Bacteria of the genus Asaia stably associate with Anopheles stephensi, an Asian malarial mosquito vector.
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.
Favia
Guido
G
Dipartimento di Medicina Sperimentale e Sanità Pubblica, Università degli Studi di Camerino, 62032 Camerino, Italy. guido.favia@unicam.it
Ricci
Irene
I
Damiani
Claudia
C
Raddadi
Noura
N
Crotti
Elena
E
Marzorati
Massimo
M
Rizzi
Aurora
A
Urso
Roberta
R
Brusetti
Lorenzo
L
Borin
Sara
S
Mora
Diego
D
Scuppa
Patrizia
P
Pasqualini
Luciano
L
Clementi
Emanuela
E
Genchi
Marco
M
Corona
Silvia
S
Negri
Ilaria
I
Grandi
Giulio
G
Alma
Alberto
A
Kramer
Laura
L
Esposito
Fulvio
F
Bandi
Claudio
C
Sacchi
Luciano
L
Daffonchio
Daniele
D
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
D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S