Metagenomics,paratransgenesis and the Anopheles microbiome: a portrait of the geographical distribution of the anopheline microbiota based on a meta-analysis of reported taxa

Anophelines harbour a diverse microbial consortium that may represent an extendedgene pool for the host. The proposed effects of the insect microbiota spanphysiological, metabolic and immune processes. Here we synthesise how currentmetagenomic tools combined with classical culture-dependent techniques provide newinsights in the elucidation of the role of the Anopheles-associatedmicrobiota. Many proposed malaria control strategies have been based upon theimmunomodulating effects that the bacterial components of the microbiota appear toexert and their ability to express anti-Plasmodium peptides. Thenumber of identified bacterial taxa has increased in the current “omics” era and theavailable data are mostly scattered or in “tables” that are difficult to exploit.Published microbiota reports for multiple anopheline species were compiled in anExcel^® spreadsheet. We then filtered the microbiota data using acontinent-oriented criterion and generated a visual correlation showing the exclusiveand shared bacterial genera among four continents. The data suggested the existenceof a core group of bacteria associated in a stable manner with their anophelinehosts. However, the lack of data from Neotropical vectors may reduce the possibilityof defining the core microbiota and understanding the mosquito-bacteria interactiveconsortium.