {101}, number = {1}, pages = {84-92}, pmid = {31162017}, issn = {1476-1645}, support = {MR/J01477X/1/MRC_/Medical Research Council/United Kingdom ; }, mesh = {Adolescent ; Adult ; Animals ; Anti-Bacterial Agents/*therapeutic use ; Child ; Doxycycline/*therapeutic use ; Female ; Ghana/epidemiology ; Humans ; Male ; *Mansonella ; Mansonelliasis/*drug therapy/*epidemiology ; Middle Aged ; Young Adult ; }, abstract = {Treating Mansonella perstans is challenged by the low efficacy of registered antihelminthics. Wolbachia endobacteria provide an alternative treatment target because depletion results in amicrofilaremia in filarial infections with Wuchereria bancrofti and Onchocerca volvulus infections. This open-label, randomized study sought to confirm that i) Wolbachia are present in M. perstans in Ghana and ii) doxycycline treatment will deplete Wolbachia and cause a slow, sustained decline in microfilariae (MF). Two hundred and two Ghanaians with M. perstans infection were randomized into early (immediate) and delayed (6 months deferred) treatment groups, given doxycycline 200 mg/day for 6 weeks, and monitored for MF and Wolbachia levels at baseline, 4, 12, and 24 months after the study onset (= time of randomization and start of treatment for the early group). Per protocol analysis revealed that the median MF/mL in the early group declined from 138 at baseline to 64 at month 4 and further to 0 at month 12. In the delayed group, MF load did not change from a baseline median of 97 to 102 at month 4 but declined to 42 at month 12, that is, 6 months after receiving treatment, trailing the early group as expected. By month 24, both treatment groups had reached a median MF level of 0. After treatment, Wolbachia were depleted from MF by ≥ 1-log drop compared with baseline levels. We conclude that M. perstans in Ghana harbor Wolbachia that are effectively depleted by doxycycline with subsequent reduction in MF loads, most likely because of interruption of fertility of adult worms.}, }
@article {pmid31161558, year = {2019}, author = {Li, D and Wan, H}, title = {The Threshold Infection Level for [Formula: see text] Invasion in a Two-Sex Mosquito Population Model.}, journal = {Bulletin of mathematical biology}, volume = {81}, number = {7}, pages = {2596-2624}, doi = {10.1007/s11538-019-00620-1}, pmid = {31161558}, issn = {1522-9602}, mesh = {Animals ; *Biological Control Agents ; Computer Simulation ; Culicidae/growth &amp; development/*microbiology ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Mathematical Concepts ; *Models, Biological ; Mosquito Vectors/growth &amp; development/*microbiology ; Symbiosis/physiology ; Vector Borne Diseases/prevention &amp; control/transmission ; Wolbachia/*pathogenicity/*physiology ; }, abstract = {In this paper, we formulate a new [Formula: see text] infection model in a two-sex mosquito population with stage structure. Some key factors of [Formula: see text] infection, including cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI), male killing (MK) effect, maternal transmission, fecundity cost due to fitness effect and different mortality rates for infected individuals, are captured. Dynamical analysis has been carried out, and the basic reproduction number [Formula: see text] for [Formula: see text] infection has been calculated. Our analysis shows that [Formula: see text] can establish in a mosquito population if [Formula: see text] is greater than unity. If [Formula: see text] is less than unity, [Formula: see text] establishment still can be achieved if backward bifurcation occurs. Under this circumstance, the initial values lying in the basin of attraction of the stable [Formula: see text]-established equilibrium are essential to guarantee [Formula: see text] establishment. In particular, the method to find the basin of attraction and evaluate the threshold initial values is given. Besides, according to a comparison of different releasing strategies, it is shown that, from the perspective of economy and disease control, keeping the number of infected female mosquitoes to a necessary minimum by relying on higher number of male mosquitoes released is a desirable strategy. Moreover, global and local sensitivity analysis and numerical simulation have been performed to explore the impact of model parameters to the success of population establishment. Our results suggest that low levels of MK effect and fitness costs as well as high levels of CI and maternal inheritance are in favor of [Formula: see text] establishment. Moreover, not considering MK effect and incomplete CI effect may result in the underestimation of the number of infected mosquitoes needed to be released.}, }
