Abstract
Biological control against malaria and its transmission is currently a considerable challenge. Plant-associated bacteria of the genus Asaia are frequently found in nectarivorous arthropods, they thought to have a natural indirect action on the development of plasmodium in mosquitoes. However, virtually nothing is known about its natural cycle. Here, we show the role of nectar-producing plants in the hosting and dissemination of Asaia. We isolated Asaia strains from wild mosquitoes and flowers in Senegal and demonstrated the transmission of the bacteria from infected mosquitoes to sterile flowers and then to 26.6% of noninfected mosquitoes through nectar feeding. Thus, nectar-producing plants may naturally acquire Asaia and then colonize Anopheles mosquitoes through food-borne contamination. Finally, Asaia may play an indirect role in the reduction in the vectorial capacity of Anopheles mosquitoes in a natural environment (due to Plasmodium-antagonistic capacities of Asaia) and be used in the development of tools for Asaia-based paratransgenetic malaria control.
Highlights
In the context of malaria pre-elimination, the emergence of resistance in both vectors and parasites threatens the progress made in recent decades
A paratransgenetic strategy was proposed based on Asaia bacteria that conditionally expressed an anti-plasmodial protein only when a blood meal was present[3]
Arthropods maintain a complex relationship with the elements present in their natural environment
Summary
In the context of malaria pre-elimination, the emergence of resistance in both vectors and parasites threatens the progress made in recent decades. We found that bacterial exchanges between plants and mosquitoes are common in the natural environment and discovered the natural Asaia/Anopheles/flower nectar cycle. Through these exchanges, plants, as the habitat for Plasmodium-suppressing Asaia bacteria, may contribute to the reduction in the vectorial capacity of Anopheles (which has already been empirically reported). Its transmission is only partially controlled due to the risk of the emergence of insecticide-resistant mosquitoes This information justifies the search for alternative and nonpolluting solutions to control mosquito-borne infections, especially since, with the risk of global warming, the area affected by malaria may increase. The Diptera possess an elongated tube, which has characteristic morphological and functional adaptations to feed on either floral nectar (e.g., Bombyliidae, Syrphidae, and Nemestrinidae), vertebrate blood (e.g., Tabanidae and Glossinidae) or both (Culicidae, Simuliidae, and Ceratopogonidae)[5]
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