Metagenome Sequencing Reveals the Microbiome of Aedes albopictus and Its Possible Relationship With Dengue Virus Susceptibility

Abstract

Dengue fever virus (DENV) is a mosquito-borne flavivirus that poses a serious risk to human health. <i>Aedes albopictus</i> is a widely distributed vector of dengue fever in China. Based on the impact of physiological activity, the microbiome in <i>A. albopictus</i> will provide a novel environment-friendly approach to control DENV transmission. We performed metagenomic sequencing on <i>A. albopictus</i> before and after exposure to DENV blood meal to detect microbiome variation of <i>A. albopictus</i> with different susceptibilities to DENV. The dominant phyla in <i>A. albopictus</i> microbiome were <i>Proteobacteria</i> and <i>Ascomycota</i>, and the dominant genera were <i>Aspergillus</i> and <i>Metarhizium</i>. <i>Gammaproteobacteria bacterium</i>, <i>Lactobacillus harbinensis</i>, and <i>Neurospora crassa</i> differed significantly after DENV infection. There were 15 different microorganisms found to be involved in mosquito immunity and metabolism, such as <i>Alphaproteobacteria bacterium</i>, <i>Methyloglobulus morosus</i>, and <i>Shigella sonnei</i>, which might have an impact on the DENV susceptibility of <i>A. albopictus</i>. It was hypothesized that the lack of specific bacteria may lead to increased susceptibility of <i>A. albopictus</i> to DENV. Interventions in the microbiome composition or specific bacteria of <i>A. albopictus</i> may affect the susceptibility to DENV and control the mosquito-borne diseases efficiently.