Abstract
The aim of this study was to determine the presence of Wolbachia spp. and Spiroplasma spp. in natural populations of sand flies in Turkey by molecular methods. A total of 40 Phlebotomus specimens (19 female and 21 male) were used in this study. Genomic DNA from whole sand flies was isolated and Wolbachia spp. infection prevalence was investigated by using Wolbachia gene specific primer sets (wsp and GroEL). In addition, the DNA were analyzed for the presence of Spiroplasma infections utilizing bacterium specific 16 S rDNA PCR-amplification primers. Results of this analysis showed a Wolbachia infection prevalence of 70% (28/40). There was no sex-bias in infection prevalence, being 76% (16/21) and 63% (12/19) in males and females, respectively. Analysis of Spiroplasma infections indicated that 26% (5/19) of female sand flies were positive for infection, while none of the screened males (0/21) were positive. Of the 40 sand fly samples, only 2 were found to be positive for both Wolbachia spp. and Spiroplasma spp. The present study demonstrates the presence of Wolbachia and Spiroplasma infections in the natural sand fly populations in Turkey. This is the first report on Spiroplasma infection in the sand flies from Turkey.
Highlights
Most insect taxa have heritable endosymbiotic bacteria that are able to manipulate various physiological functions including the reproductive biology of their hosts
Detection of Wolbachia was accomplished using the Wolbachia wsp and groEl specific primer sets. The results of this analysis show that 70% (28/40) of sand flies tested were positive for both Wolbachia wsp and Wolbachia groEl Polymerase Chain Reactions (PCR)
5 out of the 40 sand flies tested were positive for Spiroplasma based on Spiroplasma bacterium specific 16 S rDNA amplification
Summary
Most insect taxa have heritable endosymbiotic bacteria that are able to manipulate various physiological functions including the reproductive biology of their hosts. Several recent studies have shown that endosymbionts promote the resistance of insects to certain natural enemies, such as viruses, bacteria, fungi, nematodes and parasitic wasps. Wolbachia is inherited by vertical transmission mechanisms and can result in reproductive pathologies in their host insects, included cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI), male killing, feminization and induction of parthenogenesis. Recent studies have shown that Spiroplasma are present in over 4–7% of all insect species[10]. It was recently shown that Spiroplasma can protect its insect hosts from infections with pathogenic organisms and is a potentially useful tool for the control of vector borne diseases[11,12]. We discuss approaches based on heritable reproductive endosymbionts as new potential tools for vector control in endemic areas
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