@article {pmid31161026, year = {2019}, author = {Kulkarni, A and Yu, W and Jiang, J and Sanchez, C and Karna, AK and Martinez, KJL and Hanley, KA and Buenemann, M and Hansen, IA and Xue, RD and Ettestad, P and Melman, S and Duguma, D and Debboun, M and Xu, J}, title = {Wolbachia pipientis occurs in Aedes aegypti populations in New Mexico and Florida, USA.}, journal = {Ecology and evolution}, volume = {9}, number = {10}, pages = {6148-6156}, pmid = {31161026}, issn = {2045-7758}, support = {P20 GM103451/GM/NIGMS NIH HHS/United States ; }, abstract = {The mosquitoes Aedes aegypti (L.) and Ae. albopictus Skuse are the major vectors of dengue, Zika, yellow fever, and chikungunya viruses worldwide. Wolbachia, an endosymbiotic bacterium present in many insects, is being utilized in novel vector control strategies to manipulate mosquito life history and vector competence to curb virus transmission. Earlier studies have found that Wolbachia is commonly detected in Ae. albopictus but rarely detected in Ae. aegypti. In this study, we used a two-step PCR assay to detect Wolbachia in wild-collected samples of Ae. aegypti. The PCR products were sequenced to validate amplicons and identify Wolbachia strains. A loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay was developed and used for detecting Wolbachia in selected mosquito specimens as well. We found Wolbachia in 85/148 (57.4%) wild Ae. aegypti specimens from various cities in New Mexico, and in 2/46 (4.3%) from St. Augustine, Florida. Wolbachia was not detected in 94 samples of Ae. aegypti from Deer Park, Harris County, Texas. Wolbachia detected in Ae. aegypti from both New Mexico and Florida was the wAlbB strain of Wolbachia pipientis. A Wolbachia-positive colony of Ae. aegypti was established from pupae collected in Las Cruces, New Mexico, in 2018. The infected females of this strain transmitted Wolbachia to their progeny when crossed with males of Rockefeller strain of Ae. aegypti, which does not carry Wolbachia. In contrast, none of the progeny of Las Cruces males mated to Rockefeller females were infected with Wolbachia.}, }
@article {pmid31159272, year = {2019}, author = {Gichuhi, J and Khamis, FM and Van den Berg, J and Ekesi, S and Herren, JK}, title = {Unexpected Diversity of Wolbachia Associated with Bactrocera dorsalis (Diptera: Tephritidae) in Africa.}, journal = {Insects}, volume = {10}, number = {6}, pages = {}, pmid = {31159272}, issn = {2075-4450}, support = {IBCARP//European Union/ ; }, abstract = {Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel) is an important pest of fruit-bearing plants in many countries worldwide. In Africa, this pest has spread rapidly and has become widely established since the first invasion report in 2003. Wolbachia is a vertically transmitted endosymbiont that can significantly influence aspects of the biology and, in particular, the reproduction of its host. In this study, we screened B. dorsalis specimens collected from several locations in Africa between 2005 and 2017 for Wolbachia using a PCR-based assay to target the Wolbachia surface protein wsp. Of the 357 individuals tested, 10 were positive for Wolbachia using the wsp assay. We identified four strains of Wolbachia infecting two B. dorsalis mitochondrial haplotypes. We found no strict association between the infecting strain and host haplotype, with one strain being present in two different host haplotypes. All the detected strains belonged to Super Group B Wolbachia and did not match any strains reported previously in B. dorsalis in Asia. These findings indicate that diverse Wolbachia infections are present in invasive populations of B. dorsalis.}, }
