Rahimpour Hamed, Talebi Ali Asghar, Raz Abasali, Azarbad Hamed, Mehrabadi Mohammad
Department of Entomology, Faculty of Agriculture, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran.
Malaria and Vector Research Group, Biotechnology Research Center, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran.
Pest Manag Sci. 2025 Aug 13. doi: 10.1002/ps.70100.
The Asian citrus psylla (ACP, Diaphorina citri), a destructive insect, poses a significant threat to citrus industries worldwide. As the primary vector of huanglongbing (HLB), ACP infestations have caused devastating economic losses and declines in citrus production across many regions. Despite the role of endosymbionts in psyllid biology and HLB transmission, their geographic distribution in Iran remains uncharacterized. In this study, the composition of bacterial endosymbiont communities associated with ACP was examined across four geographic regions in Iran (Sarbaz, Roudan, Faryab, and Jahrom).
Using 16S rRNA gene sequencing and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), the presence and abundance of bacterial endosymbionts, including Carsonella, Profftella, and Wolbachia, were confirmed in both nymphal and adult stages of this insect across all populations. Other bacteria, such as Diplorickettsia, Hamiltonella, and Lactobacillus, were identified only in certain populations. Phylogenetic analysis, principal component analysis (PCA), and heatmap clustering highlighted geographical variation in the abundance and diversity of endosymbionts, with the Jahrom population exhibited considerable geographical variation than other regions.
Our results revealed significant geographic variation in the prevalence of key bacterial taxa, including Wolbachia and Carsonella. In addition, we report for the first time the presence of Hamiltonella defensa and Diplorickettsia in this insect vector, offering potential targets for microbiome-based pest control strategies tailored to local ACP populations. These findings underscore the importance of understanding how endosymbionts shape ACP biology and its ability to transmit pathogens, and they highlight the potential for innovative pest control approaches, such as manipulating symbiont populations to reduce ACP fitness or disease transmission. © 2025 Society of Chemical Industry.
亚洲柑橘木虱（ACP，柑橘木虱）是一种具有破坏性的昆虫，对全球柑橘产业构成重大威胁。作为黄龙病（HLB）的主要传播媒介，ACP的侵染已在许多地区造成了毁灭性的经济损失和柑橘产量下降。尽管共生菌在木虱生物学和HLB传播中发挥作用，但其在伊朗的地理分布仍未得到描述。在本研究中，对伊朗四个地理区域（萨尔巴兹、鲁丹、法里亚布和贾赫罗姆）的与ACP相关的细菌共生菌群落组成进行了研究。
使用16S rRNA基因测序和定量实时聚合酶链反应（qPCR），在该昆虫所有种群的若虫和成虫阶段均证实了包括卡氏菌、普罗夫氏菌和沃尔巴克氏体在内的细菌共生菌的存在和丰度。其他细菌，如双立克次氏体、汉密尔顿氏菌和乳杆菌，仅在某些种群中被鉴定到。系统发育分析、主成分分析（PCA）和热图聚类突出了共生菌丰度和多样性的地理差异，贾赫罗姆种群表现出比其他区域更大的地理差异。
我们的结果揭示了包括沃尔巴克氏体和卡氏菌在内的关键细菌类群流行率存在显著地理差异。此外，我们首次报告了该昆虫媒介中存在防御性汉密尔顿氏菌和双立克次氏体，为针对当地ACP种群的基于微生物组的害虫控制策略提供了潜在靶点。这些发现强调了了解共生菌如何塑造ACP生物学及其传播病原体能力的重要性，并突出了创新害虫控制方法的潜力，例如操纵共生菌种群以降低ACP适应性或疾病传播。© 2025化学工业协会。
