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

 

Authors
Bennett, Kelly L.; Gómez-Martínez, Carmelo; Chin, Yamileth; Saltonstall, Kristin; McMillan, W. Owen; Rovira, Jose R.; Loaiza, Jose R.
Format
Article
Status
publishedVersion
Description

Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus develop in the same aquatic sites where they encounter microorganisms that infuence 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 fnd both species share a limited, yet highly variable core microbiota, refecting 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 fnd signifcant diferences between the bacterial communities of larvae and adult mosquitoes, and among samples from metal and ceramic containers. However, we fnd 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.
Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus develop in the same aquatic sites where they encounter microorganisms that infuence 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 fnd both species share a limited, yet highly variable core microbiota, refecting 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 fnd signifcant diferences between the bacterial communities of larvae and adult mosquitoes, and among samples from metal and ceramic containers. However, we fnd 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.

Publication Year
2019
Language
eng
Topic
Dynamics
diversity of bacteria
disease vectors
Aedes aegypti
Aedes albopictus
Repository
RI INDICASAT
Get full text
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-48414-8
http://repositorio-indicasat.org.pa/handle/123456789/148
Rights
openAccess
License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/