Gut bacterial diversity and physiological traits of Anastrepha fraterculus Brazilian-1 2 morphotype males are affected by antibiotic treatment

JUAREZ, ML; PIMPER, LIDA E.; BACHMANN GUILLERMO; DF SEGURA

BMC MICROBIOLOGY

BIOMED CENTRAL LTD

Lugar: Londres; Año: 2019

1471-2180

AbstractBackground: The interaction between gut bacterial symbionts and Tephritidae became the focus46 of several studies that showed that bacteria contributed to the nutritional status and the47 reproductive potential of its fruit fly hosts. Anastrepha fraterculus is an economically important48 fruit pest in South America. This pest is currently controlled by insecticides, which prompt the49 development of environmentally friendly methods such as the sterile insect technique (SIT). For50 SIT to be effective, a deep understanding of the biology and sexual behavior of the target species51 is needed. Although many studies have contributed in this direction, little is known about the52 composition and role of A. fraterculus symbiotic bacteria. In this study we tested the hypothesis53 that gut bacteria contribute to nutritional status and reproductive success of A. fraterculus males.54 Methods: Wild and laboratory-reared males were treated with antibiotics (AB) and provided55 sugar (S) or sugar plus protein (S+P) as food sources. The effect of AB on the gut bacteria56 diversity was assessed through DGGE and sequencing of the V6-V9 variable region of the57 bacterial 16S rRNA gene.58 Results: AB affected the bacterial community of the digestive tract of A. fraterculus, in particular59 bacteria belonging to the Enterobacteriaceae family, which was the dominant bacterial group in60 the control flies (i.e., non-treated with AB). AB negatively affected parameters directly related to61 the mating success of laboratory males and their nutritional status. AB also affected males?62 survival under starvation conditions. The effect of AB on the behaviour and nutritional status of63 the males depended on two additional factors: the origin of the males and the presence of a64 proteinaceous source in the diet.All rights reserved. No reuse allowed without permission.was not peer-reviewed) is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity.bioRxiv preprint first posted online Jul. 3, 2018; doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1101/360693. The copyright holder for this preprint (which465 Conclusions: our results suggest that A. fraterculus males gut contain symbiotic organisms that66 are able to exert a positive contribution on A. fraterculus males? fitness, although the67 physiological mechanisms still need further studies.