Abstract Midgut transgenic bacteria can be used to express and deliver anti-parasite molecules in malaria vector mosquitoes to reduce transmission. Hence, it is necessary to know the symbiotic bacteria of the microbiota of the midgut to identify those that can be used to interfering in the vector competence of a target mosquito population. The bacterial communities associated with the abdomen of Nyssorhynchus braziliensis (Chagas) (Diptera: Culicidae) and Nyssorhynchus darlingi (Root) (Diptera: Culicidae) were identified using Illumina NGS sequencing of the V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene. Wild females were collected in rural and periurban communities in the Brazilian Amazon. Proteobacteria was the most abundant group identified in both species. Asaia (Rhodospirillales: Acetobacteraceae) and Serratia (Enterobacterales: Yersiniaceae) were detected in Ny. braziliensis for the first time and its presence was confirmed in Ny. darlingi.

Abstract Rabies is a fatal zoonotic infection of the central nervous system of mammals and has been known to humans for millennia. The etiological agent, is a neurotropic RNA virus in the order Mononegavirales, family Rhabdoviridae, genus Lyssavirus. There are currently accepted to be two cycles for rabies transmission: the urban cycle and the sylvatic cycle. The fact that both cycles originated from a common RABV or lyssavirus ancestor and the adaptive divergence that occurred since then as this ancestor virus adapted to a wide range of fitness landscapes represented by reservoir species in the orders Carnivora and Chiroptera led to the emergence of the diverse RABV lineages currently found in the sylvatic and urban cycles. Here we study full genome phylogenies and the time to the most recent common ancestor (TMRCA) of the RABVs in the sylvatic and urban cycles. Results show that there were differences between the nucleotide substitution rates per site per year for the same RABV genes maintained independently in the urban and sylvatic cycles. The results identify the most suitable gene for phylogenetic analysis, heterotachy among RABV genes and the TMRCA for the two cycles.

Localised cutaneous leishmaniasis (LCL) is the most common form of cutaneous leishmaniasis characterised by single or multiple painless chronic ulcers, which commonly presents with secondary bacterial infection. Previous culture-based studies have found staphylococci, streptococci, and opportunistic pathogenic bacteria in LCL lesions, but there have been no comparisons to normal skin. In addition, this approach has strong bias for determining bacterial composition. The present study tested the hypothesis that bacterial communities in LCL lesions differ from those found on healthy skin (HS). Using a high throughput amplicon sequencing approach, which allows for better populational evaluation due to greater depth coverage and the Quantitative Insights Into Microbial Ecology pipeline, we compared the microbiological signature of LCL lesions with that of contralateral HS from the same individuals.Streptococcus, Staphylococcus,Fusobacterium and other strict or facultative anaerobic bacteria composed the LCL microbiome. Aerobic and facultative anaerobic bacteria found in HS, including environmental bacteria, were significantly decreased in LCL lesions (p < 0.01). This paper presents the first comprehensive microbiome identification from LCL lesions with next generation sequence methodology and shows a marked reduction of bacterial diversity in the lesions.