Antibiotic treatment leads to the elimination of Wolbachia endosymbionts and sterility in the diplodiploid collembolan Folsomia candida.
BACKGROUND
Wolbachia is an extremely widespread bacterial endosymbiont of arthropods and nematodes that causes a variety of reproductive peculiarities. Parthenogenesis is one such peculiarity but it has been hypothesised that this phenomenon may be functionally restricted to organisms that employ haplodiploid sex determination. Using two antibiotics, tetracycline and rifampicin, we attempted to eliminate Wolbachia from the diplodiploid host Folsomia candida, a species of springtail which is a widely used study organism.


RESULTS
Molecular assays confirmed that elimination of Wolbachia was successfully achieved through continuous exposure of populations (over two generations and several weeks) to rifampicin administered as 2.7% dry weight of their yeast food source. The consequence of this elimination was total sterility of all individuals, despite the continuation of normal egg production.


CONCLUSIONS
Microbial endosymbionts play an obligatory role in the reproduction of their diplodiploid host, most likely one in which the parthenogenetic process is facilitated by Wolbachia. A hitherto unknown level of host-parasite interdependence is thus recorded.
Pike
Nathan
N
Department of Zoology, South Parks Road, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3PS, UK. nathan.pike.1998@pem.cam.ac.uk
Kingcombe
Rachel
R
D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001181:Arthropods / Q000737:chemistry / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000502:physiology; D019976:Cloning, Organism; D052284:Clutch Size / Q000187:drug effects; D003718:Denmark; D004032:Diet; D004171:Diploidy; D005260:Female; D005602:France; D008297:Male; D010063:Ovum / Q000187:drug effects; D010312:Parthenogenesis; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012098:Reproduction / Q000187:drug effects; D012293:Rifampin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D013559:Symbiosis / Q000187:drug effects*; D013752:Tetracycline / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006113:United Kingdom; D020577:Wolbachia / Q000737:chemistry / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D013752:Tetracycline; D012293:Rifampin
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