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Bao-li Qiu - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.

  • Plant-mediated Horizontal Transmission of Rickettsia endosymbiont between different whitefly species.
    FEMS microbiology ecology, 2017
    Co-Authors: Muhammad Z. Ahmed, Pei-qiong Shi, Xiaosheng Chen, Bao-li Qiu
    Abstract:

    A growing number of studies have revealed the presence of closely related endosymbionts in phylogenetically distant arthropods, indicating Horizontal Transmission of these bacteria. Here we investigated the interspecific Horizontal Transmission of Rickettsia between two globally invasive whitefly species, Bemisia tabaci MEAM1 and B. tabaci MED, via cotton plants. We found both scattered and confined distribution patterns of Rickettsia in these whiteflies. After entering cotton leaves, Rickettsia was restricted to the leaf phloem vessels and could be taken up by both species of the Rickettsia-free whitefly adults, but only the scattered pattern was observed in the recipient whiteflies. Both the relative quantity of Rickettsia and the efficiency of transmitting Rickettsia into cotton leaves were significantly higher in MEAM1 females than in MED females. The retention time of Rickettsia transmitted from MEAM1 into cotton leaves was at least 5 days longer than that of MED. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA and gltA genes confirmed that the Rickettsia extracted from the donor MEAM1, the cotton leaves, the recipient MEAM1 and the recipient MED were all identical. We conclude that cotton plants can mediate Horizontal Transmission of Rickettsia between different insect species, and that the Transmission dynamics of Rickettsia vary with different host whitefly species.

  • Plantmediated Horizontal Transmission of Wolbachia between whiteflies.
    The ISME journal, 2016
    Co-Authors: Muhammad Z. Ahmed, Pei-qiong Shi, Xing-min Wang, Ji-lei Huang, Bao-li Qiu
    Abstract:

    Maternal Transmission is the main Transmission pathway of facultative bacterial endosymbionts, but phylogenetically distant insect hosts harbor closely related endosymbionts, suggesting that Horizontal Transmission occurs in nature. Here we report the first case of plant-mediated Horizontal Transmission of Wolbachia between infected and uninfected Bemisia tabaci AsiaII7 whiteflies. After infected whiteflies fed on cotton leaves, Wolbachia was visualized, both in the phloem vessels and in some novel ‘reservoir’ spherules along the phloem by fluorescence in situ hybridization using Wolbachia-specific 16S rRNA probes and Transmission electron microscopy. Wolbachia persisted in the plant leaves for at least 50 days. When the Wolbachia-free whiteflies fed on the infected plant leaves, the majority of them became infected with the symbiont and vertically transmitted it to their progeny. Multilocus sequence typing and sequencing of the wsp (Wolbachia surface protein) gene confirmed that the sequence type of Wolbachia in the donor whiteflies, cotton phloem and the recipient whiteflies are all identical (sequence type 388). These results were replicated using cowpea and cucumber plants, suggesting that Horizontal Transmission is also possible through other plant species. Our findings may help explain why Wolbachia bacteria are so abundant in arthropods, and suggest that in some species, Wolbachia may be maintained in populations by Horizontal Transmission.

  • The intracellular bacterium Wolbachia uses parasitoid wasps as phoretic vectors for efficient Horizontal Transmission.
    PLoS pathogens, 2015
    Co-Authors: Muhammad Z. Ahmed, Xia Xue, Xiang-jie Yin, Shun-xiang Ren, Francis M Jiggins, Jaco M Greeff, Bao-li Qiu
    Abstract:

    Facultative bacterial endosymbionts are associated with many arthropods and are primarily transmitted vertically from mother to offspring. However, phylogenetic affiliations suggest that Horizontal Transmission must also occur. Such Horizontal transfer can have important biological and agricultural consequences when endosymbionts increase host fitness. So far Horizontal Transmission is considered rare and has been difficult to document. Here, we use fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and multi locus sequence typing (MLST) to reveal a potentially common pathway of Horizontal Transmission of endosymbionts via parasitoids of insects. We illustrate that the mouthparts and ovipositors of an aphelinid parasitoid become contaminated with Wolbachia when this wasp feeds on or probes Wolbachia-infected Bemisia tabaci AsiaII7, and non-lethal probing of uninfected B. tabaci AsiaII7 nymphs by parasitoids carrying Wolbachia resulted in newly and stably infected B. tabaci matrilines. After they were exposed to infected whitefly, the parasitoids were able to transmit Wolbachia efficiently for the following 48 h. Whitefly infected with Wolbachia by parasitoids had increased survival and reduced development times. Overall, our study provides evidence for the Horizontal Transmission of Wolbachia between insect hosts by parasitic wasps, and the enhanced survival and reproductive abilities of insect hosts may adversely affect biological control programs.

  • Evidence for Horizontal Transmission of Secondary Endosymbionts in the Bemisia tabaci Cryptic Species Complex
    PloS one, 2013
    Co-Authors: Muhammad Z. Ahmed, Shun-xiang Ren, Jaco M Greeff, Paul J. De Barro, Bao-li Qiu
    Abstract:

    Bemisia tabaci (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) is a globally distributed pest composed of at least 34 morphologically indistinguishable cryptic species. At least seven species of endosymbiont have been found infecting some or all members of the complex. The origin(s) of the associations between specific endosymbionts and their whitefly hosts is unknown. Infection is normally vertical, but Horizontal Transmission does occur and is one way for new infections to be introduced into individuals. The relationships between the different members of the cryptic species complex and the endosymbionts have not been well explored. In this study, the phylogenies of different cryptic species of the host with those of their endosymbionts were compared. Of particular interest was whether there was evidence for both coevolution and Horizontal Transmission. Congruence was observed for the primary endosymbiont, Portiera aleyrodidarum, and partial incongruence in the case of two secondary endosymbionts, Arsenophonus and Cardinium and incongruence for a third, Wolbachia. The patterns observed for the primary endosymbiont supported cospeciation with the host while the patterns for the secondary endosymbionts, and especially Wolbachia showed evidence of host shifts and extinctions through Horizontal Transmission rather than cospeciation. Of particular note is the observation of several very recent host shift events in China between exotic invader and indigenous members of the complex. These shifts were from indigenous members of the complex to the invader as well as from the invader to indigenous relatives.

Muhammad Z. Ahmed - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.

  • Plant-mediated Horizontal Transmission of Rickettsia endosymbiont between different whitefly species.
    FEMS microbiology ecology, 2017
    Co-Authors: Muhammad Z. Ahmed, Pei-qiong Shi, Xiaosheng Chen, Bao-li Qiu
    Abstract:

    A growing number of studies have revealed the presence of closely related endosymbionts in phylogenetically distant arthropods, indicating Horizontal Transmission of these bacteria. Here we investigated the interspecific Horizontal Transmission of Rickettsia between two globally invasive whitefly species, Bemisia tabaci MEAM1 and B. tabaci MED, via cotton plants. We found both scattered and confined distribution patterns of Rickettsia in these whiteflies. After entering cotton leaves, Rickettsia was restricted to the leaf phloem vessels and could be taken up by both species of the Rickettsia-free whitefly adults, but only the scattered pattern was observed in the recipient whiteflies. Both the relative quantity of Rickettsia and the efficiency of transmitting Rickettsia into cotton leaves were significantly higher in MEAM1 females than in MED females. The retention time of Rickettsia transmitted from MEAM1 into cotton leaves was at least 5 days longer than that of MED. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA and gltA genes confirmed that the Rickettsia extracted from the donor MEAM1, the cotton leaves, the recipient MEAM1 and the recipient MED were all identical. We conclude that cotton plants can mediate Horizontal Transmission of Rickettsia between different insect species, and that the Transmission dynamics of Rickettsia vary with different host whitefly species.

