The structure and diversity of microbial communities in Paederus fuscipes (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae): from ecological paradigm to pathobiome

Abstract

Background Paederus fuscipes is medically the most famous rove beetle, which causes dermatitis or conjunctivitis in humans, as well as gastrointestinal toxicosis in livestock, via releasing toxic hemolymph containing pederin. Pedrin biosynthesis genes have been identified in uncultured Pseudomonas-like endosymbionts that are speculated to be acquired through a horizontal transfer. However, the composition of the P. fuscipes microbial community, especially of the gut and genital microbiome, remains unclear. This study was aimed to characterize the structure and diversity of P. fuscipes-associated bacterial communities in terms of gender, organ, and location using the Illumina HiSeq platform in the southern littorals of Caspian Sea. Results The OTUs identified from P. fuscipes specimens were collapsed into 40 phyla, 112 classes, 249 orders, 365 families, 576 genera, and 106 species. The most abundant families were Pseudomonadaceae, Spiroplasmataceae, Weeksellaceae, Enterococcaceae, and Rhizobiaceae, respectively. Thirty top genera made up > 94% of the P. fuscipes microbiome, with predominating Pseudomonas, followed by the Spiroplasma, Apibacter, Enterococcus, Dysgonomonas, Sebaldella, Ruminococcus, and Wolbachia. Interesting dissimilarities were also discovered within and between the beetle microbiomes in terms of genders and organs. Analyses showed that Spiroplasma / Apibacter as well as Pseudomonas / Pseudomonas were the most abundant in the genitals / intestines of male and female beetles, respectively. Bacterial richness did not display any significant difference in the three provinces but was higher in male beetles than in females and more in the genitals than intestines. Conclusions The present study identified Pseudomonas-like endobacterium as a common symbiont of P. fuscipes beetles; this bacterium begins its journey from gut and genitalia of females to reach the male rove beetles. Additionally, male and female rove beetles were characterized by distinctive microbiota in different organs, likely reflecting different functions and/or adaptation processes. Evidence of the extension of P. fuscipes microbiome from the environmental paradigm to the pathobiome was also presented herein. A comprehensive survey of P. fuscipes microbiome components may eventually lead to ecological insights into the production and utilization of defensive compound of pederin and also the management of linear dermatitis with the use of available antibiotics against bacterial pathogens released by the beetles.

Symbiotic Bacterial Communities of Insects Feeding on the Same Plant Lineage: Distinct Composition but Congruent Function

“…This suggests that, based on the predictive functional profiling from the 16S rRNA gene data, there might not be substantial variations in the genetic pathways or functions carried out by these bacterial communities within the studied context. Bacterial phyla like Proteobacteria and Firmicutes may play a crucial role in nutrition, essential for several physiological processes in the host, and in fixing atmospheric nitrogen, reproduction, and growth [ 72 , 73 ], which were predominantly found across all species ( Figure 2 A). Plant nutrients play a crucial role in influencing insect fitness, impacting not only the insects themselves but also their symbiotic bacteria, which assist herbivorous insects in efficiently utilizing plant diets that may be limited in essential nitrogen [ 18 , 74 ].…”

The pederin‐producing bacteria density dynamics in Paederus fuscipes at different developmental stages

“…In fact, the PPB density in the female reproductive systems of P. fuscipes was found to be significantly higher than that in other parts of this insect host (Chamankar et al, 2023;Fang et al, 2023;Song et al, 2022). Furthermore, the composition and diversity of adult P. fuscipes-associated bacterial communities in terms of sex, organ and location have been surveyed (Chamankar et al, 2023;Song et al, 2022;Teoh & Singham, 2022).…”

“…Previous studies revealed that the PPB infection rate, PPB abundance in the bacterial community and PPB relative density in P. fuscipes were female-biased (Maleki-Ravasan et al, 2019;Song et al, 2022;Teoh & Singham, 2022). In fact, the PPB density in the female reproductive systems of P. fuscipes was found to be significantly higher than that in other parts of this insect host (Chamankar et al, 2023;Fang et al, 2023;Song et al, 2022). Furthermore, the composition and diversity of adult P. fuscipes-associated bacterial communities in terms of sex, organ and location have been surveyed (Chamankar et al, 2023;Song et al, 2022;Teoh & Singham, 2022).…”

Potassium permanganate use in the management of a wound induced by contact with Paederus: A case report

“…If not adequately treated, these manifestations can spread and create complicated cases of cellulitis and systemic affectation (4). Pederin has been identified to be produced by Gram-negative endosymbiotic bacteria of the Pseudomonas genus, which are in part responsible for the associated infections (6,7).…”