Two Populations of Mites (Tyrophagus putrescentiae) Differ in Response to Feeding on Feces-Containing Diets

Abstract

Background: Tyrophagus putrescentiae is a ubiquitous mite species in soil, stored products and house dust and infests food and causes allergies in people. T. putrescentiae populations harbor different bacterial communities, including intracellular symbionts and gut bacteria. The spread of microorganisms via the fecal pellets of T. putrescentiae is a possibility that has not been studied in detail but may be an important means by which gut bacteria colonize subsequent generations of mites. Feces in soil may be a vector for the spread of microorganisms.Methods: Extracts from used mite culture medium (i.e., residual food, mite feces, and dead mite bodies) were used as a source of feces-inhabiting microorganisms as food for the mites. Two T. putrescentiae populations (L and P) were used for experiments, and they hosted the intracellular bacteria Cardinium and Wolbachia, respectively. The effects of the fecal fraction on respiration in a mite microcosm, mite nutrient contents, population growth and microbiome composition were evaluated.Results: Feces from the P population comprised more than 90% Bartonella-like sequences. Feces from the L population feces hosted Staphylococcus, Virgibacillus, Brevibacterium, Enterobacteriaceae, and Bacillus. The mites from the P population, but not the L population, exhibited increased bacterial respiration in the microcosms in comparison to no-mite controls. Both L- and P-feces extracts had an inhibitory effect on the respiration of the microcosms, indicating antagonistic interactions within feces-associated bacteria. The mite microbiomes were resistant to the acquisition of new bacterial species from the feces, but their bacterial profiles were affected. Feeding of P mites on P-feces-enriched diets resulted in an increase in Bartonella abundance from 6 to 20% of the total bacterial sequences and a decrease in Bacillus abundance. The population growth was fivefold accelerated on P-feces extracts in comparison to the control.Conclusion: The mite microbiome, to a certain extent, resists the acquisition of new bacteria when mites are fed on feces of the same species. However, a Bartonella-like bacteria-feces-enriched diet seems to be beneficial for mite populations with symbiotic Bartonella-like bacteria. Coprophagy on the feces of its own population may be a mechanism of bacterial acquisition in T. putrescentiae.

Microbiome variation during culture growth of the European house dust mite,Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus

“…Carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) produced in the chamber was measured in µL per mg of diet fresh weight per hour (µL•mg − 1 •h − 1 ). Based on previous studies, the respiration of extract from SPGM is mostly linked to the microbial activity, while the mite respiration was marginal [48].…”

The Negative Effects of Feces-Associated Microorganisms on the Fitness of the Stored Product Mite Tyrophagus putrescentiae

“…Culture 5K mites are asymbiotic. Bartonella -like bacteria and Bacillus have been detected in feces from all four studied cultures ( Erban et al, 2016a ; Hubert et al, 2018 ; Nesvorna et al, 2019 ).…”

“…The mites were kept in our rearing facility from the time of collection on stored product mite diet consisted of mixture of oat flakes, wheat germs, and Mauripan dried yeast extract (AB Mauri, Hampton, Peterborough, United Kingdom) (ratio 10:10:1 wt) (5L, 5K, 5P) or a dog food kernel diet (5N). A detailed protocol describing mite rearing has been published previously ( Erban et al, 2016a ; Hubert et al, 2018 ; Nesvorna et al, 2019 ). These mite populations have differing intracellular symbiont compositions.…”

“…We previously studied the role of fecal transmission of bacteria in the mite species Tyrophagus putrescentiae through an experimental study in which microorganisms isolated from feces were added into the mite diet ( Hubert et al, 2018 ). Although in one culture no effect of microbial addition was observed, a second mite culture had increased fitness and increase in the relative abundance of Bartonella -like bacteria from 6 to 20% in their microbiomes ( Hubert et al, 2018 ). Conversely, in a laboratory culture of T. putrescentiae containing Bacillus cereus growing on feces, mite dead bodies and exuvia, microbe additions into diet decreased mite fitness ( Erban et al, 2016b ).…”

Metaproteomics characterization of the alphaproteobacteria microbiome in different developmental and feeding stages of the poultry red mite Dermanyssus gallinae (De Geer, 1778)

“…were over-represented in fed and unfed adults when compared to fed and unfed nymphs (P = 0.035 and P = 0.025, respectively) (Table 1). The genus C. Tokpelaia has been found within the gut microbiota of ants and mites with an attributed symbiotic role participating in the urea cycle (Neuvonen et al, 2016;Hubert et al, 2018). Therefore, over-representation of bacteria from this genus in fed adults could be associated with the nitrogen and sulfur metabolism that occurs within the urea cycle after blood feeding (Figure 2).…”