title: Midgut fungal and bacterial microbiota of Aedes triseriatus and Aedes japonicus shift in response to La Crosse virus infection.
abstract: Understanding how midgut microbial communities of field-collected mosquitoes interact with pathogens is critical for controlling vector infection and disease. We used 16S rRNA and internal transcribed spacer sequencing to characterize the midgut bacterial and fungal communities of adult females of Aedes triseriatus and Aedes japonicus collected as pupae in tree holes, plastic bins and waste tires and their response to La Crosse virus (LACV) infection. For both mosquito species and across all habitat and virus treatments, a total of 62 bacterial operational taxonomic units (OTUs) from six phyla and 21 fungal OTUs from two phyla were identified. The majority of bacterial (92%) and fungal (71%) OTUs were shared between the mosquito species; however, several OTUs were unique to each species. Bacterial and fungal communities of individuals that took either infectious or noninfectious bloodmeals were less diverse and more homogeneous compared to those of newly emerged adults. Interestingly, LACV-infected A. triseriatus and A. japonicus had higher bacterial richness and lower fungal richness compared to individuals that took a noninfectious bloodmeal, suggesting that viral infection was associated with an increase in bacterial OTUs and a decrease in fungal OTUs. For both mosquito species, several OTUs were identified that had both high fidelity and specificity to mosquito midguts that were infected with LACV. Overall, these findings demonstrate that bacterial and fungal communities that reside in mosquito midguts respond to host diet and viral infection and could play a role in modulating vector susceptibility to LACV.
authors.affiliation: Illinois Natural History Survey, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1816 S. Oak St., Champaign, IL, 61820, USA.
authors.forename: Ephantus J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Muturi
authors.affiliation: Illinois Natural History Survey, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1816 S. Oak St., Champaign, IL, 61820, USA.|Department of Biology, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, 40292, USA.
authors.forename: Jeffrey J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Bara
authors.affiliation: Crop Bioprotection Research Unit, USDA, ARS, 1815 N. University St., Peoria, IL, 61604, USA.
authors.forename: Alejandro P
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Rooney
authors.affiliation: Department of Entomology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 505 S. Goodwin Ave., Urbana, IL, 61801, USA.
authors.forename: Allison K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Hansen
mesh_terms: D000330:Aedes / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000821:virology*; D000818:Animals; D001419:Bacteria / Q000145:classification; D021903:DNA, Ribosomal Spacer / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D005658:Fungi / Q000145:classification; D054884:Host-Pathogen Interactions; D018062:La Crosse virus; D064307:Microbiota; D000072138:Mosquito Vectors / Q000382:microbiology / Q000821:virology; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D021903:DNA, Ribosomal Spacer; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S
keywords: La Crosse virus; bacteria; fungi; mosquito