Diversity and Localization of Bacterial Endosymbionts from Whitefly Species Collected in Brazil

Abstract

Whiteflies (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) are sap-sucking insect pests, and some cause serious damage in agricultural crops by direct feeding and by transmitting plant viruses. Whiteflies maintain close associations with bacterial endosymbionts that can significantly influence their biology. All whitefly species harbor a primary endosymbiont, and a diverse array of secondary endosymbionts. In this study, we surveyed 34 whitefly populations collected from the states of Sao Paulo, Bahia, Minas Gerais and Parana in Brazil, for species identification and for infection with secondary endosymbionts. Sequencing the mitochondrial Cytochrome Oxidase I gene revealed the existence of five whitefly species: The sweetpotato whitefly Bemisia tabaci B biotype (recently termed Middle East-Asia Minor 1 or MEAM1), the greenhouse whitefly Trialeurodes vaporariorum, B. tabaci A biotype (recently termed New World 2 or NW2) collected only from Euphorbia, the Acacia whitefly Tetraleurodes acaciae and Bemisia tuberculata both were detected only on cassava. Sequencing rRNA genes showed that Hamiltonella and Rickettsia were highly prevalent in all MEAM1 populations, while Cardinium was close to fixation in only three populations. Surprisingly, some MEAM1 individuals and one NW2 population were infected with Fritschea. Arsenopnohus was the only endosymbiont detected in T. vaporariorum. In T. acaciae and B. tuberculata populations collected from cassava, Wolbachia was fixed in B. tuberculata and was highly prevalent in T. acaciae. Interestingly, while B. tuberculata was additionally infected with Arsenophonus, T. acaciae was infected with Cardinium and Fritschea. Fluorescence in situ hybridization analysis on representative individuals showed that Hamiltonella, Arsenopnohus and Fritschea were localized inside the bacteriome, Cardinium and Wolbachia exhibited dual localization patterns inside and outside the bacteriome, and Rickettsia showed strict localization outside the bacteriome. This study is the first survey of whitely populations collected in Brazil, and provides further insights into the complexity of infection with secondary endosymionts in whiteflies.

Fluorescence in situ hybridization analysis of endosymbiont genera reveals novel infection patterns in a tomato-infesting Bemisia tabaci population from Brazil

“…However, a peculiar sub-localization pattern was observed for H. defensa and for Wolbachia in eggs. Strong H. defensa-specific probe signals were detected in the head and in the region associated with the male reproductive organs, which is in sharp contrast with previous studies (Marubayashi et al 2014), which found this bacterium always confined to the bacteriosome in MEAM 1 and New World 2 species from Brazil. In addition, our results reinforced the notion that H. defensa is also associated with B. tabaci MEAM 1 population.…”

“…Although whitefly endosymbionts have been object of many recent studies worldwide, there is an overall few works documenting the endosymbiont diversity in whiteflies populations colonizing the tomato crop in Brazil (Marubayashi et al 2013(Marubayashi et al , 2014. Currently, the secondary endosymbiont Wolbachia is being a subject of extensive studies in many different organisms, mainly because it can manipulate the reproduction rate of their hosts and enhance their own rate of transmission and therefore might serve as a biological control agent (Mitsuhashi et al 2002).…”

Influence of Aleyrodidae Fly Population on Cotton Crop Diseases under Different Environmental Conditions

“…The authors correlated this disease with whiteflies in the studied area and a similar trend was observed in the present investigation [36]. A similar study has also been reported in Brazil, where the endosymbiont population was found to be significantly different in different areas [51].…”

“…The Aleyrodidae fly population was found to be significantly different in selected regions, and endosymbionts of Hamiltonella, Rickettsia, Fritschea, Cardinium, Arsenophonus, and Wolbachia were recorded in promotions to the Aleyrodidae fly population. The Hamiltonella co-infection percentages in Faisalabad, Chiniot, Sargodha, Jhang, T. T. Singh, and Burewala were recorded as 51,28, 75,8,23, and 25, respectively, whereas relative abundance percentages of Hamiltonella endosymbiont were recorded as 52, 35, 65, 5, 20, and 21 in Faisalabad, Chiniot, Sargodha, Jhang, T. T. Singh, and Burewala, respectively. A similar trend was observed for Rickettsia, Fritschea, Cardinium, Arsenophonus, and Wolbachia co-infection and relative abundances.…”

Is there a role for symbiotic bacteria in plant virus transmission by insects?

“…Some of these species, in particular the B and Q biotypes, are highly invasive and well studied. No correlation was found between a certain B. tabaci species and secondary symbionts on a global scale because the same species may harbor a certain bacterium in one geographical area and not in the other [97][98][99]. Such is the case with Hamiltonella; in Israel, populations of the B species carry Hamiltonella while Q populations do not.…”