Wolbachia , an endosymbiotic alpha-proteobacterium commonly found in insects, can inhibit the transmission of human pathogens by mosquitoes. Biocontrol programs are underway using Aedes aegypti mosquitoes trans-infected with a non-natural Wolbachia strain to reduce dengue virus transmission. Less is known about the impact of Wolbachia on the biology and vectorial capacity of Anopheles mosquitoes, the vectors of malaria parasites. A naturally occurring strain of Wolbachia , w Anga, infects populations of the major malaria vectors Anopheles gambiae and Anopheles coluzzii in Burkina Faso. Previous studies found w Anga infection was negatively correlated with Plasmodium infection in the mosquito and w Anga influenced mosquito egg-laying behavior. Here, we investigate w Anga in natural populations of An. coluzzii and its interactions with other resident microbiota using targeted 16S sequencing. Though we find no major differences in microbiota composition associated with w Anga infection, we do find several taxa that correlate with the presence or absence of w Anga in female mosquitoes following oviposition, with the caveat that we could not rule out batch effects due to the unanticipated impact of w Anga on oviposition timing. These data suggest w Anga may influence or interact with the Anopheles microbiota, which may contribute to the impact of w Anga on Anopheles biology and vectorial capacity.
【저자키워드】 malaria, Microbiome, metagenomics, Entomology,