title: Microbial communities within field-collected Culiseta melanura and Coquillettidia perturbans.
abstract: Although mosquitoes are well-known vectors of human and animal diseases, pathogens are only minor components of their total endogenous microbial communities. The midguts of many insects, including mosquitoes, contain diverse microbial communities. In this study, we used denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis to identify the diversity of bacteria in field-collected adult female Culiseta melanura (Diptera: Culicidae) (Coquillett) and Coquillettidia perturbans (Diptera: Culicidae) (Walker). Few significant differences in bacterial fauna between the two mosquito species were found, but the results suggest that host life history may be a determinant of the endogenous bacterial communities in mosquitoes. In the present study, the dominant bacteria are frequently identified as major components of other mosquito species' microbial flora, suggesting the establishment of a stable association between the mosquitoes and the microbes after initial acquisition from the environment.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Medical Zoology, Department of Microbiology, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, U.S.A.
authors.forename: E S
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Andrews
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: S M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Rich
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001419:Bacteria / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D009033:Culicidae / Q000382:microbiology*; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D058645:Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis; D005260:Female; D007303:Insect Vectors / Q000382:microbiology*; D064307:Microbiota; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000235:genetics; D012237:Rhode Island; D012621:Seasons; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D013045:Species Specificity
chemical_list: D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S
keywords: 16S rDNA; Coquillettidia perturbans; Culiseta melanura; DGGE; microbial community