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2005 Projects

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https://hdl.handle.net/10217/100527

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Browsing 2005 Projects by Subject "Mosquitoes as carriers of disease"

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    Characterization of the bacterial midgut community of wild-caught Aedes aegypti
    (Colorado State University. Libraries, 2005) Shimizu, Julia, author; DuTeau, Nancy M., author
    It is estimated that 10 to the 14th power microbes make the human gut home, outnumbering the total number of cells in the body. The importance of microbes in the digestive system of mammals is fairly well known. However the microbial flora inhabiting the gut of insects, particularly mosquitoes, is less well studied. Understanding the microbial flora of the mosquito may provide valuable information for understanding why some mosquitoes are more effective vectors for human disease than others. Genetic alteration of these gut microbes may also lead to novel methods for controlling mosquito populations or blocking disease transmission. In this study, the microbial gut community of field-caught larval Aedes aegypti (the major vector of yellow fever and dengue) was analyzed. PCR products of bacterial 16S ribosomal RNA genes, amplified from larval DNA extracts, were cloned. 68 clones were then digested with Msp1. 57% of the clones had unique fragment patterns, while the other 43% shared one of 11 patterns, suggesting that the mosquito gut contains a diverse consortium of bacteria.
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    ItemOpen Access
    Characterizing a mosquito gut bacterial community
    (Colorado State University. Libraries, 2005) Kemp, Janet A., author; Lang, Gail M., author; DuTeau, Nancy M., author
    Mosquitoes are common vectors of devastating diseases that infect both humans and animals. Methods of control, such as insecticides and vaccines, are losing their effectiveness. Alternative strategies need to be considered. Paratransgenesis is one method of blocking transmission of disease from mosquito to host. Paratransgenesis is the genetic engineering of symbiotic or commensal bacteria to produce products that block pathogen transmission. This research project looked at characterizing the bacterial community of adult female Aedes aegypti to find candidates for paratransgenesis. We identified 72 diverse culturable bacterial isolates present in the midgut and on the exoskeleton of this mosquito. We examined the difference between the midgut bacterial community of blood-fed and sugar-fed female adults. We also found that approximately 10% of the total bacterial species found in the midgut are culturable, which is consistent with studies from other natural bacteria consortia.