@article {pmid31143363, year = {2019}, author = {Yashiro, T and Lo, N}, title = {Comparative screening of endosymbiotic bacteria associated with the asexual and sexual lineages of the termite Glyptotermes nakajimai.}, journal = {Communicative &amp; integrative biology}, volume = {12}, number = {1}, pages = {55-58}, pmid = {31143363}, issn = {1942-0889}, abstract = {Males provide opportunities both for sexual reproduction and for sex-based phenotypic differences within animal societies. In termites, the ubiquitous presence of both male and female workers and soldiers indicate that males play a critical role in colonies of these insects. However, we have recently reported all-female asexual societies in a lineage of the termite Glyptotermes nakajimai - a dramatic transition from mixed-sex to all-female asexual societies. It is known that female-producing parthenogenesis in insects can be induced by maternally inherited endosymbiotic bacteria, such as Wolbachia, Cardinium, and Rickettsia. Here, we screen for the presence of endosymbiotic bacteria in the asexual and sexual lineages of G. nakajimai. Our bacterial screening of the asexual lineage did not reveal any likely causal agents for parthenogenetic reproduction, whereas screening of the sexual lineage resulted in Wolbachia being detected. Our findings suggest that the asexuality in G. nakajimai is likely to be maintained without manipulation by endosymbiotic bacteria.}, }
@article {pmid31134014, year = {2019}, author = {Wasala, SK and Brown, AMV and Kang, J and Howe, DK and Peetz, AB and Zasada, IA and Denver, DR}, title = {Variable Abundance and Distribution of Wolbachia and Cardinium Endosymbionts in Plant-Parasitic Nematode Field Populations.}, journal = {Frontiers in microbiology}, volume = {10}, number = {}, pages = {964}, pmid = {31134014}, issn = {1664-302X}, abstract = {The bacterial endosymbiont Wolbachia interacts with different invertebrate hosts, engaging in diverse symbiotic relationships. Wolbachia is often a reproductive parasite in arthropods, but an obligate mutualist in filarial nematodes. Wolbachia was recently discovered in plant-parasitic nematodes, and, is thus far known in just two genera Pratylenchus and Radopholus, yet the symbiont's function remains unknown. The occurrence of Wolbachia in these economically important plant pests offers an unexplored biocontrol strategy. However, development of Wolbachia-based biocontrol requires an improved understanding of symbiont-host functional interactions and the symbiont's prevalence among nematode field populations. This study used a molecular-genetic approach to assess the prevalence of a Wolbachia lineage (wPpe) in 32 field populations of Pratylenchus penetrans. Populations were examined from eight different plant species in Washington, Oregon, and California. Nematodes were also screened for the endosymbiotic bacterium Cardinium (cPpe) that was recently shown to co-infect P. penetrans. Results identified wPpe in 9/32 and cPpe in 1/32 of P. penetrans field populations analyzed. No co-infection was observed in field populations. Wolbachia was detected in nematodes from 4/8 plant-hosts examined (raspberry, strawberry, clover, and lily), and in all three states surveyed. Cardinium was detected in nematodes from mint in Washington. In the wPpe-infected P. penetrans populations collected from raspberry, the prevalence of wPpe infection ranged from 11 to 58%. This pattern is unlike that in filarial nematodes where Wolbachia is an obligate mutualist and occurs in 100% of the host. Further analysis of wPpe-infected populations revealed female-skewed sex ratios (up to 96%), with the degree of skew positively correlating with wPpe prevalence. Uninfected nematode populations had approximately equal numbers of males and females. Comparisons of 54 wPpe 16S ribosomal RNA sequences revealed high similarity across the geographic isolates, with 45 of 54 isolates being identical at this locus. The complete absence of wPpe among some populations and low prevalence in others suggest that this endosymbiont is not an obligate mutualist of P. penetrans. The observed sex ratio bias in wPpe-infected nematode populations is similar to that observed in arthropods where Wolbachia acts as a reproductive manipulator, raising the question of a similar role in plant-parasitic nematodes.}, }
@article {pmid31128084, year = {2019}, author = {Guo, Y and Gong, JT and Mo, PW and Huang, HJ and Hong, XY}, title = {Wolbachia localization during Laodelphax striatellus embryogenesis.