Prevalence of Wolbachia Supergroups A and B in Bemisia tabaci (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) and Some of Its Natural Enemies

Abstract

Wolbachia, a bacterial symbiont, is maternally transmitted in arthropods and nematodes. We report a systematic survey of Wolbachia taxonomy in the sweetpotato whitefly, Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae), and in some of its natural enemies. For the first time, Wolbachia infections in B. tabaci are correlated with various whitefly genetic groups, host plants, and natural enemies as well as with geographical regions. Polymerase chain reaction using 16S rDNA and fisZ genes revealed two Wolbachia supergroups, A and B, exist as single or double infections in B. tabaci as well as in some of its aphelinid parasitoids and predatory beetles. Approximately 89% of B. tabaci sampled were infected by Wolbachia, among which 34% were infected by A, 51% were infected by B, and 5% were infected by both A and B supergroups. These infection frequencies differed among B. tabaci genetic groups and locations. The invasive B. tabaci genetic group from the Middle East Asia Minor 1 (also referred as B biotype) and Mediterranean (also referred as Q biotype) was more likely to harbor A than B, whereas native genetic groups in AsiaI and AsiaII were more likely to harbor B than A. Although 60% of aphelinid parasitoids and 72% of coccinellid beetles also were infected by Wolbachia, they were more likely to host B than A. Furthermore, for the first time we report Wolbachia in B biotype from specimens collected outside of China. Construction of a phylogenetic tree clearly indicated that the Wolbachia sequences from different genetic groups of B. tabaci were not only similar to each other but also to sequences from beetles and parasitoids, which may provide evidence of coevolution and horizontal transmission of Wolbachia populations.

Sequence analysis of mitochondrial ND1 gene can reveal the genetic structure and origin of Bactrocera dorsalis s.s.

“…The role of Wolbachia in population differentiation and gene flow is known [35]. Previous studies have also found similar phenomena in other species, including Dipteran Drosophila melanogaster [36], Drosophila simulans [37], Rhagoletis cerasi [38], mosquitoes [39], Hemipteran Bemisia tabaci [40,41], and Lepidopteran Danaus chrysippus ( L .) [42,43].…”

Evidence for Horizontal Transmission of Secondary Endosymbionts in the Bemisia tabaci Cryptic Species Complex

“…This suggests an ancient infection of an insect ancestor by a bacterium followed by its vertical transmission and subsequent cospeciation with the host [8]. In contrast, there is usually a lack of evolutionary congruence between the S-endosymbionts and their hosts, suggesting both multiple infections over time as well as horizontal transfer between unrelated hosts [4], [7], [9]–[13]. Despite the knowledge that S-endosymbionts can be transmitted horizontally, there is little data as to whether the level of horizontal transmission across the different S-endosymbionts is equivalent.…”

Inactivation of Wolbachia Reveals Its Biological Roles in Whitefly Host

“…In China, infection by Wolbachia in B. tabaci has been previously surveyed and reported. Ahmed et al [28] collected 350 individuals from 29 different populations across China and the PCR detection revealed that 89.4% were infected, 33.6% with supergroup A, 50.9% with supergroup B, and 4.8% with both. In 2005–2008 Chu et al [30] analysed 373 MEAM1 and 1830 MED individuals collected from 15 locations across 11 provinces.…”