Differential Microbial Diversity in Drosophila melanogaster: Are Fruit Flies Potential Vectors of Opportunistic Pathogens?

Drosophila melanogaster has become a model system to study interactions between innate immunity and microbial pathogens, yet many aspects regarding its microbial community and interactions with pathogens remain unclear. In this study wild D. melanogaster were collected from tropical fruits in Puerto...

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Main Authors: Luis A. Ramírez-Camejo, Génesis Maldonado-Morales, Paul Bayman
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2017-01-01
Series:International Journal of Microbiology
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2017/8526385
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author Luis A. Ramírez-Camejo
Génesis Maldonado-Morales
Paul Bayman
author_facet Luis A. Ramírez-Camejo
Génesis Maldonado-Morales
Paul Bayman
author_sort Luis A. Ramírez-Camejo
collection DOAJ
description Drosophila melanogaster has become a model system to study interactions between innate immunity and microbial pathogens, yet many aspects regarding its microbial community and interactions with pathogens remain unclear. In this study wild D. melanogaster were collected from tropical fruits in Puerto Rico to test how the microbiota is distributed and to compare the culturable diversity of fungi and bacteria. Additionally, we investigated whether flies are potential vectors of human and plant pathogens. Eighteen species of fungi and twelve species of bacteria were isolated from wild flies. The most abundant microorganisms identified were the yeast Candida inconspicua and the bacterium Klebsiella sp. The yeast Issatchenkia hanoiensis was significantly more common internally than externally in flies. Species richness was higher in fungi than in bacteria, but diversity was lower in fungi than in bacteria. The microbial composition of flies was similar internally and externally. We identified a variety of opportunistic human and plant pathogens in flies such as Alcaligenes faecalis, Aspergillus flavus, A. fumigatus, A. niger, Fusarium equiseti/oxysporum, Geotrichum candidum, Klebsiella oxytoca, Microbacterium oxydans, and Stenotrophomonas maltophilia. Despite its utility as a model system, D. melanogaster can be a vector of microorganisms that represent a potential risk to plant and public health.
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publishDate 2017-01-01
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spelling doaj-art-7696298c081845bd8a01a08d8dd8835e2025-08-20T03:35:15ZengWileyInternational Journal of Microbiology1687-918X1687-91982017-01-01201710.1155/2017/85263858526385Differential Microbial Diversity in Drosophila melanogaster: Are Fruit Flies Potential Vectors of Opportunistic Pathogens?Luis A. Ramírez-Camejo0Génesis Maldonado-Morales1Paul Bayman2Centro de Biodiversidad y Descubrimiento de Drogas, Instituto de Investigaciones Científicas y Servicios de Alta Tecnología (INDICASAT AIP), Edificio 219, Ciudad del Saber, Apartado 0843-01103, Ciudad de Panamá, PanamaDepartment of Biology, University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras, PR, USADepartment of Biology, University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras, PR, USADrosophila melanogaster has become a model system to study interactions between innate immunity and microbial pathogens, yet many aspects regarding its microbial community and interactions with pathogens remain unclear. In this study wild D. melanogaster were collected from tropical fruits in Puerto Rico to test how the microbiota is distributed and to compare the culturable diversity of fungi and bacteria. Additionally, we investigated whether flies are potential vectors of human and plant pathogens. Eighteen species of fungi and twelve species of bacteria were isolated from wild flies. The most abundant microorganisms identified were the yeast Candida inconspicua and the bacterium Klebsiella sp. The yeast Issatchenkia hanoiensis was significantly more common internally than externally in flies. Species richness was higher in fungi than in bacteria, but diversity was lower in fungi than in bacteria. The microbial composition of flies was similar internally and externally. We identified a variety of opportunistic human and plant pathogens in flies such as Alcaligenes faecalis, Aspergillus flavus, A. fumigatus, A. niger, Fusarium equiseti/oxysporum, Geotrichum candidum, Klebsiella oxytoca, Microbacterium oxydans, and Stenotrophomonas maltophilia. Despite its utility as a model system, D. melanogaster can be a vector of microorganisms that represent a potential risk to plant and public health.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2017/8526385
spellingShingle Luis A. Ramírez-Camejo
Génesis Maldonado-Morales
Paul Bayman
Differential Microbial Diversity in Drosophila melanogaster: Are Fruit Flies Potential Vectors of Opportunistic Pathogens?
International Journal of Microbiology
title Differential Microbial Diversity in Drosophila melanogaster: Are Fruit Flies Potential Vectors of Opportunistic Pathogens?
title_full Differential Microbial Diversity in Drosophila melanogaster: Are Fruit Flies Potential Vectors of Opportunistic Pathogens?
title_fullStr Differential Microbial Diversity in Drosophila melanogaster: Are Fruit Flies Potential Vectors of Opportunistic Pathogens?
title_full_unstemmed Differential Microbial Diversity in Drosophila melanogaster: Are Fruit Flies Potential Vectors of Opportunistic Pathogens?
title_short Differential Microbial Diversity in Drosophila melanogaster: Are Fruit Flies Potential Vectors of Opportunistic Pathogens?
title_sort differential microbial diversity in drosophila melanogaster are fruit flies potential vectors of opportunistic pathogens
url http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2017/8526385
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AT genesismaldonadomorales differentialmicrobialdiversityindrosophilamelanogasterarefruitfliespotentialvectorsofopportunisticpathogens
AT paulbayman differentialmicrobialdiversityindrosophilamelanogasterarefruitfliespotentialvectorsofopportunisticpathogens