}, journal = {Journal of insect physiology}, volume = {116}, number = {}, pages = {125-133}, doi = {10.1016/j.jinsphys.2019.05.006}, pmid = {31128084}, issn = {1879-1611}, mesh = {Animals ; *Embryonic Development ; Hemiptera/embryology/*microbiology ; Phylogeny ; Wolbachia/classification/*physiology ; }, abstract = {Wolbachia are intracellular bacteria carried by thousands of arthropod species. The success of Wolbachia is due to efficient vertical transmission by the host maternal germline. Wolbachia's behavior during host oogenesis is well characterized, although their behavior during embryogenesis is unclear. Vertical transmission of Wolbachia wStri in the small brown planthopper, Laodelphax striatellus is extraordinarily efficient. To understand why, we investigated its localization and dynamics in L. striatellus embryos. Microscopic observations indicated that the Wolbachia were mainly localized at the anterior region of the embryo during early embryogenesis. The distribution of Wolbachia within the anterior region was established during oogenesis, and according to a phylogenetic analysis, may be due to intrinsic factors in Wolbachia. We observed that wStri migrated to the posterior part cells during late embryogenesis, in the region where gonads were formed. An expression profile of Wolbachia-infected host embryonic development genes revealed Ddx1 mRNAs, which is required for host viability and in the germ line, accumulated in the posterior region of 3-day-old embryos, while other development genes mRNAs were significantly more abundant in the posterior region of 6-day-old embryos. These genes thus appear to be associated with the localization of Wolbachia wStri in the anterior region, although their functions remain unclear. These results can explain Wolbachia wStri high prevalence in L. striatellus.}, }
@article {pmid31121066, year = {2019}, author = {Hubert, J and Nesvorna, M and Klimov, P and Dowd, SE and Sopko, B and Erban, T}, title = {Differential allergen expression in three Tyrophagus putrescentiae strains inhabited by distinct microbiome.}, journal = {Allergy}, volume = {74}, number = {12}, pages = {2502-2507}, doi = {10.1111/all.13921}, pmid = {31121066}, issn = {1398-9995}, support = {18-04-01092//Russian Foundation for Basic Research/International ; 19-09998S//Czech Science Foundation (GACR)/International ; 16-14-10109//Russian Science Foundation/International ; CZ.02.2.69/0.0/0.0/16_027/0008503//Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Czech Republic/International ; RO0418//Ministry of Agriculture of the Czech Republic/International ; }, mesh = {Acaridae/*genetics/*immunology ; Allergens/*genetics/*immunology ; Animals ; *Gene Expression ; Gene Expression Profiling ; *Microbiota ; Transcriptome ; }, }
@article {pmid31120156, year = {2020}, author = {Chouin-Carneiro, T and Ant, TH and Herd, C and Louis, F and Failloux, AB and Sinkins, SP}, title = {Wolbachia strain wAlbA blocks Zika virus transmission in Aedes aegypti.}, journal = {Medical and veterinary entomology}, volume = {34}, number = {1}, pages = {116-119}, pmid = {31120156}, issn = {1365-2915}, support = {ZK/16-021/MRC_/Medical Research Council/United Kingdom ; 108508/WT_/Wellcome Trust/United Kingdom ; 202888/WT_/Wellcome Trust/United Kingdom ; }, mesh = {Aedes/*microbiology/*virology ; Animals ; Female ; Mosquito Vectors/microbiology/virology ; Wolbachia/*physiology ; Zika Virus/physiology ; Zika Virus Infection/*transmission ; }, abstract = {Transinfections of the maternally transmitted endosymbiont Wolbachia pipientis can reduce RNA virus replication and prevent transmission by Aedes aegypti, and also have the capacity to invade wild-type populations, potentially reaching and maintaining high infection frequencies. Levels of virus transmission blocking are positively correlated with Wolbachia intracellular density. Despite reaching high densities in Ae. aegypti, transinfections of wAlbA, a strain native to Aedes albopictus, showed no blocking of Semliki Forest Virus in previous intrathoracic injection challenges. To further characterize wAlbA blocking in Ae. aegypti, adult females were intrathoracically challenged with Zika (ZIKV) and dengue viruses, and then fed a ZIKV-containing bloodmeal. No blocking was observed with either virus when challenged by intrathoracic injection. However, when ZIKV was delivered orally, wAlbA-infected females showed a significant reduction in viral replication and dissemination compared with uninfected controls, as well as a complete absence of virus in saliva. Although other Wolbachia strains have been shown to cause more robust viral blocking in Ae. aegypti, these findings demonstrate that, in principle, wAlbA could be used to reduce virus transmission in this species. Moreover, the results highlight the potential for underestimation of the strength of virus-blocking when based on intrathoracic injection compared with more natural oral challenges.}, }
