Host-specific microbiomes of blow flies: ecological drivers and implications for pathogen carriage.

ABSTRACT: Blow flies (Lucilia sericata and Phormia regina) are necrophagous insects that interact with dense microbial reservoirs and are opportunistic vectors of human and animal pathogens. Despite constant exposure to diverse environmental microbes, it is unclear whether their bacterial communities are primarily acquired stochastically or shaped by host factors that could influence pathogen carriage. We conducted a systematic comparison of wild L. sericata and P. regina collected from seven cities across an urban-rural gradient to determine whether microbiome composition is structured by host species identity or environmental variables. Using 16S rRNA gene sequencing of individual flies, we profiled bacterial communities and applied alpha- and beta-diversity analyses, P

SUBMITTER: Mikaelyan A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12695767 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature