Identifying the Gut Virome of from Florida Groves.

Asian citrus psyllid () transmits the bacterial pathogen Liberibacter asiaticus (Las), the putative causative agent of citrus Huanglongbing disease (HLB). Insect-specific viruses can act against insects as their natural enemies, and recently, several -associated viruses were discovered. The insect gut plays an important role as not only a pool for diverse microbes but also as a physical barrier to prevent the spread of pathogens such as Las. However, there is little evidence of the presence of -associated viruses in the gut and of the interaction between them and Las. Here, we dissected psyllid guts collected from five growing regions in Florida, and the gut virome was analyzed by high throughput sequencing. Four insect viruses, including associated C virus (DcACV), densovirus (DcDV), reovirus (DcRV), and flavi-like virus (DcFLV), were identified, and their presence in the gut, including an additional cimodo-like virus (DcCLV), were confirmed with PCR-based assays. Microscopic analysis showed that DcFLV infection leads to morphological abnormalities in the nuclear structure in the infected psyllid gut cells. The complex and diverse composition of microbiota in the psyllid gut suggests a possible interaction and dynamics between Las and the associated viruses. Our study identified various -associated viruses that localized in the psyllid gut and provided more information that helps to evaluate the potential vectors for manipulating Las in the psyllid gut.