Chromobacterium Csp_P Reduces Malaria and Dengue Infection in Vector Mosquitoes and Has Entomopathogenic and In Vitro Anti-pathogen Activities: e1004398

Plasmodium and dengue virus, the causative agents of the two most devastating vector-borne diseases, malaria and dengue, are transmitted by the two most important mosquito vectors, Anopheles gambiae and Aedes aegypti, respectively. Insect-bacteria associations have been shown to influence vector com...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:PLoS pathogens 2014-10, Vol.10 (10)
Main Authors: Ramirez, Jose Luis, Short, Sarah M, Bahia, Ana C, Saraiva, Raul G, Dong, Yuemei, Kang, Seokyoung, Tripathi, Abhai, Mlambo, Godfree, Dimopoulos, George
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aedes aegypti
Anopheles gambiae
Bacteria
Chromobacterium
Cytotoxicity
Dengue fever
Dengue virus
Deoxyribonucleic acid
Disease
DNA
Gene expression
Immune system
Infections
Malaria
Metabolites
Mortality
Mosquitoes
Plasmodium falciparum
Scholarships & fellowships
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Summary:Plasmodium and dengue virus, the causative agents of the two most devastating vector-borne diseases, malaria and dengue, are transmitted by the two most important mosquito vectors, Anopheles gambiae and Aedes aegypti, respectively. Insect-bacteria associations have been shown to influence vector competence for human pathogens through multi-faceted actions that include the elicitation of the insect immune system, pathogen sequestration by microbes, and bacteria-produced anti-pathogenic factors. These influences make the mosquito microbiota highly interesting from a disease control perspective. Here we present a bacterium of the genus Chromobacterium (Csp_P), which was isolated from the midgut of field-caught Aedes aegypti. Csp_P can effectively colonize the mosquito midgut when introduced through an artificial nectar meal, and it also inhibits the growth of other members of the midgut microbiota. Csp_P colonization of the midgut tissue activates mosquito immune responses, and Csp_P exposure dramatically reduces the survival of both the larval and adult stages. Ingestion of Csp_P by the mosquito significantly reduces its susceptibility to Plasmodium falciparum and dengue virus infection, thereby compromising the mosquito's vector competence. This bacterium also exerts in vitro anti-Plasmodium and anti-dengue activities, which appear to be mediated through Csp_P -produced stable bioactive factors with transmission-blocking and therapeutic potential. The anti-pathogen and entomopathogenic properties of Csp_P render it a potential candidate for the development of malaria and dengue control strategies.
ISSN:1553-7366
1553-7374
DOI:10.1371/journal.ppat.1004398