Shaping the microbial landscape: parasitoid-driven modifications of Bactrocera dorsalis microbiota

DATA AVAILABILITY : The datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are available in the Sequence Read Archive (SRA) at NCBI under Bioproject: PRJNA1042921.ESM 1 : Online resource 1. Table showing the relative abundance of the bacterial phyla of B. dorsalis larval guts post-parasitisation by Diachasmimorpha longicaudata and Psyttalia cosyrae.ESM 2 : Online resource 2. Table showing the percentage relative abundance of the most common bacterial genera in Bactrocera dorsalis. It includes the unparasitised larvae (control) and those parasitised by Diachasmimorpha longicaudata (BD-DL) and Psyttalia cosyra (BD-PC).ESM 3 : Online resource 3. Relative abundance of selected bacterial genera across the different Bactrocera dorsalis larval groups (Control, parasitized by Diachasmimorpha longicaudata and those parasitized by Psyttalia cosyrae).ESM 4 : Online resource 4. Differential abundance of bacterial ASVs and their taxonomic assignment in Diachasmimorpha longicaudata -parasitised Bactrocera dorsalis larvae compared to the control. Statistical significance of ASVs is assigned at a p-adjusted (padj) value less than 0.05.ESM 5 : Online resource 5. Differential abundance of bacterial ASVs and their taxonomic assignment in Psyttalia cosyrae -parasitised Bactrocera dorsalis larvae compared to the control. Statistical significance of ASVs is assigned at a p-adjusted (padj) value less than 0.05.ESM 6 : Online resource 6. Differential abundance of bacterial ASVs and their taxonomic assignment in Psyttalia cosyrae -parasitised Bactrocera dorsalis larvae compared to those parasitised by Diachasmimorpha longicaudata. Statistical significance of ASVs is assigned at a p-adjusted (padj) value less than 0.05.ESM 7 : Online resource 7. Percentage relative abundance of the most common bacteria genera in female Diachasmimorpha longicaudata and Psyttalia cosyrae.ESM 8 : Online resource 8. Percentage relative abundance of the most common fungal phyla in Bactrocera dorsalis. It includes the unparasitised larvae (control) and those parasitised by Diachasmimorpha longicaudata (BD-DL) and Psyttalia cosyrae (BD-PC).ESM 9 : Online resource 9. Percentage relative abundance of the most common fungal genera in Bactrocera dorsalis. It includes the unparasitised larvae (control) and those parasitised by Diachasmimorpha longicaudata (BD-DL) and Psyttalia cosyrae (BD-PC).Koinobiont endoparasitoids regulate the physiology of their hosts through altering host immuno-metabolic responses, processes which function in tandem to shape the composition of the microbiota of these hosts. Here, we employed 16S rRNA and ITS amplicon sequencing to investigate whether parasitization by the parasitoid wasps, Diachasmimorpha longicaudata (Ashmaed) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) and Psyttalia cosyrae (Wilkinson) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), induces gut dysbiosis and differentially alter the gut microbial (bacteria and fungi) communities of an important horticultural pest, Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel) (Diptera: Tephritidae). We further investigated the composition of bacterial communities of adult D. longicaudata and P. cosyrae to ascertain whether the adult parasitoids and parasitized host larvae share microbial taxa through transmission. We demonstrated that parasitism by D. longicaudata induced significant gut perturbations, resulting in the colonization and increased relative abundance of pathogenic gut bacteria. Some pathogenic bacteria like Stenotrophomonas and Morganella were detected in both the guts of D. longicaudata-parasitized B. dorsalis larvae and adult D. longicaudata wasps, suggesting a horizontal transfer of microbes from the parasitoid to the host. The bacterial community of P. cosyrae adult wasps was dominated by Arsenophonus nasoniae, whereas that of D. longicaudata adults was dominated by Paucibater spp. and Pseudomonas spp. Parasitization by either parasitoid wasp was associated with an overall reduction in fungal diversity and evenness. These findings indicate that unlike P. cosyrae which is avirulent to B. dorsalis, parasitization by D. longicaudata induces shifts in the gut bacteriome of B. dorsalis larvae to a pathobiont-dominated community. This mechanism possibly enhances its virulence against the pest, further supporting its candidacy as an effective biocontrol agent of this frugivorous tephritid fruit fly pest.The German Agency for International Cooperation; the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR); the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD), the Section for Research, Innovation, and Higher Education; the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida); the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC); the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR); the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia; and the Government of the Republic of Kenya. Open access funding provided by University of Pretoria.https://link.springer.com/journal/248hj2024Zoology and EntomologySDG-03:Good heatlh and well-bein

Localisation and tissue tropism of the symbiont Microsporidia MB in the germ line and somatic tissues of Anopheles arabiensis

The dataset contains Microsporidia MB infection rates and intensities under different experimental investigations i.e., age, diet, developmental stage, and sex of the mosquito.The data was collected by conducting experimental investigations using lab-raised Microsporidia MB infected offspring of field-collected Anopheles arabiensis mosquitoes. Each experiment included biological replicates. Microsporidia MB infections and intensities were determined using PCR and qPCR.</p

Microbiome diversity in Diaphorina citri populations from Kenya and Tanzania shows links to China.

