Role of Endosymbiotic Gut Fungi in Mosquito Microbiome

Mosquitoes (Aedes aegypti) were infested with an endosymbiotic gut fungus (Zancudomyces culisetae) to investigate whether larval fungal infestation influences microbiomes across host developmental stages. Paired end reads were produced from 16S rDNA amplicons to analyze the microbiomes of larvae and newly emerged adults. The goals of the study were to determine whether larval fungal infestation (1) impacts larval microbiomes, (2) alters microbial transstadial transmission processes, and (3) affects microbiomes acquired by newly emerged adults immediately after pupation. Analyzing these concepts shed light on the role endosymbiotic gut fungi have in host-microbiome dynamics across developmental stages in an organism associated with significant human health concerns worldwide.