Back and forth Wolbachia transfers reveal efficient strains to control spotted wing drosophila populations

1.Since its recent invasion of the European and American continents, the spotted wing Drosophila Drosophila suzukii has become a burden of the fruit industry. Armed with a highly sclerotized ovipositor, females can lay eggs in a wider variety of ripening and healthy fruits than other Drosophila species. Economic losses due to Drosophila suzukii reach millions of dollars annually and methods to control natural populations in the field mainly rely on the use of chemical pesticides.

2.We tested if Wolbachia bacteria represents a potential ally to control this pest. These symbionts are naturally present in many insects and often induce a form of conditional sterility called Cytoplasmic Incompatibility (CI): the offspring of infected males die, unless the eggs are rescued by the compatible infection, inherited from the mother that protects the embryo. A long-recognised, a strategy called the Incompatible Insect Technique (IIT) makes use of the CI phenotype to control insect populations th...