Wolbachia Infections in Arthropod Hosts

Grant L. Hughes, Jason L. Rasgon

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapter

3 Scopus citations

Abstract

The a-proteobacteria Wolbachia are obligate endosymbionts that infect a diverse range of invertebrate taxa and are possibly the most common endosymbiotic bacteria on Earth. In their arthropod hosts, Wolbachia induce a variety of reproductive manipulations that enhance the fitness of infected females compared to their uninfected counterparts. Adding to their phenotypic repertoire, Wolbachia have recently been shown to interfere with pathogen infection and transmission in both naturally infected and artificially transinfected insects. These properties make Wolbachia systems interesting to study on numerous levels, including evolution and speciation, microbeehost interactions, and applied strategies to minimize the impact of arthropod-borne diseases and insect pests. This chapter will review the current state of knowledge of Wolbachia reproductive phenotypes and Wolbachiainduced pathogen interference, and discuss these in the context of applied use of Wolbachia for arthropod-borne disease and pest control.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publicationInsect Pathology, Second Edition
PublisherElsevier
Pages351-366
Number of pages16
ISBN (Electronic)9780123849847
ISBN (Print)9780123849854
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 1 2012
Externally publishedYes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Agricultural and Biological Sciences

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