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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Peoria, Illinois » National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research » Crop Bioprotection Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #330882
Title: Comparative analysis of gut microbiota of mosquito communities in central Illinois

Author
item Muturi, Ephantus
item Ramirez, Jose
item Rooney, Alejandro - Alex
item CHANG-HYUN, KIM - Illinois Natural History Survey

Submitted to: PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/1/2017
Publication Date: 2/28/2017
Citation: Muturi, E.J., Ramirez, J.L., Rooney, A.P., Chang-Hyun, K. 2017. Comparative analysis of gut microbiota of mosquito communities in central Illinois. PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases. doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0005377.

Interpretive Summary: The microbial communities that reside in mosquito midguts can impact transmission of mosquito-borne pathogens. We used high throughput next generation sequencing to characterize the midgut microbial communities of 12 mosquito species collected in urban residential areas in Champaign County, Illinois. A total of 181 OTUs from 11 phyla and 66 families were identified. Although several bacterial taxa were shared between two or more mosquito species, there was remarkable individual differences in gut microbiota and it was common for individuals of different mosquito species to harbor similar gut microbiota. The microbiota of Ae. albopictus was the least diverse and significantly less evenly distributed compared to 7 of 11 mosquito species. The microbial community of Cx. pipiens and Ae. albopictus differed significantly from other mosquito species and was primarily dominated by Wolbachia. These findings improve current knowledge on the composition and structure of mosquito gut microbiota and provide the framework for understanding their contribution to individual variation in vector competence and potential application in disease control.

Technical Abstract: The composition and structure of microbial communities that inhabit the mosquito midguts are poorly understood despite their well-documented potential to impede pathogen transmission. We used MiSeq sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene to characterize the bacterial communities of field-collected populations of 12 mosquito species. After quality filtering and rarefaction, the remaining sequences were assigned to 181 operational taxonomic units (OTUs). Approximately 58% of these OTUs occurred in at least two mosquito species but only three OTUs: Gluconobacter (OTU 1), Propionibacterium (OTU 9), and Staphylococcus (OTU 31) occurred in all 12 mosquito species. Individuals of different mosquito species shared similar gut microbiota and it was common for individuals of the same species from the same study site and collection date to harbor different gut microbiota. On average, the microbiota of Aedes albopictus was the least diverse and significantly less even compared to Anopheles crucians, An. quadrimaculatus, Ae. triseriatus, Ae. vexans, Ae. japonicus, Culex restuans, and Culiseta inornata. The microbial community of Cx. pipiens and Ae. albopictus differed significantly from all other mosquitoes species and was primarily driven by the dominance of Wolbachia. These findings expand the range of mosquito species whose gut microbiota has been characterized and sets the foundation for further studies to determine the influence of these microbiota on vector susceptibility to pathogens.