Parasitoid Calyx Fluid and Venom Affect Bacterial Communities in Their Lepidopteran Host Labial Salivary Glands.

ABSTRACT: The influence of gut and gonad bacterial communities on insect physiology, behaviour, and ecology is increasingly recognised. Parasitism by parasitoid wasps alters many physiological processes in their hosts, including gut bacterial communities. However, it remains unclear whether these changes are restricted to the gut or also occur in other tissues and fluids, and the mechanisms underlying such changes are unknown. We hypothesise that host microbiome changes result from the injection of calyx fluid (that contain symbiotic viruses known as polydnaviruses) and venom during parasitoid oviposition and that these effects vary by host tissue. To test this, we microinjected Pieris brassicae caterpillars with calyx fluid and venom from Cotesia glomerata, using saline solution and natural parasit

SUBMITTER: Cuny MAC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12018505 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature