Bacterial community structure of Anopheles hyrcanus group, Anopheles nivipes, Anopheles philippinensis, and Anopheles vagus from a malaria-endemic area in Ubon Ratchathani Province, Thailand

The microbiota of Anopheles mosquitoes can influence malaria transmission directly or indirectly. This study characterized the bacterial microbiota associated with field-collected female adults of Anopheles hyrcanus group, Anopheles nivipes, Anopheles philippinensis, and Anopheles vagus from a malaria-endemic area in northeastern Thailand, near the Lao PDR-Cambodia-Thailand border. The microbiota of the four Anopheles species differed between pools of the same species and between species. Abundant genera were gram-negative bacteria, including Pseudomonas, Serratia, Rosenbergiella, Ralstonia, Acinetobacter, and Pantoea, while gram-positive bacteria were not abundant, represented by the genera Staphylococcus and Carnobacterium. Pseudomonas sp. was highly abundant in all mosquito species except for An. nivipes. This is the first report of bacterial diversity in four Anopheles species that can act as secondary vectors of malaria. The present study provides new knowledge on the microbiota of four potential malaria vectors as a first step towards understanding the role of the microbiota on mosquito biology and ultimately the development of potential tools for mosquito-borne disease control. However, more work is needed before using these bacteria in any field applications aimed at limiting the transmission of mosquito-borne diseases.