Skip to main content
ARS Home » Midwest Area » Peoria, Illinois » National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research » Crop Bioprotection Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #348994
Research Project: New Microbial and Plant-Based Agents for Mosquito Control

Location: Crop Bioprotection Research

Title: Mosquito microbiota cluster by host sampling location

Author
item Muturi, Ephantus
item Lagos-Kutz, Doris
item Dunlap, Christopher
item Ramirez, Jose
item Rooney, Alejandro - Alex
item Hartman, Glen
item FIELDS, CHRISTOPHER - University Of Illinois
item RENDON, GLORIA - University Of Illinois
item KIM, CHANG-HYUN - University Of Illinois

Submitted to: Parasites & Vectors
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/24/2018
Publication Date: 8/14/2018
Citation: Muturi, E.J., Lagos-Kutz, D.M., Dunlap, C.A., Ramirez, J.L., Rooney, A.P., Hartman, G.L., Fields, C., Rendon, G., Kim, C. 2018. Mosquito microbiota cluster by host sampling location. Parasites & Vectors. 11:468. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13071-018-3036-9.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s13071-018-3036-9

Interpretive Summary: Bacterial communities within the mosquito body have attracted significant research interest due to their potential application in mosquito control. Understanding how these bacterial communities vary within and between mosquito species may facilitate identification of bacterial species that could be harnessed for mosquito control. This study characterized the bacterial communities associated with nine mosquito species collected from six states in the continental United States. The most dominant bacterial phyla were Proteobacteria, Firmicutes and Actinobacteria accounting for 95% of the total sequences. Mosquito samples from the same study sites had more similar bacterial communities compared to mosquito samples from different study sites. These findings suggest that some of the bacterial communities associated with mosquitoes are acquired from their habitats.

Technical Abstract: Microbial communities that inhabit the mosquito body play an import role in host biology and may have potential for mosquito control. However, the forces that shape these microbial communities are poorly understood. To gain a better understanding of how host location influences the composition and diversity of mosquito microbiota, we performed a survey of microbial communities in mosquito samples collected from six USA states using HiSeq sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene. A total of 284 bacterial operational taxonomic units (OTUs) belonging to 14 phyla were detected in nine mosquito species, with Proteobacteria, Firmicutes and Actinobacteria accounting for 95% of total sequences. OTU richness varied markedly within and between mosquito species. The microbial composition and diversity was heavily influenced by the site of mosquito collection, suggesting that host location plays an important role in shaping the mosquito microbiota. Variation in microbial composition and diversity between mosquitoes from different locations may have important implications on vector competence and transmission dynamics of mosquito-borne pathogens. Future studies should investigate the environmental factors responsible for these variations and the role of key bacteria characterized in this study on mosquito biology and their potential application in symbiotic control of mosquito-borne diseases.