Wolbachia (Rickettsiales: Alphaproteobacteria) Infection in the Leafhopper Vector of Sugarcane White Leaf Disease

Wolbachia is a maternally inherited bacterium ubiquitous in insects that has attracted interest as a prospective insect pest-control agent. Here, we detected and characterized Wolbachia in the leafhoppers Matsumuratettix hiroglyphicus (Matsumura) (Cicadellidae: Hemiptera) and Yamatotettix flavovittatus Matsumura (Cicadellidae: Hemiptera), insect vectors of the phytoplasma that cause white leaf disease in sugarcane. The 16S rRNA and wsp gene markers revealed that Wolbachia was not present in the M. hiroglyphicus but naturally occurs in Y. flavovittatus. Additionally, the infection rates in adult leafhoppers ranged from 0 to 100% depending on geographic location. Moreover, Wolbachia was detected in the eggs and first- to fifth-instar nymphs of Y. flavovittatus. A phylogenic tree of Wolbachia indicated that it resided in the monophyletic supergroup B clade and clustered in the Ori subgroup. Furthermore, fluorescence in situ hybridization revealed that Wolbachia localized to the egg apices, randomly distributed in the egg cytoplasm, and was concentrated in the nymph and adult bacteriomes, as well as occasional detection in the thorax and abdomen. To the best of our knowledge, the present study is the first to demonstrate the prevalence of Wolbachia in the leafhopper Y. flavovittatus. The obtained results would provide useful information for the future development of Wolbachia as a biological control agent for the leafhopper vectors.