  • Plantmediated Horizontal Transmission of Wolbachia between whiteflies.
    The ISME journal, 2016
    Co-Authors: Muhammad Z. Ahmed, Pei-qiong Shi, Xing-min Wang, Ji-lei Huang, Bao-li Qiu
    Abstract:

    Maternal Transmission is the main Transmission pathway of facultative bacterial endosymbionts, but phylogenetically distant insect hosts harbor closely related endosymbionts, suggesting that Horizontal Transmission occurs in nature. Here we report the first case of plant-mediated Horizontal Transmission of Wolbachia between infected and uninfected Bemisia tabaci AsiaII7 whiteflies. After infected whiteflies fed on cotton leaves, Wolbachia was visualized, both in the phloem vessels and in some novel ‘reservoir’ spherules along the phloem by fluorescence in situ hybridization using Wolbachia-specific 16S rRNA probes and Transmission electron microscopy. Wolbachia persisted in the plant leaves for at least 50 days. When the Wolbachia-free whiteflies fed on the infected plant leaves, the majority of them became infected with the symbiont and vertically transmitted it to their progeny. Multilocus sequence typing and sequencing of the wsp (Wolbachia surface protein) gene confirmed that the sequence type of Wolbachia in the donor whiteflies, cotton phloem and the recipient whiteflies are all identical (sequence type 388). These results were replicated using cowpea and cucumber plants, suggesting that Horizontal Transmission is also possible through other plant species. Our findings may help explain why Wolbachia bacteria are so abundant in arthropods, and suggest that in some species, Wolbachia may be maintained in populations by Horizontal Transmission.

  • Evidence for common Horizontal Transmission of Wolbachia among butterflies and moths.
    BMC evolutionary biology, 2016
    Co-Authors: Muhammad Z. Ahmed, Jesse W. Breinholt, Akito Y. Kawahara
    Abstract:

    Wolbachia is one of the most widespread bacteria on Earth. Previous research on Wolbachia-host interactions indicates that the bacterium is typically transferred vertically, from mother to offspring, through the egg cytoplasm. Although Horizontal Transmission of Wolbachia from one species to another is reported to be common in arthropods, limited direct ecological evidence is available. In this study, we examine Horizontal Transmission of Wolbachia using a multilocus sequence typing (MLST) strains dataset and used Wolbachia and Lepidoptera genomes to search for evidence for lateral gene transfer (LGT) in Lepidoptera, one of the most diverse cosmopolitan insect orders. We constructed a phylogeny of arthropod-associated MLST Wolbachia strains and calibrated the age of Wolbachia strains associated with lepidopteran species. Our results reveal inter-specific, inter-generic, inter-familial, and inter-ordinal Horizontal Transmission of Wolbachia strains, without discernible geographic patterns. We found at least seven probable cases of Horizontal Transmission among 31 species within Lepidoptera and between Lepidoptera and other arthropod hosts. The divergence time analysis revealed that Wolbachia is recently (22.6–4.7 mya, 95 % HPD) introduced in Lepidoptera. Analysis of nine Lepidoptera genomes (Bombyx mori, Danaus plexippus, Heliconius melpomene, Manduca sexta, Melitaea cinxia, Papilio glaucus, P. polytes, P. xuthus and Plutella xylostella) yielded one possible instance of Wolbachia LGT. Our results provide evidence of high incidence of identical and multiple strains of Wolbachia among butterflies and moths, adding Lepidoptera to the growing body of evidence for common Horizontal Transmission of Wolbachia. This study demonstrates interesting dynamics of this remarkable and influential microorganism.

