Mosquito Microbiota and Implications for Disease Control

Abstract

Mosquito-transmitted diseases account for about 500 000 deaths every year. Blocking these pathogens in the mosquito vector before they are transmitted to humans is an effective strategy to prevent mosquito-borne diseases. Like most higher organisms, mosquitoes harbor a highly diverse and dynamic microbial flora that can be explored for prevention of pathogen transmission. Here we review the structure and function of the mosquito microbiota, including bacteria, fungi, and viruses, and discuss the potential of using components of the microbiota to thwart pathogen transmission.

Keywords: microbiota; mosquito; transmission; vector-borne diseases.

Figure 1. Key Figure. Mosquitoes and Their Associated Pathogens and Microbes

Mosquito species and their transmitted diseases are highly specialized, while they may share similar microbiota. Although the midgut harbors the majority of the microbiota, other tissues may also serve as microbe habitats.

Figure 2.. Recent Progress in the Use of the Microbiota to Reduce Mosquito Competence.

During the last two decades there have been efforts, using various microbes and effectors, to combat different pathogens in specific mosquito species; these studies are summarized in this figure. Certain trends can be seen, including the use of better symbionts, exploring stronger effectors, and designing more efficient expression-delivery methods. See [,,,,,–77,83,84,87,99,101,102,104,106].

Figure 3.. Prospects for the Use of the Mosquito Microbiota to Reduce Vector Competence.

While the two alternative strategies of using native or symbiotic bacteria to reduce mosquito competence address different challenges, they share common concerns such as improving inhibitory efficiency, avoiding fitness cost, and solving ecosafety concerns. Abbreviations: ncRNA, noncoding RNA.