Unexpected Diversity of <i>Wolbachia</i> Associated with <i>Bactrocera dorsalis</i> (Diptera: Tephritidae) in Africa

• Main Authors: Joseph Gichuhi, Fathiya M. Khamis, Johnnie Van den Berg, Sunday Ekesi, Jeremy K. Herren
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2019-05-01
• Series: Insects
• Subjects: <i>Wolbachia</i>; <i>Bactrocera dorsalis</i>; oriental fruit fly; <i>Wolbachia</i> surface protein; mitochondrial COI haplotype
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/10/6/155

<i>Bactrocera dorsalis</i> (Hendel) is an important pest of fruit-bearing plants in many countries worldwide. In Africa, this pest has spread rapidly and has become widely established since the first invasion report in 2003. <i>Wolbachia</i> is a vertically transmitted endosymbiont that can significantly influence aspects of the biology and, in particular, the reproduction of its host. In this study, we screened <i>B. dorsalis</i> specimens collected from several locations in Africa between 2005 and 2017 for <i>Wolbachia</i> using a PCR-based assay to target the <i>Wolbachia</i> surface protein <i>wsp</i>. Of the 357 individuals tested, 10 were positive for <i>Wolbachia</i> using the <i>wsp</i> assay. We identified four strains of <i>Wolbachia</i> infecting two <i>B. dorsalis</i> mitochondrial haplotypes. We found no strict association between the infecting strain and host haplotype, with one strain being present in two different host haplotypes. All the detected strains belonged to Super Group B <i>Wolbachia</i> and did not match any strains reported previously in <i>B. dorsalis</i> in Asia. These findings indicate that diverse <i>Wolbachia</i> infections are present in invasive populations of <i>B. dorsalis</i>.