Abstract:
In arthropod-associated microbial communities, insect-specific viruses (ISVs) are prevalent yet understudied due to limited infectivity outside their natural hosts. However, ISVs might play a crucial role in regulating mosquito populations and influencing arthropod-borne virus transmission. Some studies have indicated a core virome in mosquitoes consisting of mostly ISVs. Employing single mosquito metagenomics, we comprehensively profiled the virome of native and invasive mosquito species in Belgium. This approach allowed for accurate host species determination, prevalence assessment of viruses and Wolbachia, and the identification of novel viruses. Contrary to our expectations, no abundant core virome was observed in Culex mosquitoes from Belgium. In that regard, we caution against rigidly defining mosquito core viromes and encourage nuanced interpretations of other studies. Nonetheless, our study identified 45 viruses of which 28 were novel, enriching our understanding of the mosquito virome and ISVs. We showed that the mosquito virome in this study is species-specific and less dependent on the location where mosquitoes from the same species reside. In addition, because Wolbachia has previously been observed to influence arbovirus transmission, we report the prevalence of Wolbachia in Belgian mosquitoes and the detection of several Wolbachia mobile genetic elements. The observed prevalence ranged from 83% to 92% in members from the Culex pipiens complex.IMPORTANCECulex pipiens mosquitoes are important vectors for arboviruses like West Nile virus and Usutu virus. Virome studies on individual Culex pipiens, and on individual mosquitoes in general, have been lacking. To mitigate this, we sequenced the virome of 190 individual Culex and 8 individual Aedes japonicus mosquitoes. We report the lack of a core virome in these mosquitoes from Belgium and caution the interpretation of other studies in this light. The discovery of new viruses in this study will aid our comprehension of insect-specific viruses and the mosquito virome in general in relation to mosquito physiology and mosquito population dynamics.
摘要:
在节肢动物相关的微生物群落中,昆虫特异性病毒(ISV)很普遍,但由于其天然宿主外的感染性有限,因此研究不足。然而,ISV可能在调节蚊子种群和影响节肢动物传播的病毒传播方面发挥关键作用。一些研究表明,蚊子中的核心病毒主要由ISV组成。采用单一蚊子宏基因组学,我们全面分析了比利时本地和入侵性蚊子的病毒。这种方法可以准确地确定宿主物种,病毒和Wolbachia的流行评估,以及新病毒的鉴定。与我们的期望相反,在比利时的库蚊中未观察到丰富的核心病毒。在这方面,我们告诫不要严格定义蚊子核心病毒,并鼓励对其他研究进行细微的解释。尽管如此,我们的研究确定了45种病毒,其中28种是新的,丰富了我们对蚊子病毒和ISV的理解。我们表明,本研究中的蚊子病毒是物种特异性的,不太依赖于来自同一物种的蚊子所在的位置。此外,因为以前观察到Wolbachia会影响虫媒病毒的传播,我们报告了Wolbachia在比利时蚊子中的流行以及几种Wolbachia移动遗传元件的检测。在淡色库蚊复合体成员中,观察到的患病率为83%至92%。IMPORTANCECulexPipiens蚊子是虫媒病毒的重要载体,例如西尼罗河病毒和Usutu病毒。对个别淡色库蚊的病毒学研究,和一般的个体蚊子,一直缺乏。为了缓解这种情况,我们对190只库蚊和8只日本伊蚊的病毒进行了测序。我们报告这些来自比利时的蚊子缺乏核心病毒,并从这个角度警告其他研究的解释。在这项研究中发现新病毒将有助于我们理解昆虫特异性病毒和蚊子病毒与蚊子生理和蚊子种群动态的关系。