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Pathogens
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Mosquito–Microbiota Interactions: Ecology, Evolution and Consequences for Pathogen Transmission
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Mosquito–Microbiota Interactions: Ecology, Evolution and Consequences for Pathogen Transmission

A special issue of Pathogens (ISSN 2076-0817).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2021) | Viewed by 20522

Special Issue Editor

Assoc. Prof. Claire Valiente-Moro

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
UMR CNRS 5557 Microbial Ecology, Lyon1 University, France
Interests: microbial ecology; symbiosis; insect–microbiota interactions

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), mosquitoes are the greatest threat to public health. Their ability to carry and spread diseases to humans causes millions of deaths every year. In the absence of a vaccine for most mosquito-borne pathogens, prevention efforts are currently limited to vector control measures, which have proven difficult to sustain in the long term. In this context, integrated studies on the biology of mosquito vectors are needed to support the development of innovative control strategies. It is now recognized that the biology of a host cannot be fully understood without taking into account its associated microbiota. In the past, numerous studies have described the mosquito-associated microbiota in terms of species composition and their variation factors. In recent years, there has been a growing interest to decipher the biological functions shared by associated microbes. It has become clear that the symbiotic microbiota of mosquito vectors play an important role in their vectorial capacity. Importantly, the native gut microbiota of mosquitoes can modulate their vector competence for human pathogens. However, the mechanisms underlying these complex multipartite interactions (host–microbiota–infectious pathogens) remain to be deciphered. The microbial gut communities of mosquitoes could contribute to several other biological functions which deserve further exploration. Moreover, deciphering the intricate interactions between microbes, host, and environment is challenging as environmental factors may also impact the outcome of these interactions. A more integrative research approach is needed to clarify how mosquito-associated microbiota can mediate ecologically important traits and thereby contribute to mosquito biology.

For this Special Issue of the journal Pathogens, we would like to invite submissions of research papers, review articles, or short communications presenting recent advances related to our knowledge of mosquito–microbiota interactions in terms of microbiota and evolution, manipulation of microbiota, microbiota functions, environmental impacts on mosquito–microbiota, molecular mechanisms of interactions, and strategies for mosquito control. I look forward to your contributions!

Assoc. Prof. Claire Valiente-Moro
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Pathogens is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • mosquito control
  • microbiota diversity and functions
  • mosquito–microbiota co-evolution
  • pathogen interference
  • influence of environment
  • microbial network interactions

