Exposure to West Nile Virus Increases Bacterial Diversity and Immune Gene Expression in Culex pipiens.

ABSTRACT: Complex interactions between microbial residents of mosquitoes and arboviruses are likely to influence many aspects of vectorial capacity and could potentially have profound effects on patterns of arbovirus transmission. Such interactions have not been well studied for West Nile virus (WNV; Flaviviridae, Flavivirus) and Culex spp. mosquitoes. We utilized next-generation sequencing of 16S ribosomal RNA bacterial genes derived from Culex pipiens Linnaeus following WNV exposure and/or infection and compared bacterial populations and broad immune responses to unexposed mosquitoes. Our results demonstrate that WNV infection increases the diversity of bacterial populations and is associated with up-regulation of classical invertebrate immune pathways including RNA interference (RNAi), Toll, and

SUBMITTER: Zink SD 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4632394 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature