Microbiota of the Coffee Berry Borer (Hypothenemus hampei)

The goal of this study was to determine the microbiota of the most devastating coffee pest Hypothenemus hampei and its variations due to environmental conditions (sun vs. shade coffee) and physiological conditions (diet and stage of development). Bacterial communities of field-collected and laboratory-reared eggs and adult females were characterized using Illumina-based sequencing of the hypervariable region V4 of the 16S rDNA gene. Understanding the role of the microbiota in this economically important pest may assist in the development of novel management strategies based on the manipulation of its symbionts.