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The gut bacteria across life stages in the synanthropic fly Chrysomya megacephala
Xiaoyun Wang1,2, Qiao Gao1,2, Wanqiang Wang1,2
1Hubei International Scientific and Technological Cooperation Base of Waste Conversion by Insects, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China.
Background:
Gut bacteria are closely associated with host. Chrysomya megacephala, as a vector and resource insect, can transmit various pathogenic bacteria and consume manure to produce biofertilizer and larva biomass. However, the gut bacteria composition and abundance of C. megacephala remain unclear.
Results:
Illumina MiSeq platform was used to compare composition of gut bacterial community in eggs, 1-day-old larvae, 5-day-old larvae, pupae, adult females and males by sequencing with variation in V4 region of 16S ribosomal DNA gene. In total, 928 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were obtained. These OTUs were annotated into 19 phyla, 42 classes, 77 orders, 153 families and 289 genera. More than 0.5% abundance of 32 OTU core genera were found across all life stages. At class level, Alphaproteobacteria, Bacilli, Bacteroidia, Betaproteobacteria, Flavobacteriia and Gammaproteobacteria were the most abundant in C. megacephala. Eight species were identified to have significantly different abundance between 1-d-larvae and 5-day-larvae and took 28.95% of shared species between these two groups. Sex-specific bacterial species were identified that Faecalibacterium prausnitzii was merely present in females, while Rhodococcus fascians was merely present in males.
Conclusion:
Gut bacteria of C. megacephala varied across life stages. The composition and community structure of the bacterial community differed from young larvae to mature larvae, while that were similar in adult females and males. These data will provide an overall view of bacterial community across life stages in C. megacephala with attention on manure associated and pathogenic bacteria.
Insights
The gut bacteria composition of the blowfly Chrysomya megacephala changes significantly across its life stages, with distinct bacterial species found in males and females. This research clarifies the microbial communities within this important insect vector.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Entomology
- Genomics
Background:
- Gut bacteria play a crucial role in host physiology and function.
- Chrysomya megacephala, a blowfly, acts as a vector for pathogens and is utilized for waste management.
- Understanding the gut microbiome of C. megacephala is essential due to its ecological and epidemiological significance.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the composition and abundance of gut bacteria across all life stages of Chrysomya megacephala.
- To identify core bacterial genera and differential species abundance throughout development.
- To determine if sex-specific bacterial communities exist in adult C. megacephala.
Main Methods:
- DNA sequencing of the V4 region of the 16S ribosomal DNA gene using the Illumina MiSeq platform.
- Analysis of gut bacterial communities in eggs, larvae (1-day and 5-day-old), pupae, and adult males and females.
- Bioinformatic analysis to identify operational taxonomic units (OTUs), phyla, classes, orders, families, and genera.
Main Results:
- A total of 928 OTUs were identified, annotated into 19 phyla and 289 genera.
- Alphaproteobacteria, Bacilli, Bacteroidia, Betaproteobacteria, Flavobacteriia, and Gammaproteobacteria were the most abundant bacterial classes.
- Significant differences in bacterial species were observed between larval stages, and sex-specific bacteria were identified (e.g., Faecalibacterium prausnitzii in females, Rhodococcus fascians in males).
Conclusions:
- The gut bacterial community of C. megacephala exhibits significant variation across its life cycle.
- Bacterial composition differs notably between young and mature larvae.
- Adult male and female C. megacephala share similar gut bacterial communities, although sex-specific species are present.
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