title: Assessment of survival and body size variation of Culicoides imicola (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) as functions of "Candidatus Cardinium" (Bacteroidetes) infection status.
abstract: "Candidatus Cardinium hertigii" (Bacteroidetes) is a maternally inherited endosymbiont known from several arthropods. Its mechanisms for persistence in host populations are mostly reproductive manipulation, though it has been occasionally reported to improve fitness parameters in several hosts. In Culicoides (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) biting midges, the prevalence of "Candidatus Cardinium" infection was documented as moderate, with no detectable sex bias. We therefore investigated whether "Candidatus Cardinium" affects important fitness parameters, such as survival and body size, in Culicoides imicola, a dominant vector species. Field-collected midges were trapped and analyzed for survival under different environmental conditions and antibiotic treatment, taking into account "Candidatus Cardinium" infection status and parity status (i.e., parous or nulliparous). Additionally, wing lengths were measured as a proxy parameter for body size and analyzed together with "Candidatus Cardinium" infection data. The findings revealed no difference in survival of Culicoides infected with "Candidatus Cardinium" and that of uninfected midges in both parity states and under all tested conditions: optimal, starvation, heat, and antibiotic treatment. Beyond survival, no wing length difference was found for "Candidatus Cardinium"-infected versus uninfected midges. In aggregate, these findings support our conclusion that "Candidatus Cardinium" does not have an overt effect on the survival and size of adult C. imicola midges. "Candidatus Cardinium" may affect immature stages or may alter adult reproductive performance.
authors.affiliation: Koret School of Veterinary Medicine, Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot, Israel.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Morag
authors.forename: B A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Mullens
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Gottlieb
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D041963:Bacteroidetes / Q000254:growth & development*; D001699:Biometry; D049628:Body Size; D002519:Ceratopogonidae / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000502:physiology*; D016019:Survival Analysis
references.citation: Prev Vet Med. 2010 Mar 1;93(4):294-304
references.pmid: 19962204
references.citation: Proc Biol Sci. 2004 May 7;271 Suppl 4:S193-5
references.pmid: 15252981
references.citation: Mol Ecol. 2004 Jul;13(7):2009-16
references.pmid: 15189221
references.citation: Science. 2001 Jun 29;292(5526):2479-82
references.pmid: 11431565
references.citation: Annu Rev Entomol. 2006;51:413-40
references.pmid: 16332218
references.citation: FASEB J. 2012 Oct;26(10):4025-34
references.pmid: 22700874
references.citation: Epidemiol Infect. 2013 Jan;141(1):1-8
references.pmid: 23046921
references.citation: J Dairy Sci. 2010 Jun;93(6):2486-95
references.pmid: 20494156
references.citation: Proc Biol Sci. 2003 Oct 22;270(1529):2185-90
references.pmid: 14561283
references.citation: Mol Ecol. 2008 Mar;17(6):1427-37
references.pmid: 18266629
references.citation: Environ Entomol. 2011 Aug;40(4):931-8
references.pmid: 22251694
references.citation: Science. 2011 Apr 8;332(6026):254-6
references.pmid: 21474763
references.citation: Heredity (Edinb). 2011 Apr;106(4):585-91
references.pmid: 20606691
references.citation: J Econ Entomol. 2008 Oct;101(5):1711-7
references.pmid: 18950056
references.citation: Appl Environ Microbiol. 2008 Oct;74(19):5965-74
references.pmid: 18689507
references.citation: Appl Environ Microbiol. 2009 Nov;75(21):6757-63
references.pmid: 19734338
references.citation: Heredity (Edinb). 2004 Oct;93(4):379-89
references.pmid: 15305172
references.citation: J Med Entomol. 2008 Mar;45(2):331-6
references.pmid: 18402150
references.citation: J Med Entomol. 1976 Sep 10;13(2):151-6
references.pmid: 978687
references.citation: Annu Rev Entomol. 2000;45:307-40
references.pmid: 10761580
references.citation: Int J Syst Evol Microbiol. 2004 May;54(Pt 3):961-968
references.pmid: 15143050
references.citation: Emerg Infect Dis. 2012 Jul;18(7):1204-6
references.pmid: 22709978
references.citation: PLoS One. 2012;7(3):e33610
references.pmid: 22438964
references.citation: Heredity (Edinb). 2007 Jan;98(1):13-20
references.pmid: 17035954
references.citation: Nat Rev Microbiol. 2012 Dec;10(12):869-76
references.pmid: 23147703