According to the World Health Organization, vector-borne diseases account for more than 17% of all infectious diseases and cause more than 700,000 deaths annually. Diseases transmitted by mosquitoes are a major global health issue. These include malaria, dengue fever and serious birth defects caused by the Zika virus. The effects of climate change could increase the spread of these and other mosquito-borne diseases by expanding the geographical range of habitats suitable for mosquitoes.
To better understand the spread of these diseases, researchers from UW–Madison and the United Kingdom have joined forces to create a bacterial Mosquito-Associated Isolate Collection (MosAIC). This is the first large-scale repository of mosquito-associated microbiomes. The collection includes genome data and 392 bacterial isolates that could reveal how different bacteria in the microbiome affect their mosquito host, including its ability to spread human pathogens.
Insect microbiomes impact how well they can transmit human pathogens. The microbiomes are poorly understood. The composition of the mosquito microbiome is dynamic and affected by host species, geography and life stage. With increasing resistance of mosquitoes against insecticides, microbiome manipulation is a promising alternative for future disease control measures.
Collection
The project was led by researchers from UW–Madison and Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine. The collection used material supplied by more than 50 individuals across the globe. These include 44 undergraduate students enrolled in a capstone microbiology course in the Department of Bacteriology at UW–Madison during the Spring 2022 semester. Kerri Coon, assistant professor of bacteriology in the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, led the efforts at UW–Madison.
The collection will be administered out of Coon’s lab. Future expansions will continue to be led by Coon. This is with support from additional collaborators in Central and South America, Africa, South and Southeast Asia, and the Pacific. Additional cohorts of students will also be involved with supplemental funding support through NSF’s STEM-APWD program.
The US National Science Foundation is the primary funder of the project. It has additional support from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, part of UK Research and Innovation.
Leave a Reply