Hedges Lauren M, Brownlie Jeremy C, O'Neill Scott L, Johnson Karyn N
School of Integrative Biology, University of Queensland, Brisbane 4072, Australia.
Science. 2008 Oct 31;322(5902):702. doi: 10.1126/science.1162418.
Wolbachia pipientis bacteria are common endosymbionts of insects that are best known for their ability to increase their prevalence in populations by manipulating host reproductive systems. However, there are examples of Wolbachia that exist in nature that seem to induce no reproductive parasitism trait and yet are able to invade populations. We demonstrate a fitness benefit for Wolbachia-infected insects that may explain this paradox. Drosophila melanogaster flies infected with Wolbachia are less susceptible to mortality induced by a range of RNA viruses. The antiviral protection associated with Wolbachia infection might be exploited in future strategies to reduce transmission of pathogens by insects.
嗜菌胞内共生菌是昆虫常见的内共生菌，因其通过操纵宿主生殖系统来提高自身在种群中的流行率的能力而广为人知。然而，自然界中存在一些嗜菌胞内共生菌的例子，它们似乎不会诱导生殖寄生特性，但仍能侵入种群。我们证明了感染嗜菌胞内共生菌的昆虫具有适应性优势，这可能解释了这一矛盾现象。感染嗜菌胞内共生菌的黑腹果蝇对一系列RNA病毒诱导的死亡更不易感。与感染嗜菌胞内共生菌相关的抗病毒保护作用可能会在未来减少昆虫传播病原体的策略中得到应用。
