Abstract
Background: Tyrophagus putrescentiae colonizes different human-related habitats and feeds on various post-harvest foods. The microbiota acquired by these mites can influence the nutritional plasticity in different populations. We compared the bacterial communities of five populations of T. putrescentiae and one mixed population of T. putrescentiae and T. fanetzhangorum collected from different habitats.Material: The bacterial communities of the six mite populations from different habitats and diets were compared by Sanger sequencing of cloned 16S rRNA obtained from amplification with universal eubacterial primers and using bacterial taxon-specific primers on the samples of adults/juveniles or eggs. Microscopic techniques were used to localize bacteria in food boli and mite bodies. The morphological determination of the mite populations was confirmed by analyses of CO1 and ITS fragment genes.Results: The following symbiotic bacteria were found in compared mite populations: Wolbachia (two populations), Cardinium (five populations), Bartonella-like (five populations), Blattabacterium-like symbiont (three populations), and Solitalea-like (six populations). From 35 identified OTUs97, only Solitalea was identified in all populations. The next most frequent and abundant sequences were Bacillus, Moraxella, Staphylococcus, Kocuria, and Microbacterium. We suggest that some bacterial species may occasionally be ingested with food. The bacteriocytes were observed in some individuals in all mite populations. Bacteria were not visualized in food boli by staining, but bacteria were found by histological means in ovaria of Wolbachia-infested populations.Conclusion: The presence of Blattabacterium-like, Cardinium, Wolbachia, and Solitalea-like in the eggs of T. putrescentiae indicates mother to offspring (vertical) transmission. Results of this study indicate that diet and habitats influence not only the ingested bacteria but also the symbiotic bacteria of T. putrescentiae.
Highlights
Mites, like insects, derive nutritive advantages from persistent associations with microorganisms (Van Asselt, 1999; Dillon and Dillon, 2004; Douglas, 2015)
It is hypothesized that mites invaded human-related environments through two different routes: house dust mites (HDMs; e.g., Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus and D. farinae) likely shifted from a parasitic lifestyle back to a commensal life style (Klimov and OConnor, 2013), while ancestors of stored product mites (SPMs; e.g., Acarus siro, Lepidoglyphus destructor, Tyrophagus putrescentiae) were free-living and invaded human houses via the nests of birds and small mammals (OConnor, 1979, 1982)
Because we found diverse symbiotic bacterial community in these populations, we focused on identification of these symbiotic bacteria in the eggs by bacterial taxa specific primers
Summary
Like insects, derive nutritive advantages from persistent associations with microorganisms (Van Asselt, 1999; Dillon and Dillon, 2004; Douglas, 2015). Tyrophagus putrescentiae (Schrank, 1781) has been reported from agricultural soils (Smrz and Jungova, 1989), commercial bumblebee colonies (Rozej et al, 2012), and the nests of birds and small mammals (Solarz et al, 1999). This mite is very common in human-created habitats such as dust in urban environments, medical and laboratory facilities, farms, the food industry (Franz et al, 1997; Solarz et al, 2007), and in fungal and insect cultures in laboratories (Duek et al, 2001). The morphological determination of the mite populations was confirmed by analyses of CO1 and ITS fragment genes
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
