Drosophila melanogaster microbiome after infection with Steinernema nematodes
To understand the importance of microbial composition in shaping immune modulation, it is imperative to investigate the functional role of the microbiota through parasitic infection. To achieve this, we used entomopathogenic nematodes (EPN) of the genus Steinernema which exhibit remarkable ability to swiftly and efficiently infect a diverse array of insect species, facilitated by the mutualistic bacteria Xenorhabdus found within their gut. To examine the microbiome changes in D. melanogaster larvae in response to Steinernema nematode infection, D. melanogaster late second to early third instar larvae were exposed separately to S. carpocapsae and S. hermaphroditum infective juveniles. Our results serve as a foundation for succeeding future studies to elucidate the entomopathogenic-specific effector molecules that alter the D. melanogaster microbiome and understand the role of the microbiome in regulating insect anti-nematode immune processes.