Abstract
The understanding of factors affecting the gut bacterial communities in malaria vectors is essential for the design of vector control interventions, such as those based on a paratransgenic approach. One of the requirements of this method is the availability of bacteria from the mosquito susceptible to culture. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate the composition and structure of the culturable gut bacterial communities in field mosquitoes Anopheles albimanus from Colombia, in addition to generate a bacterial collection to further analyze microbial functional activity. Gut bacteria were isolated from An. albimanus larvae and adult mosquitoes collected in localities of the Atlantic and Pacific Coasts. The bacterial isolates were grouped in 28 morphospecies that corresponded to three phyla, three classes, nine families and 14 genera. The larvae guts from San Antero (Atlantic Coast) and Buenaventura (Pacific Coast) shared the genera Bacillus and Lysinibacillus and in adults, Bacillus and Bacillus cereus Group were registered in both localities. Gut bacterial richness was higher in adults from the Pacific with respect to the Atlantic Coast, while larval richness was similar in samples of both coasts. The Shannon index indicated uniformity in morphospecies abundances in both localities. Finally, the characterization of morphospecies from the gut of Anopheles albimanus mosquitoes from Colombia by culture-dependent methods complemented with 16S rRNA gene sequencing allowed the definition, at a finer resolution, of the composition and structure of these microbial communities. In addition, the obtained bacterial culture collection will allow further evaluation of the microorganisms for their potential as biocontrol agents.
Highlights
The mosquito gut microbiota highly influences the development and biological functions of insects [1]
With the possibility of bacteria inhibiting the Plasmodium parasite, a strategy was proposed in which bacteria recovered from mosquitoes are genetically modified to confer properties that prevent the vector from transmitting the pathogen; these paratransgenic bacteria are introduced into vector populations in the wild [11]
The composition of An. albimanus gut bacterial communities was assessed by taxonomic assignment based on 16S rRNA gene sequences
Summary
The mosquito gut microbiota highly influences the development and biological functions of insects [1]. Various bacterial candidates with paratransgenic potential have been described, such as a Serratia isolate that successfully colonizes the mosquito gut [7], female ovaries, and male accessory glands [12], it has the capacity to inhibit Plasmodium development [7]. An Enterobacter cloacae strain stimulates the expression of mosquito serpins, SRPN6, which potentiates Anopheles stephensi immune response against Plasmodium falciparum [10]. These findings have led to a novel approach based on paratransgenesis in which bacteria isolated from mosquitoes are potentiated to generate antiparasitic activity [13]. In the case of Asaia, studies in semi-natural settings demonstrated this bacterium stability in An. stephensi over time, horizontal and vertical transmission capacity, characteristics that would facilitate its dissemination in the mosquito population [19]
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