The Asian citrus psyllid (Diaphorina citri) is a key pest of Citrus spp. worldwide, as it acts as a vector for "Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus (Las)", the bacterial pathogen associated with the destructive Huanglongbing (HLB) disease. Recent detection of D. citri in Africa and reports of Las-associated HLB in Ethiopia suggest that the citrus industry on the continent is under imminent threat. Endosymbionts and gut bacteria play key roles in the biology of arthropods, especially with regards to vector-pathogen interactions and resistance to antibiotics. Thus, we aim to profile the bacterial genera and to identify antibiotic resistance genes within the microbiome of different populations worldwide of D. citri. The metagenome of D. citri was sequenced using the Oxford Nanopore full-length 16S metagenomics protocol, and the "What's in my pot" (WIMP) analysis pipeline. Microbial diversity within and between D. citri populations was assessed, and antibiotic resistance genes were identified using the WIMP-ARMA workflow. The most abundant genera were key endosymbionts of D. citri ("Candidatus Carsonella", "Candidatus Profftella", and Wolbachia). The Shannon diversity index showed that D. citri from Tanzania had the highest diversity of bacterial genera (1.92), and D. citri from China had the lowest (1.34). The Bray-Curtis dissimilarity showed that China and Kenya represented the most diverged populations, while the populations from Kenya and Tanzania were the least diverged. The WIMP-ARMA analyses generated 48 CARD genes from 13 bacterial species in each of the populations. Spectinomycin resistance genes were the most frequently found, with an average of 65.98% in all the populations. These findings add to the knowledge on the diversity of the African D. citri populations and the probable introduction source of the psyllid in these African countries

Global economic burden of unmet surgical need for appendicitis

Background There is a substantial gap in provision of adequate surgical care in many low- and middle-income countries. This study aimed to identify the economic burden of unmet surgical need for the common condition of appendicitis. Methods Data on the incidence of appendicitis from 170 countries and two different approaches were used to estimate numbers of patients who do not receive surgery: as a fixed proportion of the total unmet surgical need per country (approach 1); and based on country income status (approach 2). Indirect costs with current levels of access and local quality, and those if quality were at the standards of high-income countries, were estimated. A human capital approach was applied, focusing on the economic burden resulting from premature death and absenteeism. Results Excess mortality was 4185 per 100 000 cases of appendicitis using approach 1 and 3448 per 100 000 using approach 2. The economic burden of continuing current levels of access and local quality was US $92 492 million using approach 1 and$73 141 million using approach 2. The economic burden of not providing surgical care to the standards of high-income countries was $95 004 million using approach 1 and$75 666 million using approach 2. The largest share of these costs resulted from premature death (97.7 per cent) and lack of access (97.0 per cent) in contrast to lack of quality. Conclusion For a comparatively non-complex emergency condition such as appendicitis, increasing access to care should be prioritized. Although improving quality of care should not be neglected, increasing provision of care at current standards could reduce societal costs substantially

Global economic burden of unmet surgical need for appendicitis

Background There is a substantial gap in provision of adequate surgical care in many low- and middle-income countries. This study aimed to identify the economic burden of unmet surgical need for the common condition of appendicitis. Methods Data on the incidence of appendicitis from 170 countries and two different approaches were used to estimate numbers of patients who do not receive surgery: as a fixed proportion of the total unmet surgical need per country (approach 1); and based on country income status (approach 2). Indirect costs with current levels of access and local quality, and those if quality were at the standards of high-income countries, were estimated. A human capital approach was applied, focusing on the economic burden resulting from premature death and absenteeism. Results Excess mortality was 4185 per 100 000 cases of appendicitis using approach 1 and 3448 per 100 000 using approach 2. The economic burden of continuing current levels of access and local quality was US $92 492 million using approach 1 and$73 141 million using approach 2. The economic burden of not providing surgical care to the standards of high-income countries was $95 004 million using approach 1 and$75 666 million using approach 2. The largest share of these costs resulted from premature death (97.7 per cent) and lack of access (97.0 per cent) in contrast to lack of quality. Conclusion For a comparatively non-complex emergency condition such as appendicitis, increasing access to care should be prioritized. Although improving quality of care should not be neglected, increasing provision of care at current standards could reduce societal costs substantially