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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13 pages, 1592 KiB  
Article
Antibiotic Treatment in Anopheles coluzzii Affects Carbon and Nitrogen Metabolism
by Estelle Chabanol, Volker Behrends, Ghislaine Prévot, George K. Christophides and Mathilde Gendrin
Pathogens 2020, 9(9), 679; https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens9090679 - 21 Aug 2020
Cited by 15 | Viewed by 3432
Abstract
The mosquito microbiota reduces the vector competence of Anopheles to Plasmodium and affects host fitness; it is therefore considered as a potential target to reduce malaria transmission. While immune induction, secretion of antimicrobials and metabolic competition are three typical mechanisms of microbiota-mediated protection [...] Read more.
The mosquito microbiota reduces the vector competence of Anopheles to Plasmodium and affects host fitness; it is therefore considered as a potential target to reduce malaria transmission. While immune induction, secretion of antimicrobials and metabolic competition are three typical mechanisms of microbiota-mediated protection against invasive pathogens in mammals, the involvement of metabolic competition or mutualism in mosquito-microbiota and microbiota-Plasmodium interactions has not been investigated. Here, we describe a metabolome analysis of the midgut of Anopheles coluzzii provided with a sugar-meal or a non-infectious blood-meal, under conventional or antibiotic-treated conditions. We observed that the antibiotic treatment affects the tricarboxylic acid cycle and nitrogen metabolism, notably resulting in decreased abundance of free amino acids. Linking our results with published data, we identified pathways which may participate in microbiota-Plasmodium interactions via metabolic interactions or immune modulation and thus would be interesting candidates for future functional studies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mosquito–Microbiota Interactions: Ecology, Evolution and Consequences for Pathogen Transmission)
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10 pages, 1624 KiB  
Communication
Comparative Analysis of the Bacterial and Fungal Communities in the Gut and the Crop of Aedes albopictus Mosquitoes: A Preliminary Study
by Morgane Guégan, Edwige Martin and Claire Valiente Moro
Pathogens 2020, 9(8), 628; https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens9080628 - 01 Aug 2020
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 3351
Abstract
The Asian tiger mosquito Aedes albopictus is a major pathogen vector and one of the world’s most invasive species. In recent years, the study of mosquito-associated microbiota has received growing interest for reducing transmission of mosquito-borne pathogens. Most of studies on mosquito microbiota [...] Read more.
The Asian tiger mosquito Aedes albopictus is a major pathogen vector and one of the world’s most invasive species. In recent years, the study of mosquito-associated microbiota has received growing interest for reducing transmission of mosquito-borne pathogens. Most of studies on mosquito microbiota mainly focused on the gut bacteria. However, microorganisms can also colonize other organs and are not restricted to bacteria. In mosquitoes, the crop is the primary storage organ for sugars from the nectar feeding before it is transferred into the midgut for digestion. No study has yet investigated whether this organ can harbor microorganisms in Ae. albopictus. By using high-throughput sequencing, this study is the first to describe the microbiota including both bacteria and fungi in sugar-fed Ae. albopictus males and females. The results showed the presence of diverse and rich bacterial and fungal communities in the crop of both sexes that did not strongly differ from the community composition and structure found in the gut. Altogether, our results provide a thorough description of the crop-associated microbiota in Ae. albopictus which can open new avenues for further studies on trophic interactions between the mosquito and its microbiota. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mosquito–Microbiota Interactions: Ecology, Evolution and Consequences for Pathogen Transmission)
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10 pages, 1724 KiB  
Article
Inhibition of Asaia in Adult Mosquitoes Causes Male-Specific Mortality and Diverse Transcriptome Changes
by Maria Vittoria Mancini, Claudia Damiani, Sarah M. Short, Alessia Cappelli, Ulisse Ulissi, Aida Capone, Aurelio Serrao, Paolo Rossi, Augusto Amici, Cristina Kalogris, George Dimopoulos, Irene Ricci and Guido Favia
Pathogens 2020, 9(5), 380; https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens9050380 - 15 May 2020
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 3969
Abstract
Mosquitoes can transmit many infectious diseases, such as malaria, dengue, Zika, yellow fever, and lymphatic filariasis. Current mosquito control strategies are failing to reduce the severity of outbreaks that still cause high human morbidity and mortality worldwide. Great expectations have been placed on [...] Read more.
Mosquitoes can transmit many infectious diseases, such as malaria, dengue, Zika, yellow fever, and lymphatic filariasis. Current mosquito control strategies are failing to reduce the severity of outbreaks that still cause high human morbidity and mortality worldwide. Great expectations have been placed on genetic control methods. Among other methods, genetic modification of the bacteria colonizing different mosquito species and expressing anti-pathogen molecules may represent an innovative tool to combat mosquito-borne diseases. Nevertheless, this emerging approach, known as paratransgenesis, requires a detailed understanding of the mosquito microbiota and an accurate characterization of selected bacteria candidates. The acetic acid bacteria Asaia is a promising candidate for paratransgenic approaches. We have previously reported that Asaia symbionts play a beneficial role in the normal development of Anopheles mosquito larvae, but no study has yet investigated the role(s) of Asaia in adult mosquito biology. Here we report evidence on how treatment with a highly specific anti-Asaia monoclonal antibody impacts the survival and physiology of adult Anopheles stephensi mosquitoes. Our findings offer useful insight on the role of Asaia in several physiological systems of adult mosquitoes, where the influence differs between males and females. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mosquito–Microbiota Interactions: Ecology, Evolution and Consequences for Pathogen Transmission)
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Review

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14 pages, 1691 KiB  
Review
Mosquito Mycobiota: An Overview of Non-Entomopathogenic Fungal Interactions
by Simon Malassigné, Claire Valiente Moro and Patricia Luis
Pathogens 2020, 9(7), 564; https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens9070564 - 12 Jul 2020
Cited by 19 | Viewed by 9037
Abstract
The growing expansion of mosquito vectors leads to the emergence of vector-borne diseases in new geographic areas and causes major public health concerns. In the absence of effective preventive treatments against most pathogens transmitted, vector control remains one of the most suitable strategies [...] Read more.
The growing expansion of mosquito vectors leads to the emergence of vector-borne diseases in new geographic areas and causes major public health concerns. In the absence of effective preventive treatments against most pathogens transmitted, vector control remains one of the most suitable strategies to prevent mosquito-borne diseases. Insecticide overuse raises mosquito resistance and deleterious impacts on the environment and non-target species. Growing knowledge of mosquito biology has allowed the development of alternative control methods. Following the concept of holobiont, mosquito-microbiota interactions play an important role in mosquito biology. Associated microbiota is known to influence many aspects of mosquito biology such as development, survival, immunity or even vector competence. Mosquito-associated microbiota is composed of bacteria, fungi, protists, viruses and nematodes. While an increasing number of studies have focused on bacteria, other microbial partners like fungi have been largely neglected despite their huge diversity. A better knowledge of mosquito-mycobiota interactions offers new opportunities to develop innovative mosquito control strategies. Here, we review the recent advances concerning the impact of mosquito-associated fungi, and particularly nonpathogenic fungi, on life-history traits (development, survival, reproduction), vector competence and behavior of mosquitoes by focusing on Culex, Aedes and Anopheles species. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mosquito–Microbiota Interactions: Ecology, Evolution and Consequences for Pathogen Transmission)
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