@article {pmid31115477, year = {2019}, author = {Gómez-Díaz, JS and Montoya-Lerma, J and Muñoz Valencia, V}, title = {Prevalence and Diversity of Endosymbionts in Cassava Whiteflies (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) From Colombia.}, journal = {Journal of insect science (Online)}, volume = {19}, number = {3}, pages = {}, pmid = {31115477}, issn = {1536-2442}, mesh = {Animals ; Hemiptera/genetics/*microbiology ; Manihot ; Nymph/microbiology ; Phylogeny ; Symbiosis ; }, abstract = {Whiteflies cause huge economic losses for cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) cultivation. Damage can be caused directly when the insects feed on the phloem and/or indirectly by the transmission of viruses. It has been found that whiteflies maintain a close relationship with some endosymbiotic bacteria and that this interaction produces different effects on host biology and can also facilitate viral transmission. This study aimed to characterize the diversity of secondary endosymbionts (SE) present in whiteflies associated with cassava. Whitefly adults and nymphs were collected from cassava crops at nine locations in Southwestern Colombia. Molecular identification of insects and endosymbionts was carried out using specific mtCOI, wsp, 23s rRNA, and 16s rRNA primers. Phylogenetic trees were constructed from these sequences, both for whitefly species and the endosymbionts found. In addition, morphological identification of whitefly species was made using last instar nymphs. Molecular and morphological evaluation revealed that the most abundant whitefly species was Trialeurodes variabilis (Quaintance) followed by Aleurotrachelus socialis Bondar and Bemisia tuberculata Bondar. One hundred percent of the individuals contained the primary endosymbiont Portiera. The SE Rickettsia, Hamiltonella, Wolbachia, and Fritschea were not detected in the samples tested. Prevalence of Cardinium and Arsenophonus were variable at each locality, Cardinium being most prevalent in A. socialis adults. This study is the first report on the presence of Cardinium and Arsenophonus in A. socialis and T. variabilis. It is also the first report of endosymbiotic diversity in whiteflies associated with cassava in Colombia.}, }
@article {pmid31107912, year = {2019}, author = {Caragata, EP and Rocha, MN and Pereira, TN and Mansur, SB and Dutra, HLC and Moreira, LA}, title = {Pathogen blocking in Wolbachia-infected Aedes aegypti is not affected by Zika and dengue virus co-infection.}, journal = {PLoS neglected tropical diseases}, volume = {13}, number = {5}, pages = {e0007443}, pmid = {31107912}, issn = {1935-2735}, mesh = {Aedes/*microbiology/*virology ; Animals ; Brazil ; Dengue Virus/genetics/*physiology ; Female ; Male ; Mosquito Control/*methods ; Mosquito Vectors/*microbiology/*virology ; Wolbachia/genetics/*physiology ; Zika Virus/genetics/*physiology ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Wolbachia's ability to restrict arbovirus transmission makes it a promising tool to combat mosquito-transmitted diseases. Wolbachia-infected Aedes aegypti are currently being released in locations such as Brazil, which regularly experience concurrent outbreaks of different arboviruses. A. aegypti can become co-infected with, and transmit multiple arboviruses with one bite, which can complicate patient diagnosis and treatment.<br><br>Using experimental oral infection of A. aegypti and then RT-qPCR, we examined ZIKV/DENV-1 and ZIKV/DENV-3 co-infection in Wolbachia-infected A. aegypti and observed that Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes experienced lower prevalence of infection and viral load than wildtype mosquitoes, even with an extra infecting virus. Critically, ZIKV/DENV co-infection had no significant impact on Wolbachia's ability to reduce viral transmission. Wolbachia infection also strongly altered expression levels of key immune genes Defensin C and Transferrin 1, in a virus-dependent manner.<br><br>CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Our results suggest that pathogen interference in Wolbachia-infected A. aegypti is not adversely affected by ZIKV/DENV co-infection, which suggests that Wolbachia-infected A. aegypti will likely prove suitable for controlling mosquito-borne diseases in environments with complex patterns of arbovirus transmission.}, }
