Forson Akua Obeng, Sraku Isaac Kwame, Banson Idan Baah, Gyamfi Jones, Duedu Kwabena Obeng, Afrane Yaw Asare
Centre for Vector-borne Diseases Research, Department of Medical Microbiology, University of Ghana Medical School, University of Ghana, Korle-Bu, Accra, Ghana.
Department of Medical Laboratory Science, School of Biomedical and Allied Health Sciences, University of Ghana, Korle-Bu, Accra, Ghana.
PLoS One. 2025 May 27;20(5):e0323464. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0323464. eCollection 2025.
Mosquito breeding habitats are ecosystems that comprise a complex, intimately associated micro-organism. This study aimed to determine the bacteria communities associated with Anopheles larval habitats and correlate their prevalence to the absence or presence of mosquito larvae. The 16S rRNA profiles of bacterial communities in Anopheles-positive breeding habitats (productive and semi-productive habitats) and negative habitats (non-productive) from Southern Ghana were analyzed using the Oxford Nanopore's MinION platform with water and larval samples. A total of 15 bacterial taxa were identified across all habitats based on productivity. Significantly, mosquito-positive breeding habitats (productive and semi-productive) had more bacterial diversity compared to mosquito-negative habitats (non-productive). Comparison of the composition of bacteria in the different habitat types revealed that non-productive habitats had a higher prevalence of Epsilonproteobacteria (58.1%), while Gammaproteobacteria (33.2%) and Betaproteobacteria (30.5%) were dominant in the productive and semi-productive habitats. Gammaproteobacteria and Betaproteobacteria were the most abundant bacterial classes in Anopheles larvae. Comparing the water samples to larvae microbiomes revealed distinct composition. Betaproteobacteria (58.5%) and Cytophagia (10.7%) were predominately present in the water samples, whilst Betaproteobacteria (47.9%) and Gammaproteobacteria (21.6%) were dominant in the larval samples. This study revealed a higher bacterial composition may play a role in Anopheles mosquitoes' attractiveness to a breeding habitat. These findings contribute to the understanding of which bacteria, directly or indirectly, can be linked to the absence or presence of mosquito larvae in breeding habitats and set the basis for the identification of specific bacterial taxa that could be harnessed for vector control in the future.
蚊子滋生地是由复杂且紧密相关的微生物组成的生态系统。本研究旨在确定与按蚊幼虫栖息地相关的细菌群落，并将它们的流行情况与蚊子幼虫的有无联系起来。使用牛津纳米孔公司的MinION平台对来自加纳南部按蚊阳性滋生地（高产和半高产栖息地）和阴性栖息地（非高产）的水和幼虫样本中的细菌群落16S rRNA谱进行了分析。根据生产力，在所有栖息地中共鉴定出15个细菌分类单元。值得注意的是，与蚊子阴性栖息地（非高产）相比，蚊子阳性滋生地（高产和半高产）具有更多的细菌多样性。对不同栖息地类型中细菌组成的比较表明，非高产栖息地中ε-变形菌纲的流行率较高（58.1%），而γ-变形菌纲（33.2%）和β-变形菌纲（30.5%）在高产和半高产栖息地中占主导地位。γ-变形菌纲和β-变形菌纲是按蚊幼虫中最丰富的细菌类别。将水样与幼虫微生物组进行比较发现组成不同。β-变形菌纲（58.5%）和噬细胞菌纲（10.7%）主要存在于水样中，而β-变形菌纲（47.9%）和γ-变形菌纲（21.6%）在幼虫样本中占主导地位。本研究表明，较高的细菌组成可能在按蚊对滋生地的吸引力中起作用。这些发现有助于理解哪些细菌直接或间接与滋生地中蚊子幼虫的有无相关，并为确定未来可用于病媒控制的特定细菌分类单元奠定基础。
