title: The bacterial flora of tsetse fly midgut and its effect on trypanosome transmission.
abstract: The tsetse fly, Glossina palpalis is a vector of the trypanosome that causes sleeping sickness in humans and nagana in cattle along with associated human health problems and massive economic losses. The insect is also known to carry a number of symbionts such as Sodalis, Wigglesworthia, Wolbachia whose effects on the physiology of the insect have been studied in depth. However, effects of other bacterial flora on the physiology of the host and vector competence have received little attention. Epidemiological studies on tsetse fly populations from different geographic sites revealed the presence of a variety of bacteria in the midgut. The most common of the flora belong to the genera Entrobacter (most common), Enterococcus, and Acinetobacter. It was a little surprising to find such diversity in the tsetse midgut since the insect is monophagous consuming vertebrate blood only. Diversity of bacteria is normally associated with polyphagous insects. In contrast to the symbionts, the role of resident midgut bacterial flora on the physiology of the fly and vector competence remains to be elucidated. With regard, Sodalis glossinidius, our data showed that flies harbouring this symbiont have three times greater probability of being infected by trypanosomes than flies without the symbiont. The data delineated in these studies under score the need to carry out detailed investigations on the role of resident bacteria on the physiology of the fly and vector competence.
authors: UMR 177, IRD-CIRAD, CIRAD TA A-17/G, Campus International de Baillarguet, 34398 Montpellier Cedex 5, France.
authors: Illiassou Hamidou
authors: IH
authors: Soumana
authors: Gustave
authors: G
authors: Simo
authors: Flobert
authors: F
authors: Njiokou
authors: Bernadette
authors: B
authors: Tchicaya
authors: Adly M M
authors: AM
authors: Abd-Alla
authors: Gérard
authors: G
authors: Cuny
authors: Anne
authors: A
authors: Geiger
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle; D006801:Humans; D007303:Insect Vectors / Q000382:microbiology; D007422:Intestines / Q000382:microbiology*; D013559:Symbiosis; D014345:Trypanosoma / Q000469:parasitology; D014353:Trypanosomiasis, African / Q000382:microbiology / Q000635:transmission*; D014370:Tsetse Flies / Q000382:microbiology*