title: Bacteria of the genus Asaia stably associate with Anopheles stephensi, an Asian malarial mosquito vector.
abstract: Here, we show that an alpha-proteobacterium of the genus Asaia is stably associated with larvae and adults of Anopheles stephensi, an important mosquito vector of Plasmodium vivax, a main malaria agent in Asia. Asaia bacteria dominate mosquito-associated microbiota, as shown by 16S rRNA gene abundance, quantitative PCR, transmission electron microscopy and in situ-hybridization of 16S rRNA genes. In adult mosquitoes, Asaia sp. is present in high population density in the female gut and in the male reproductive tract. Asaia sp. from An. stephensi has been cultured in cell-free media and then transformed with foreign DNA. A green fluorescent protein-tagged Asaia sp. strain effectively lodged in the female gut and salivary glands, sites that are crucial for Plasmodium sp. development and transmission. The larval gut and the male reproductive system were also colonized by the transformed Asaia sp. strain. As an efficient inducible colonizer of mosquitoes that transmit Plasmodium sp., Asaia sp. may be a candidate for malaria control.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Medicina Sperimentale e Sanità Pubblica, Università degli Studi di Camerino, 62032 Camerino, Italy. guido.favia@unicam.it
authors.forename: Guido
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Favia
authors.forename: Irene
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Ricci
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Damiani
authors.forename: Noura
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Raddadi
authors.forename: Elena
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Crotti
authors.forename: Massimo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Marzorati
authors.forename: Aurora
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rizzi
authors.forename: Roberta
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Urso
authors.forename: Lorenzo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Brusetti
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Borin
authors.forename: Diego
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Mora
authors.forename: Patrizia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Scuppa
authors.forename: Luciano
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Pasqualini
authors.forename: Emanuela
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Clementi
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Genchi
authors.forename: Silvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Corona
authors.forename: Ilaria
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Negri
authors.forename: Giulio
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Grandi
authors.forename: Alberto
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Alma
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Kramer
authors.forename: Fulvio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Esposito
authors.forename: Claudio
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bandi
authors.forename: Luciano
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Sacchi
authors.forename: Daniele
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Daffonchio
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000852:Anopheles / Q000382:microbiology*; D001208:Asia; D001419:Bacteria / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D015723:Gene Library; D017930:Genes, Reporter / Q000235:genetics; D007303:Insect Vectors / Q000382:microbiology*; D016780:Malaria, Vivax / Q000635:transmission*; D008297:Male; D046529:Microscopy, Electron, Transmission; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000235:genetics; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S