Phage Therapy for Mosquito Larval Control: a Proof-of-Principle Study

Tikhe, Chinmay Vijay; Dimopoulos, George

doi:10.1128/mbio.03017-22

Cited by 10 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 86 publications

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“…Our findings indicate that larvae exposed to antibiotics showed increased survival rates in control adult female mosquitoes, and the duration of ad libitum feeding period during the larval stage determined the impact of antibiotic treatment during the adult stage on the survival rate of both female and male mosquitoes. Disruption of larvae microbiota composition by antibiotics may result in a modification of adult microbiota (Qing et al, 2020;Tikhe & Dimopoulos, 2022), which is known to modulate mosquito traits such as survival rate or reproduction (Caragata et al, 2013). However, few studies have assessed the effect of larval microbiota disruption in adult survival, showing contradictory results.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Survival effects of antibiotic exposure during the larval and adult stages in the West Nile virus vector Culex pipiens

et al. 2023

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The ability of mosquitoes to transmit a pathogen is affected, among other factors, by their survival rate, which is partly modulated by their microbiota. Mosquito microbiota is acquired during the larval phase and modified during their development and adult feeding behavior, being highly dependent on environmental factors. Pharmaceutical residues including antibiotics are widespread pollutants potentially being present in mosquito breeding waters likely affecting their microbiota. Here, we used Culex pipiens mosquitoes to assess the impact of antibiotic exposure during the larval and adult stages on the survival rate of adult mosquitoes. Wild‐collected larvae were randomly assigned to two treatments: larvae maintained in water supplemented with antibiotics and control larvae. Emerged adults were subsequently assigned to each of two treatments, fed with sugar solution with antibiotics and fed only with sugar solution (controls). Larval exposure to antibiotics significantly increased the survival rate of adult females that received a control diet. In addition, the effect of adult exposure to antibiotics on the survival rate of both male and female mosquitoes depended on the number of days that larvae fed ad libitum in the laboratory before emergence. In particular, shorter larval ad libitum feeding periods reduced the survival rate of antibiotic‐treated adult mosquitoes compared with those that emerged after a longer larval feeding period. These differences were not found in control adult mosquitoes. Our results extend the current understanding of the impact of antibiotic exposure of mosquitoes on a key component of vectorial capacity, that is the vector survival rate.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Disruption of larvae microbiota composition by antibiotics may result in a modification of adult microbiota (Qing et al. , 2020; Tikhe & Dimopoulos, 2022), which is known to modulate mosquito traits such as survival rate or reproduction (Caragata et al. , 2013).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Survival effects of antibiotic exposure during the larval and adult stages in the West Nile virus vector Culex pipiens

et al. 2023

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“…Hence, there is the possibility of recurrent encounter of phages with symbiotic bacteria in the mosquito gut. A recent study demonstrated that phage can alter bacterial levels in mosquitoes and alter their development in aquatic stages (60). These phages also may be part of the mosquito gut microbiome where they interaction with gut bacteria and compete for nutritional resources.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Identification and characterization of two CRISPR-Cas systems associated with the mosquito microbiome

Hegde

Hughes

Shariat

2023

Preprint

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The microbiome profoundly influences many traits in medically relevant vectors such as mosquitoes, and a greater functional understanding of host-microbe interactions may be exploited for novel microbial-based approaches to control mosquito-borne disease. Here, we characterized two CRISPR-Cas systems in a novel bacterium, Serratia Sp. Ag1, that was isolated from the gut of an Anopheles gambiae mosquito. Two distinct CRISPR-Cas systems were identified in Serratia Ag1, CRISPR1 and CRISPR2. Based on cas gene composition, CRISPR1 is classified as a Type I-E CRISPR-Cas system and has a single array, CRISPR1. CRISPR2 is a Type I-F system with two arrays, CRISPR2.1 and CRISPR2.2. RT-PCR analyses show that all cas genes from both systems are expressed during logarithmic growth in culture media. The direct repeat sequence of CRISPRs 2.1 and 2.2 are identical and found in the arrays of other Serratia spp, including S. marcescens and S. fonticola, whereas CRISPR1 was not. We searched for potential spacer targets and revealed an interesting difference between the two systems: only 9% of CRISPR1 (Type I-E) targets are in phage sequences and 91% are in plasmid sequences. Conversely, ~66% of CRISPR2 (Type I-F), targets are found within phage genomes. Our results highlight the presence of CRISPR loci in gut-associated bacteria of mosquitoes and indicate interplay between symbionts and invasive mobile genetic elements over evolutionary time.

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“…The microbiota of adult mosquitoes is mainly derived from the larval microbiota, which in turn depends on the microbiota of their water habitat; alterations in the microbiota of mosquito larvae have a huge impact on mosquito biology for that reason this approach can potentially be exploited to alter the mosquitoes’ life-history traits. Recently it was shown that the microbiota of Anopheles larvae could be modulated by using bacteriophages in the larvae water ( Dimopoulos, 2022 ). In that work gnotobiotic Anopheles larvae with microbiota composed of Enterobacter , Pseudomonas , Serratia , Elizabethkingia , and Asaia showed a survival and larval development reduction with the addition of phages into the larvae water targeting Enterobacter and Pseudomonas respectively, and a synergistic behavior was shown when both phages were added simultaneously ( Dimopoulos, 2022 ).…”

Section: Survey Methodologymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Recently it was shown that the microbiota of Anopheles larvae could be modulated by using bacteriophages in the larvae water ( Dimopoulos, 2022 ). In that work gnotobiotic Anopheles larvae with microbiota composed of Enterobacter , Pseudomonas , Serratia , Elizabethkingia , and Asaia showed a survival and larval development reduction with the addition of phages into the larvae water targeting Enterobacter and Pseudomonas respectively, and a synergistic behavior was shown when both phages were added simultaneously ( Dimopoulos, 2022 ).…”

Section: Survey Methodologymentioning

confidence: 99%

Myriad applications of bacteriophages beyond phage therapy

García-Cruz

Huelgas-Méndez

Jiménez-Zúñiga

et al. 2023

PeerJ

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Bacteriophages are the most abundant biological entity on the planet, having pivotal roles in bacterial ecology, animal and plant health, and in the biogeochemical cycles. Although, in principle, phages are simple entities that replicate at the expense of their bacterial hosts, due the importance of bacteria in all aspects of nature, they have the potential to influence and modify diverse processes, either in subtle or profound ways. Traditionally, the main application of bacteriophages is phage therapy, which is their utilization to combat and help to clear bacterial infections, from enteric diseases, to skin infections, chronic infections, sepsis, etc. Nevertheless, phages can also be potentially used for several other tasks, including food preservation, disinfection of surfaces, treatment of several dysbioses, and modulation of microbiomes. Phages may also be used as tools for the treatment of non-bacterial infections and pest control in agriculture; moreover, they can be used to decrease bacterial virulence and antibiotic resistance and even to combat global warming. In this review manuscript we discuss these possible applications and promote their implementation.

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Phage Therapy for Mosquito Larval Control: a Proof-of-Principle Study

Abstract: Mosquitoes are efficient vectors of multiple human and animal pathogens. The biology of mosquitoes is strongly affected by their associated microbiota.

Cited by 10 publications

References 86 publications

Survival effects of antibiotic exposure during the larval and adult stages in the West Nile virus vector Culex pipiens

Survival effects of antibiotic exposure during the larval and adult stages in the West Nile virus vector Culex pipiens

Identification and characterization of two CRISPR-Cas systems associated with the mosquito microbiome

Myriad applications of bacteriophages beyond phage therapy

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