The occurrence of closely related strains of maternally transmitted endosymbionts in distantly related insect species indicates that these infections can colonize new host species by lateral transfer, although the mechanisms by which this occurs are unknown. We investigated whether ectoparasitic mites, which feed on insect haemolymph, can serve as interspecific vectors of Spiroplasma poulsonii, a male-killing endosymbiont of Drosophila. Using Spiroplasma-specific primers for PCR, we found that mites can pick up Spiroplasma from infected Drosophila nebulosa females and subsequently transfer the infection to Drosophila willistoni. Some of the progeny of the recipient D. willistoni were infected, indicating successful maternal transmission of the Spiroplasma within the new host species. However, the transmission rate of the infection from recipient flies to their offspring was low, perhaps due to low Spiroplasma density in the recipient flies.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2006.0577 | DOI Listing |
Trends Biotechnol
January 2025
Department of Food Safety/Hygiene and Risk Management, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan; Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan. Electronic address:
Bacterial proteome microarrays are high-throughput, adaptable tools that allow the simultaneous investigation of thousands of proteins from various bacterial species. These arrays are used to explore bacterial pathogenicity, pathogen-host interactions, and clinical diseases. Recent advancements have expanded their application to profiling human antibodies, identifying biomarkers for infectious and autoimmune diseases, and studying antimicrobial peptides (AMPs).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMicrob Pathog
January 2025
Department of Plant Protection, Faculty of Agriculture, Azarbaijan Shahid Madani University, Tabriz, Iran.
This study aimed to achieve two main objectives: first, to determine whether the virulence factors of symbiotic bacteria of entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs) against insect hosts are cell-associated or secreted, and to shed light on the underlying mechanisms of pathogenicity; and second, to identify and evaluate the standalone pathogenicity of symbiotic bacteria associated with entomopathogenic nematodes against Tenebrio molitor. Three bacterial species, Xenorhabdus nematophila (A41, SC, A18 and SF), Photorhabdus kayaii, and P. thracensis, were isolated and characterized via phylogenetic analysis of 16S-rRNA and gyrB genes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFParasitol Int
January 2025
Departamento de Biologia Animal, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde, Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro, BR-465 km 7, 23897-000 Seropédica, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Black-goggled tanagers Trichothraupis melanops (Vieillot, 1818) are passerine birds commonly observed in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest, Argentina and Paraguay. Tanagers are among the passerines with the highest prevalence and density of coccidian parasites, mainly due to their frugivorous feeding habits that favor fecal-oral transmission. In this context, the current study identifies a new species of Isospora Schneider, 1881 parasitizing black-goggled tanagers captured in the Itatiaia National Park, a protected area with a high degree of vulnerability in Southeastern Brazil.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMol Plant
January 2025
State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology and Breeding, Ministry of Agriculture Key Lab of Molecular Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insects, Key Laboratory of Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insects of Zhejiang Province, Institute of Insect Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China. Electronic address:
Herbivore insects deploy salivary effectors to manipulate the defense of their host plants. However, it remains unclear whether small RNAs from insects function as effectors in regulating plant-insect interactions. Here, we report that a microRNA (miR29-b) found in the saliva of phloem-feeding whitefly (Bemisa tabaci) can transfer into the host plant phloem during feeding and fine-tune the defense response of tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAnim Microbiome
January 2025
School of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics, Division of Biological Sciences, University of Washington Bothell, UWBB-277, Bothell, WA, 98011, USA.
Background: Evolutionary tradeoffs between life-history strategies are important in animal evolution. Because microbes can influence multiple aspects of host physiology, including growth rate and susceptibility to disease or stress, changes in animal-microbial symbioses have the potential to mediate life-history tradeoffs. Scleractinian corals provide a biodiverse, data-rich, and ecologically-relevant host system to explore this idea.
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