  • The intracellular bacterium Wolbachia uses parasitoid wasps as phoretic vectors for efficient Horizontal Transmission.
    PLoS pathogens, 2015
    Co-Authors: Muhammad Z. Ahmed, Xia Xue, Xiang-jie Yin, Shun-xiang Ren, Francis M Jiggins, Jaco M Greeff, Bao-li Qiu
    Abstract:

    Facultative bacterial endosymbionts are associated with many arthropods and are primarily transmitted vertically from mother to offspring. However, phylogenetic affiliations suggest that Horizontal Transmission must also occur. Such Horizontal transfer can have important biological and agricultural consequences when endosymbionts increase host fitness. So far Horizontal Transmission is considered rare and has been difficult to document. Here, we use fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and multi locus sequence typing (MLST) to reveal a potentially common pathway of Horizontal Transmission of endosymbionts via parasitoids of insects. We illustrate that the mouthparts and ovipositors of an aphelinid parasitoid become contaminated with Wolbachia when this wasp feeds on or probes Wolbachia-infected Bemisia tabaci AsiaII7, and non-lethal probing of uninfected B. tabaci AsiaII7 nymphs by parasitoids carrying Wolbachia resulted in newly and stably infected B. tabaci matrilines. After they were exposed to infected whitefly, the parasitoids were able to transmit Wolbachia efficiently for the following 48 h. Whitefly infected with Wolbachia by parasitoids had increased survival and reduced development times. Overall, our study provides evidence for the Horizontal Transmission of Wolbachia between insect hosts by parasitic wasps, and the enhanced survival and reproductive abilities of insect hosts may adversely affect biological control programs.

  • Evidence for Horizontal Transmission of Secondary Endosymbionts in the Bemisia tabaci Cryptic Species Complex
    PloS one, 2013
    Co-Authors: Muhammad Z. Ahmed, Shun-xiang Ren, Jaco M Greeff, Paul J. De Barro, Bao-li Qiu
    Abstract:

    Bemisia tabaci (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) is a globally distributed pest composed of at least 34 morphologically indistinguishable cryptic species. At least seven species of endosymbiont have been found infecting some or all members of the complex. The origin(s) of the associations between specific endosymbionts and their whitefly hosts is unknown. Infection is normally vertical, but Horizontal Transmission does occur and is one way for new infections to be introduced into individuals. The relationships between the different members of the cryptic species complex and the endosymbionts have not been well explored. In this study, the phylogenies of different cryptic species of the host with those of their endosymbionts were compared. Of particular interest was whether there was evidence for both coevolution and Horizontal Transmission. Congruence was observed for the primary endosymbiont, Portiera aleyrodidarum, and partial incongruence in the case of two secondary endosymbionts, Arsenophonus and Cardinium and incongruence for a third, Wolbachia. The patterns observed for the primary endosymbiont supported cospeciation with the host while the patterns for the secondary endosymbionts, and especially Wolbachia showed evidence of host shifts and extinctions through Horizontal Transmission rather than cospeciation. Of particular note is the observation of several very recent host shift events in China between exotic invader and indigenous members of the complex. These shifts were from indigenous members of the complex to the invader as well as from the invader to indigenous relatives.

D Mc A Dowell - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.

  • the rate of Horizontal Transmission of antibiotic resistance plasmids is increased in food preservation stressed bacteria
    Journal of Applied Microbiology, 2007
    Co-Authors: M Mc A S Mahon, I S Blair, John E Moore, D Mc A Dowell
    Abstract:

    Aim:  The aim of this study was to investigate the possibility that sublethal food preservation stresses (high/low temperature, osmotic and pH stress) can alter the rate of Horizontal Transmission of antibiotic resistance (ABR) plasmids between Escherichia coli strains and between E. coli and Salmonella serotype Typhimurium. Methods and Results: Escherichia coli donor cultures, carrying F1 plasmid R386 and Inc I1 plasmid TP307 and E. coli and Salm. Typhimurium recipient cultures were prestressed under a range of sublethal environmental conditions (high/low temperature, osmotic and pH stress). The prestressed donor and recipient cultures were then mated and the Transmission rate calculated. The study found that the Horizontal Transmission rate of plasmids R386 and TP307 was significantly increased (P < 0·05) when prestressed donor and recipient cells are mated under conditions of environmental stress. Conclusion:  The results from this study indicate that, the sublethal stresses that food pathogens encounter in modern food preservation systems increase the inter- and intra-specific Horizontal Transmission of selected ABR plasmids. Significance and Impact of the Study:  Increased use of bacteriostatic (sublethal), rather than bacteriocidal (lethal) food preservation systems, may be contributing to the dissemination of ABR among important food borne pathogens.

