Microbiome Profile of South Korean Vector Mosquitoes

Abstract

This research offers a comprehensive exploration of the microbial communities associated with vector mosquitoes from South Korea. Aedes albopictus, Anopheles sinensis, and Culex molestus are vectors of pathogens, and understanding the intricacies of their microbiome profile is paramount for unraveling their roles in disease transmission dynamics. In this study, we characterized the microbiome of the midguts of adult female vector mosquitoes collected from different locations in South Korea. After DNA extraction from dissected mosquito midguts, we used the Illumina MiSeq next-generation sequencing to obtain sequences spanning the V4 hypervariable region of the bacteria 16S rRNA. Morphological and molecular characterization using 506-bp mitochondrial 16S rRNA was used to identify the mosquito species before amplicon sequencing. Across the three vector mosquitoes surveyed, 21 bacteria genera belonging to 20 families and 5 phyla were discovered. Proteobacteria and Bacteriodota were the major phyla of bacteria associated with the three mosquito species. There were significant differences in the gut microbiome genera composition between the species and little variation in the gut microbiome between individuals of the same mosquito species. Wolbachia is the most dominant genus in Aedes while Aeromonas, Acinetobacter, and unassigned taxa are the most common in An. sinensis. In addition to that, Chromobacterium, Chryseobacterium, and Aeromonas are dominant in Cx. molestus. This study sheds light on the complex interactions between mosquitoes and their microbiome, revealing potential implications for vector competence, disease transmission, and vector control strategies.