@article {pmid31100967, year = {2019}, author = {Rahayu, A and Saraswati, U and Supriyati, E and Kumalawati, DA and Hermantara, R and Rovik, A and Daniwijaya, EW and Fitriana, I and Setyawan, S and Ahmad, RA and Wardana, DS and Indriani, C and Utarini, A and Tantowijoyo, W and Arguni, E}, title = {Prevalence and Distribution of Dengue Virus in Aedes aegypti in Yogyakarta City before Deployment of Wolbachia Infected Aedes aegypti.}, journal = {International journal of environmental research and public health}, volume = {16}, number = {10}, pages = {}, pmid = {31100967}, issn = {1660-4601}, mesh = {Aedes/*microbiology ; Animals ; *Biological Control Agents ; Cities ; Dengue Virus/*isolation &amp; purification ; Female ; Indonesia ; *Mosquito Vectors ; Seasons ; Serogroup ; *Wolbachia ; }, abstract = {Indonesia is one of the countries where dengue infection is prevalent. In this study we measure the prevalence and distribution of dengue virus (DENV) DENV-infected Aedes aegypti in Yogyakarta City, Indonesia, during the wet season when high dengue transmission period occurred, as baseline data before implementation of a Wolbachia-infected Aedes aegypti trial for dengue control. We applied One-Step Multiplex Real Time PCR (RT-PCR) for the type-specific-detection of dengue viruses in field-caught adult Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. In a prospective field study conducted from December 2015 to May 2016, adult female Aedes aegypti were caught from selected areas in Yogyakarta City, and then screened by using RT-PCR. During the survey period, 36 (0.12%) mosquitoes from amongst 29,252 female mosquitoes were positive for a DENV type. In total, 22.20% of dengue-positive mosquitoes were DENV-1, 25% were DENV-2, 17% were DENV-3, but none were positive for DENV-4. This study has provided dengue virus infection prevalence in field-caught Aedes aegypti and its circulating serotype in Yogyakarta City before deployment of Wolbachia-infected Aedes aegypti.}, }
@article {pmid31095639, year = {2019}, author = {Hosseinzadeh, S and Ramsey, J and Mann, M and Bennett, L and Hunter, WB and Shams-Bakhsh, M and Hall, DG and Heck, M}, title = {Color morphology of Diaphorina citri influences interactions with its bacterial endosymbionts and 'Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus'.}, journal = {PloS one}, volume = {14}, number = {5}, pages = {e0216599}, pmid = {31095639}, issn = {1932-6203}, mesh = {Animals ; Citrus/*microbiology/parasitology ; Color ; Hemiptera/*microbiology/physiology ; Hemocyanins/metabolism ; *Host-Pathogen Interactions ; Insect Vectors/*microbiology/physiology ; Plant Diseases/*microbiology ; Rhizobiaceae/isolation &amp; purification/*physiology ; *Symbiosis ; }, abstract = {Diaphorina citri is a vector of 'Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus,' (CLas), associated with Huanglongbing, (HLB, or citrus greening) disease in citrus. D. citri exhibits three different color morph variants, blue, gray and yellow. Blue morphs have a greater capacity for long-distance flight as compared to non-blue morphs, but little else is known about how color morphology influences vector characteristics. In this study, we show that the color morphology of the insect is derived from pigmented cells of the fat body. Blue morphs acquire a lower level of CLas in their bodies from infected trees as compared to their gray and yellow conspecifics, referred to in this paper collectively as non-blue morphs. Accordingly, CLas titer in citrus leaves inoculated by non-blue insects was 6-fold higher than in leaves inoculated by blue insects. Blue color morphs harbored lower titers of Wolbachia and 'Candidatus Profftella armatura,' two of the D. citri bacterial endosymbionts. Expression of hemocyanin, a copper-binding oxygen transport protein responsible for the blue coloration of hemolymph of other arthropods and mollusks, was previously correlated with blue color morphology and is highly up-regulated in insects continuously reared on CLas infected citrus trees. Based on our results, we hypothesized that a reduction of hemocyanin expression would reduce the D. citri immune response and an increase in the titer of CLas would be observed. Surprisingly, a specific 3-fold reduction of hemocyanin-1 transcript levels using RNA silencing in blue adult D. citri morphs had an approximately 2-fold reduction on the titer of CLas. These results suggest that hemocyanin signaling from the fat body may have multiple functions in the regulation of bacterial titers in D. citri, and that hemocyanin is one of multiple psyllid genes involved in regulating CLas titer.}, }
