Characterizing the microbiome of ectoparasitic louse flies feeding on migratory raptors

PLoS One. 2020 Jun 4;15(6):e0234050. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0234050. eCollection 2020.

Abstract

Louse flies (Diptera: Hippoboscidae) are obligate ectoparasites that often cause behavioral, pathogenic, and evolutionary effects on their hosts. Interactions between ectoparasites and avian hosts, especially migrating taxa, may influence avian pathogen spread in tropical and temperate ecosystems and affect long-term survival, fitness and reproductive success. The purpose of this study was to characterize the vector-associated microbiome of ectoparasitic louse flies feeding on migrating raptors over the fall migration period. Surveys for louse flies occurred during fall migration (2015-2016) at a banding station in Pennsylvania, United States; flies were collected from seven species of migrating raptors, and we sequenced their microbial (bacteria and archaea) composition using high-throughput targeted amplicon sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene (V4 region). All louse flies collected belonged to the same species, Icosta americana. Our analysis revealed no difference in bacterial communities of louse flies retrieved from different avian host species. The louse fly microbiome was dominated by a primary endosymbiont, suggesting that louse flies maintain a core microbial structure despite receiving blood meals from different host species. Thus, our findings highlight the importance of characterizing both beneficial and potentially pathogenic endosymbionts when interpreting how vector-associated microbiomes may impact insect vectors and their avian hosts.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animal Migration*
  • Animals
  • Diptera / microbiology*
  • Diptera / physiology*
  • Host-Parasite Interactions*
  • Microbiota*
  • Raptors / parasitology*

Grants and funding

The authors received funding for this work including: The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania University Biologists (http://academics.sru.edu/cpub/index.php?content=main) Student Research Grant (#2-2016), Millersville University's Biology Student Investigator (#6033009967) and Niemeyer-Hodgson Undergraduate Research Grant (#6033009969)- awarded to KLT, and the Department of Entomology and Merritt Endowed Fellowship in Entomology at Michigan State University (https://www.canr.msu.edu/ent/students/funding_opportunities/index) awarded to JPR. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.