D.a. Mc Dowell - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.

  • The rate of Horizontal Transmission of antibiotic resistance plasmids is increased in food preservation-stressed bacteria.
    Journal of applied microbiology, 2007
    Co-Authors: M.a.s. Mc Mahon, I S Blair, John E Moore, D.a. Mc Dowell
    Abstract:

    Aim:  The aim of this study was to investigate the possibility that sublethal food preservation stresses (high/low temperature, osmotic and pH stress) can alter the rate of Horizontal Transmission of antibiotic resistance (ABR) plasmids between Escherichia coli strains and between E. coli and Salmonella serotype Typhimurium. Methods and Results: Escherichia coli donor cultures, carrying F1 plasmid R386 and Inc I1 plasmid TP307 and E. coli and Salm. Typhimurium recipient cultures were prestressed under a range of sublethal environmental conditions (high/low temperature, osmotic and pH stress). The prestressed donor and recipient cultures were then mated and the Transmission rate calculated. The study found that the Horizontal Transmission rate of plasmids R386 and TP307 was significantly increased (P 

John E Moore - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.

  • the rate of Horizontal Transmission of antibiotic resistance plasmids is increased in food preservation stressed bacteria
    Journal of Applied Microbiology, 2007
    Co-Authors: M Mc A S Mahon, I S Blair, John E Moore, D Mc A Dowell
    Abstract:

    Aim:  The aim of this study was to investigate the possibility that sublethal food preservation stresses (high/low temperature, osmotic and pH stress) can alter the rate of Horizontal Transmission of antibiotic resistance (ABR) plasmids between Escherichia coli strains and between E. coli and Salmonella serotype Typhimurium. Methods and Results: Escherichia coli donor cultures, carrying F1 plasmid R386 and Inc I1 plasmid TP307 and E. coli and Salm. Typhimurium recipient cultures were prestressed under a range of sublethal environmental conditions (high/low temperature, osmotic and pH stress). The prestressed donor and recipient cultures were then mated and the Transmission rate calculated. The study found that the Horizontal Transmission rate of plasmids R386 and TP307 was significantly increased (P < 0·05) when prestressed donor and recipient cells are mated under conditions of environmental stress. Conclusion:  The results from this study indicate that, the sublethal stresses that food pathogens encounter in modern food preservation systems increase the inter- and intra-specific Horizontal Transmission of selected ABR plasmids. Significance and Impact of the Study:  Increased use of bacteriostatic (sublethal), rather than bacteriocidal (lethal) food preservation systems, may be contributing to the dissemination of ABR among important food borne pathogens.

  • The rate of Horizontal Transmission of antibiotic resistance plasmids is increased in food preservation-stressed bacteria.
    Journal of applied microbiology, 2007
    Co-Authors: M.a.s. Mc Mahon, I S Blair, John E Moore, D.a. Mc Dowell
    Abstract:

    Aim:  The aim of this study was to investigate the possibility that sublethal food preservation stresses (high/low temperature, osmotic and pH stress) can alter the rate of Horizontal Transmission of antibiotic resistance (ABR) plasmids between Escherichia coli strains and between E. coli and Salmonella serotype Typhimurium. Methods and Results: Escherichia coli donor cultures, carrying F1 plasmid R386 and Inc I1 plasmid TP307 and E. coli and Salm. Typhimurium recipient cultures were prestressed under a range of sublethal environmental conditions (high/low temperature, osmotic and pH stress). The prestressed donor and recipient cultures were then mated and the Transmission rate calculated. The study found that the Horizontal Transmission rate of plasmids R386 and TP307 was significantly increased (P