Characterization of bacterial communities associated with the pine wilt disease insect vectors Monochamus alternatus Hope and host trees Pinus massoniana

Abstract

Background Pine wilt disease (PWD) is a destructive disease caused by the pinewood nematode Bursaphelenchus xylophilus . Monochamus alternatus Hope is the main vector of this disease. The symbiotic microorganisms can play an important role in the transmission cycle mechanism. However, the role of bacterial microorganisms in the transmission of pine wood nematode by M. alternatus is not clear currently. The main purpose of this study is to reveal the composition and diversity of microbial flora in the gut of M. alternatus , as well as healthy and infected Pinus massoniana and its peripheral environment to discover the important microbial flora contributing to the transmission cycle.Methods In this study, total DNA was extracted from 60 samples, including 20 samples of M. alternatus gut from different larval instars, healthy P. massoniana , nematode-infected P. massoniana and their peripheral environment (needles, bark, phloem, xylem, root, surface soil and rhizosphere soil), by triplicate. Samples were used for 16S rDNA Amplicon sequencing to determine the composition and diversity of microbial flora in each sample.Results Infection of pinewood nematode resulted in an increase of the microbial community in the nematode-infected P. massoniana and its peripheral environment when compared with healthy P. massoniana , the microbial community in different tissues changed. Among them, Gryllotalpicola and Cellulomonas showed to be endemic microorganisms in nematode-infected P. massoniana , which can be used as indicators to detect the disease. Serratia was shown as an opportunistic pathogen, and was found to be enriched in M. alternatus gut and was also detected in the host plant tissues.Conclusions This study clarified the change of microbial community in the transmission of pine wilt disease by M. alternatus . An important theoretical basis for the prevention of pine wilt disease was structured by our research.