@article {pmid31092581, year = {2019}, author = {Teramoto, T and Huang, X and Armbruster, PA and Padmanabhan, R}, title = {Infection of Aedes albopictus Mosquito C6/36 Cells with the wMelpop Strain of Wolbachia Modulates Dengue Virus-Induced Host Cellular Transcripts and Induces Critical Sequence Alterations in the Dengue Viral Genome.}, journal = {Journal of virology}, volume = {93}, number = {15}, pages = {}, pmid = {31092581}, issn = {1098-5514}, mesh = {*Aedes ; Animals ; Cell Line ; Cercopithecus ; Cricetinae ; Dengue Virus/genetics/*growth &amp; development ; Gene Expression Profiling ; *Gene Expression Regulation ; *Genome, Viral ; Host Microbial Interactions ; *Microbial Interactions ; *Mutation ; Sequence Analysis, RNA ; Virus Replication ; Wolbachia/*growth &amp; development ; }, abstract = {Dengue virus (DENV) causes frequent epidemics infecting ∼390 million people annually in over 100 countries. There are no approved vaccines or antiviral drugs for treatment of infected patients. However, there is a novel approach to control DENV transmission by the mosquito vectors, Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus, using the Wolbachia symbiont. The wMelPop strain of Wolbachia suppresses DENV transmission and shortens the mosquito life span. However, the underlying mechanism is poorly understood. To clarify this mechanism, either naive A. albopictus (C6/36) or wMelPop-C6/36 cells were infected with DENV serotype 2 (DENV2). Analysis of host transcript profiles by transcriptome sequencing (RNAseq) revealed that the presence of wMelPop dramatically altered the mosquito host cell transcription in response to DENV2 infection. The viral RNA evolved from wMelPop-C6/36 cells contained low-frequency mutations (∼25%) within the coding region of transmembrane domain 1 (TMD1) of E protein. Mutations with >97% frequencies were distributed within other regions of E, the NS5 RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (NS5POL) domain, and the TMDs of NS2A, NS2B, and NS4B. Moreover, while DENV2-infected naive C6/36 cells showed syncytium formation, DENV2-infected wMelPop-C6/36 cells did not. The Wolbachia-induced mutant DENV2 can readily infect and replicate in naive C6/36 cells, whereas in mutant DENV2-infected BHK-21 or Vero cells, virus replication was delayed. In LLC-MK2 cells, the mutant failed to produce plaques. Additionally, in BHK-21 cells, many mutations in the viral genome reverted to the wild type (WT) and compensatory mutations in NS3 gene appeared. Our results indicate that wMelPop impacts significantly the interactions of DENV2 with mosquito and mammalian host cells.IMPORTANCE Mosquito-borne diseases are of global significance causing considerable morbidity and mortality throughout the world. Dengue virus (DENV; serotypes 1 to 4), a member of the Flavivirus genus of the Flaviviridae family, causes millions of infections annually. Development of a safe vaccine is hampered due to absence of cross-protection and increased risk in secondary infections due to antibody-mediated immune enhancement. Infection of vector mosquitoes with Wolbachia bacteria offers a novel countermeasure to suppress DENV transmission, but the mechanisms are poorly understood. In this study, the host transcription profiles and viral RNA sequences were analyzed in naive A. albopictus (C6/36) and wMelPop-C6/36 cells by RNAseq. Our results showed that the wMelPop symbiont caused profound changes in host transcription profiles and morphology of DENV2-infected C6/36 cells. Accumulation of several mutations throughout DENV2 RNA resulted in loss of infectivity of progeny virions. Our findings offer new insights into the mechanism of Wolbachia-mediated suppression of DENV transmission.}, }
@article {pmid31088494, year = {2019}, author = {Shah, A and Hoffman, JI and Schielzeth, H}, title = {Transcriptome assembly for a colour-polymorphic grasshopper (Gomphocerus sibiricus) with a very large genome size.}, journal = {BMC genomics}, volume = {20}, number = {1}, pages = {370}, pmid = {31088494}, issn = {1471-2164}, support = {SCHI 1188/1-1//Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; Contig Mapping ; Female ; Gene Expression Profiling/*methods ; Genetic Association Studies ; Genome Size ; Grasshoppers/*genetics ; High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing ; Male ; Mitochondria/*genetics ; Molecular Sequence Annotation ; Sequence Analysis, RNA/*methods ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: The club-legged grasshopper Gomphocerus sibiricus is a Gomphocerinae grasshopper with a promising future as model species for studying the maintenance of colour-polymorphism, the genetics of sexual ornamentation and genome size evolution. However, limited molecular resources are available for this species. Here, we present a de novo transcriptome assembly as reference resource for gene expression studies. We used high-throughput Illumina sequencing to generate 5,070,036 paired-end reads after quality filtering. We then combined the best-assembled contigs from three different de novo transcriptome assemblers (Trinity, SOAPdenovo-trans and Oases/Velvet) into a single assembly.