It Runs in the Family: Optimizing Paratransgenesis for Vector Control of African Trypanosomes

Raven Forshee*, Miguel Medina Munoz, and Rita Rio, Department of Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26506

Field (Broad Category): Biology (Biological & Biochemical Sciences)

Student’s Major: Biology

Paratransgenesis is the genetic alteration of a vector through the manipulation of its microbiota. The tsetse fly is a strict blood feeder with medical significance as the obligate vector of the protozoa Trypanosoma brucei which are the causative agents of African trypanosomiasis. Despite high morbidity and mortality rates in many animals, African trypanosomiasis lacks a vaccine and has few options for treatment. Thus, vector control remains the most significant tool for control of disease transmission. Tsetse flies are unique to other insects as they produce one egg at a time which develops “in utero” through larval development. Within the mother, the offspring receive nutrition and are seeded with their microbiota (naturally occurring members of the microbial community). This distinct reproductive strategy provides a route for the deployment of paratransgenesis aimed at reducing tsetse vector competence. Sodalis praecaptivus provides an ideal model for paratransgenesis because it can be maintained in culture and genetically engineered. Here, we injected tsetse flies with genetically tractable S. praecaptivus and subsequently mated these individuals. Reproductive output was determined in this cohort of flies. Further, individual offspring deposited by each mother were identified to determine the presence of S. praecaptivus through subsequent generations. Individuals were identified to be infected with S. praecaptivus by plating fly homogenates and verifying colony identification through S. praecaptivus specific PCR. This project seeks to understand the generational stability of S. praecaptivus following microinjections within the tsetse fly. These results are critical towards the optimization of paratransgenesis as a tool for vector control. 

Funding: National Institutes of Health: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases 

Program/mechanism supporting research/creative efforts: WVU's Research Apprenticeship Program (RAP) & accompanying HONR 297-level course