Wolbachia Are Present in Southern African Scorpions and Cluster with Supergroup F

Abstract

The presence and distribution of the intracellular bacteria Wolbachia in the arthropod subphylum Chelicerata (including class Arachnida) has not been extensively explored. Here we report the discovery of Wolbachia in scorpions. Five strains found in host species of the genus Opistophthalmus (Southern African burrowing scorpions) have been characterized by Multilocus Sequence Typing and by Wolbachia Surface Protein. Phylogenetic analyses indicate clustering in the supergroup F and a high genetic relatedness among all scorpion strains as a result of a potential transmission within the host genus. The F-group is an uncommon lineage compared to the A and B supergroups, although it is present in a broad range of hosts (including insects, filarial nematodes, and now arachnids) and across a large geographical area (e.g., North America, Africa, Europe, and Australia). It also shows no evidence of recombination and has a significantly higher genetic diversity than supergroup A and B. Overall, this pattern suggests an older radiation of F-strains with respect to A and B-strains, followed by limited horizontal transmission across host genera and reduced genetic flux among strains. A more extensive sampling of supergroup F-strains is required to confirm this scenario.

How Diverse Is the GenusWolbachia? Multiple-Gene Sequencing Reveals a Putatively NewWolbachiaSupergroup Recovered from Spider Mites (Acari: Tetranychidae)

“…Supergroup F is found in the subphyla Chelicerata and Hexapoda and also in the phylum Nematoda, indicating interhost transmission of Wolbachia between arthropods and nematodes (19,38). Trans- (6,16,29,43,63). This suggests multiple independent infections of the Chelicerata with Wolbachia.…”

“…For example, supergroup F was described in 2002 (34), yet the known diversity and geographic range of host species infected with the supergroup is rapidly expanding. It has been detected in both nematodes and several major arthropod orders (in Chelicerata, scorpions (6,19,20,34,38,45). Other host taxa for which there is evidence of infection by supergroup F are cockroaches (Blattodea) and ant lions (Neuroptera) (22,54).…”

“…Routes of transfer are still unclear; it is, for example, unknown if arthropods or nematodes were first infected (19). Robust phylogenetic analysis and the delineation of supergroups is therefore essential for elucidating the pathways and processes by which these diverse phenotypes have evolved, and recent studies have highlighted the promise of the multiple-gene sequencing approach (4,6,14,19,44). Such datasets can also reveal evidence concerning the contribution of lateral gene transfer to the evolution and host adaptation of Wolbachia.…”

Determination of Wolbachia Diversity in Butterflies from Western Ghats, India, by a Multigene Approach

“…A remarkable genetic diversity exists in Wolbachia, and gene phylogenies show the existence of 11 supergroups (A to K) (7,11,30,38,39). Studies of Wolbachia using multilocus sequence typing (MLST) have demonstrated discriminatory power of these approaches in accurately characterizing and identifying various Wolbachia strains (2,3,36,41,43,54,55). Wolbachia infections have been reported in various Lepidoptera families such as Lycaenidae, Pieridae, Nymphalidae, Hesperiidae, Pyralidae, Noctuidae, and Lasiocampidae (14,18,23,41,48).…”

Detection and molecular characterization of the Wolbachia Endobacteria in the Culex pipiens (Diptera: Culicidae) specimens collected from Kayseri province of Turkey

“…Supergroups A and B found in arthropods (36), supergroups C and D found in filarial nematodes (4), the E supergroup contain Wolbachia spp. from wingless insects, the springtails (Collembola) (35), members of supergroup F are known to infect arthropods (termites and scorpions) (3), and recent studies suggest that they also infect the filarial parasite Mansonella ozzardi, a causative agent of human filariasis (9,22), members in supergroup G infect spiders and members in supergroup H are found termites and also more recently Dipetalonema gracile included under the Group H (28,29).…”