Characterization of the Bacterial Profile from Natural and Laboratory <i>Glossina</i> Populations
Youssef El Yamlahi,
Naima Bel Mokhtar,
Amal Maurady,
Mohammed R. Britel,
Costas Batargias,
Delphina E. Mutembei,
Hamisi S. Nyingilili,
Deusdedit J. Malulu,
Imna I. Malele,
Elias Asimakis,
Panagiota Stathopoulou,
George Tsiamis
Affiliations
Youssef El Yamlahi
Laboratory of Innovative Technologies, National School of Applied Sciences of Tangier, Abdelmalek Essaâdi University, Tétouan 93000, Morocco
Naima Bel Mokhtar
Laboratory of Innovative Technologies, National School of Applied Sciences of Tangier, Abdelmalek Essaâdi University, Tétouan 93000, Morocco
Amal Maurady
Laboratory of Innovative Technologies, National School of Applied Sciences of Tangier, Abdelmalek Essaâdi University, Tétouan 93000, Morocco
Mohammed R. Britel
Laboratory of Innovative Technologies, National School of Applied Sciences of Tangier, Abdelmalek Essaâdi University, Tétouan 93000, Morocco
Costas Batargias
Department of Biology, University of Patras, 26504 Patras, Greece
Delphina E. Mutembei
Vector & Vector Borne Diseases, Tanzania Veterinary Laboratory Agency (TVLA), Tanga P.O. Box 1026, Tanzania
Hamisi S. Nyingilili
Vector & Vector Borne Diseases, Tanzania Veterinary Laboratory Agency (TVLA), Tanga P.O. Box 1026, Tanzania
Deusdedit J. Malulu
Vector & Vector Borne Diseases, Tanzania Veterinary Laboratory Agency (TVLA), Tanga P.O. Box 1026, Tanzania
Imna I. Malele
Directorate of Research and Technology Development, TVLA, Dar Es Salaam P.O. Box 9254, Tanzania
Elias Asimakis
Laboratory of Systems Microbiology and Applied Genomics, Department of Sustainable Agriculture, University of Patras, 2 Seferi St, 30131 Agrinio, Greece
Panagiota Stathopoulou
Laboratory of Systems Microbiology and Applied Genomics, Department of Sustainable Agriculture, University of Patras, 2 Seferi St, 30131 Agrinio, Greece
George Tsiamis
Laboratory of Systems Microbiology and Applied Genomics, Department of Sustainable Agriculture, University of Patras, 2 Seferi St, 30131 Agrinio, Greece
Tsetse flies (Glossina spp.; Diptera: Glossinidae) are viviparous flies that feed on blood and are found exclusively in sub-Saharan Africa. They are the only cyclic vectors of African trypanosomes, responsible for human African trypanosomiasis (HAT) and animal African trypanosomiasis (AAT). In this study, we employed high throughput sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene to unravel the diversity of symbiotic bacteria in five wild and three laboratory populations of tsetse species (Glossina pallidipes, G. morsitans, G. swynnertoni, and G. austeni). The aim was to assess the dynamics of bacterial diversity both within each laboratory and wild population in relation to the developmental stage, insect age, gender, and location. Our results indicated that the bacterial communities associated with the four studied Glossina species were significantly influenced by their region of origin, with wild samples being more diverse compared to the laboratory samples. We also observed that the larval microbiota was significantly different than the adults. Furthermore, the sex and the species did not significantly influence the formation of the bacterial profile of the laboratory colonies once these populations were kept under the same rearing conditions. In addition, Wigglesworthia, Acinetobacter, and Sodalis were the most abundant bacterial genera in all the samples, while Wolbachia was significantly abundant in G. morsitans compared to the other studied species. The operational taxonomic unit (OTU) co-occurrence network for each location (VVBD insectary, Doma, Makao, and Msubugwe) indicated a high variability between G. pallidipes and the other species in terms of the number of mutual exclusion and copresence interactions. In particular, some bacterial genera, like Wigglesworthia and Sodalis, with high relative abundance, were also characterized by a high degree of interactions.