<br><br>RESULTS: This resulted in 82,251 contigs with a N50 of 1357 and a TransRate assembly score of 0.325, which compares favourably with other orthopteran transcriptome assemblies. Around 87% of the transcripts could be annotated using InterProScan 5, BLASTx and the dammit! annotation pipeline. We identified a number of genes involved in pigmentation and green pigment metabolism pathways. Furthermore, we identified 76,221 putative single nucleotide polymorphisms residing in 8400 contigs. We also assembled the mitochondrial genome and investigated levels of sequence divergence with other species from the genus Gomphocerus. Finally, we detected and assembled Wolbachia sequences, which revealed close sequence similarity to the strain pel wPip.<br><br>CONCLUSIONS: Our study has generated a significant resource for uncovering genotype-phenotype associations in a species with an extraordinarily large genome, while also providing mitochondrial and Wolbachia sequences that will be useful for comparative studies.}, }
@article {pmid31083952, year = {2019}, author = {Fabre, B and Korona, D and Lees, JG and Lazar, I and Livneh, I and Brunet, M and Orengo, CA and Russell, S and Lilley, KS}, title = {Comparison of Drosophila melanogaster Embryo and Adult Proteome by SWATH-MS Reveals Differential Regulation of Protein Synthesis, Degradation Machinery, and Metabolism Modules.}, journal = {Journal of proteome research}, volume = {18}, number = {6}, pages = {2525-2534}, doi = {10.1021/acs.jproteome.9b00076}, pmid = {31083952}, issn = {1535-3907}, support = {BB/L002817/1/BB_/Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council/United Kingdom ; }, mesh = {Animals ; Drosophila melanogaster/*genetics/growth &amp; development/metabolism/microbiology ; Embryo, Nonmammalian/metabolism/microbiology ; Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental/genetics ; Protein Biosynthesis/*genetics ; Proteolysis ; Proteome/*genetics/metabolism ; Proteomics/methods ; Transcriptome/*genetics ; Wolbachia/pathogenicity ; }, abstract = {An important area of modern biology consists of understanding the relationship between genotype and phenotype. However, to understand this relationship it is essential to investigate one of the principal links between them: the proteome. With the development of recent mass-spectrometry approaches, it is now possible to quantify entire proteomes and thus relate them to different phenotypes. Here, we present a comparison of the proteome of two extreme developmental states in the well-established model organism Drosophila melanogaster: adult and embryo. Protein modules such as ribosome, proteasome, tricarboxylic acid cycle, glycolysis, or oxidative phosphorylation were found differentially expressed between the two developmental stages. Analysis of post-translation modifications of the proteins identified in this study indicates that they generally follow the same trend as their corresponding protein. Comparison between changes in the proteome and the transcriptome highlighted patterns of post-transcriptional regulation for the subunits of protein complexes such as the ribosome and the proteasome, whereas protein from modules such as TCA cycle, glycolysis, and oxidative phosphorylation seem to be coregulated at the transcriptional level. Finally, the impact of the endosymbiont Wolbachia pipientis on the proteome of both developmental states was also investigated.}, }
@article {pmid31074963, year = {2019}, author = {Xu, Z and Fang, SM and Bakowski, MA and Rateb, ME and Yang, D and Zhu, X and Huang, Y and Zhao, LX and Jiang, Y and Duan, Y and Hull, MV and McNamara, CW and Shen, B}, title = {Discovery of Kirromycins with Anti- Wolbachia Activity from Streptomyces sp. CB00686.}, journal = {ACS chemical biology}, volume = {14}, number = {6}, pages = {1174-1182}, doi = {10.1021/acschembio.9b00086}, pmid = {31074963}, issn = {1554-8937}, mesh = {Animals ; Anti-Bacterial Agents/*chemistry/*pharmacology ; Biological Products/ch