Wolbachia dominance influences the Culex quinquefasciatus microbiota

FLORES, GUILLERMO A. M.; LOPEZ, ROCIO P.; CERRUDO, CAROLINA S.; PEROTTI, M. ALEJANDRA; CONSOLO, V. FABIANA; BERÓN, CORINA M.

Scientific Reports

Nature

Año: 2023 vol. 13

Microorganisms present in mosquitoes and their interactions are key factors affecting insectdevelopment. Among them, Wolbachia is closely associated with the host and affects severalfitness parameters. In this study, the bacterial and fungal microbiota from two laboratory Culexquinquefasciatus isolines (wild type and tetracycline-cured) were characterized by metagenomeamplicon sequencing of the ITS2 and 16S rRNA genes at different developmental stages and feedingconditions. We identified 572 bacterial and 61 fungal OTUs. Both isolines presented variable bacterialcommunities and different trends in the distribution of diversity among the groups. The lowestbacterial richness was detected in sugar-fed adults of the cured isoline, whereas fungal richnesswas highly reduced in blood-fed mosquitoes. Beta diversity analysis indicated that isolines are animportant factor in the differentiation of mosquito bacterial communities. Considering composition,Penicillium was the dominant fungal genus, whereas Wolbachia dominance was inversely related tothat of Enterobacteria (mainly Thorsellia and Serratia). This study provides a more complete overviewof the mosquito microbiome, emphasizing specific highly abundant components that should beconsidered in microorganism manipulation approaches to control vector-borne diseases.