Diversity of Insect-Associated Microorganisms

Topic Information

Dear Colleagues,

Insects play an important role on our planet. They participate in nutrient cycling, pollination, and plant seed dispersal. Constituting the largest phylum by species diversity, insects stand out among animal taxa as a well-known but not-well-explored habitat for microorganisms. Microorganisms and insects engage in various symbiotic interactions. This includes mutualism, wherein yeasts contribute to nutrient breakdown through enzymatic processes, furnish insects with nutrients and essential vitamins, and provide antimicrobial defense. In exchange, insects offer a secure niche for reproduction, act as transportation agents, and facilitate access to food sources in natural environments. Despite the well-documented importance of these associations, our knowledge of microorganism biodiversity associated with insects in various regions of our planet remains limited. Most studies on yeast biodiversity have been concentrated in regions such as Western Europe, Japan, and North America. Moreover, most yeast strains maintained in world culture collections have been isolated from food products, plants, and human sources. We cordially invite authors to contribute articles on the Topic “Diversity of Insect-Associated Microorganisms”, launched by the MDPI journals Applied Microbiology, Forests, Insects, Journal of Fungi, and Microorganisms.

Dr. Dilnora E. Gouliamova
Prof. Dr. Teun Boekhout
Topic Editors

Keywords

Participating Journals

Journal Name	Impact Factor	CiteScore	Launched Year	First Decision (median)	APC
Applied Microbiology applmicrobiol	-	2.8	2021	13.3 Days	CHF 1200	Submit
Forests forests	2.5	4.6	2010	17.1 Days	CHF 2600	Submit
Insects insects	2.9	5.6	2010	18.1 Days	CHF 2600	Submit
Journal of Fungi jof	4.0	8.4	2015	18.2 Days	CHF 2600	Submit
Microorganisms microorganisms	4.2	7.7	2013	15.2 Days	CHF 2700	Submit

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Published Papers (7 papers)

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All Applied Microbiology Forests Insects JoF Microorganisms

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Open AccessArticle

Dynamics and Assembly Mechanisms of Bacterial Communities During Larval Development of Macrobrachium rosenbergii: A High-Frequency Sampling Study Based on 16S rRNA Absolute Quantification Sequencing

by Zhibin Lu, Jingwen Hao, Jilun Meng, Cui Liu, Tiantian Ye, Junjun Yan, Guo Li, Yutong Zheng, Pao Xu and Zhimin Gu

Microorganisms 2025, 13(8), 1881; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms13081881 - 12 Aug 2025

Viewed by 99

Abstract

This study aimed to elucidate stage-specific dynamics, assembly mechanisms, and functional roles of bacterial communities during Macrobrachium rosenbergii larval development through high-resolution microbiota profiling. A high-frequency sampling strategy (126 samples across 11 zoeal stages and 1 post-larval stage within 21 days) and 16S [...] Read more.

This study aimed to elucidate stage-specific dynamics, assembly mechanisms, and functional roles of bacterial communities during Macrobrachium rosenbergii larval development through high-resolution microbiota profiling. A high-frequency sampling strategy (126 samples across 11 zoeal stages and 1 post-larval stage within 21 days) and 16S rRNA absolute quantification sequencing were employed. Bacterial succession, persistent taxa, and ecological processes were analyzed using abundance-occupancy modeling, neutral community modeling, and PICRUSt2-based functional prediction. Absolute bacterial abundance exhibited a triphasic abundance trajectory. Initial accumulation: Linear increase (Dph 1–5, peak Δlog10 = +1.7). Mid-stage expansion: Peak abundance (log10 = 7.5 copies/g, Dph 7–8). Late-stage remodeling: Secondary peak (log10 = 7.1 copies/g, Dph 19). Eighty dominant amplicon sequence variants (ASVs) (dominant taxa: Herminiimonas, Maritalea, and Enterobacteriaceae) comprised > 95% of the total abundance and coexisted via niche partitioning. Community construction was dominated by ecological drift/dispersal limitation (neutral model R² = 0.16, p < 0.01). Metabolic pathways (e.g., nutrient metabolism) shifted with dietary transition. “Phylogenetic replacement” underpinned microbiota resilience against environmental perturbations. Optimizing aquaculture environments offers a viable antibiotic-free strategy for microbial management, advancing our understanding of host microbe interactions and ecological niche differentiation in aquatic animals. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic Diversity of Insect-Associated Microorganisms)

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8 pages, 405 KiB  

Open AccessBrief Report

Characterization of DNA Viruses in Hindgut Contents of Protaetia brevitarsis Larvae

by Jean Geung Min, Namkyong Min, Binh T. Nguyen, Rochelle A. Flores and Dongjean Yim

Insects 2025, 16(8), 800; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects16080800 - 1 Aug 2025

Viewed by 373

Abstract

The scarab species Protaetia brevitarsis, an edible insect, has been used in traditional medicine, as animal feed, and for converting agricultural organic wastes into biofertilizer. The intestinal tract, which contains a diverse array of microbiota, including viruses, plays a critical role in [...] Read more.

The scarab species Protaetia brevitarsis, an edible insect, has been used in traditional medicine, as animal feed, and for converting agricultural organic wastes into biofertilizer. The intestinal tract, which contains a diverse array of microbiota, including viruses, plays a critical role in animal health and homeostasis. We previously conducted a comparative analysis of the gut microbiota of third-instar larvae of P. brevitarsis obtained from five different farms and found significant differences in the composition of the gut bacterial microbiota between farms. To better understand the gut microbiota, the composition of DNA viruses in the hindgut contents of P. brevitarsis larvae obtained from five farms was investigated using metagenomic sequencing in this study. The β-diversity was significantly different between metagenomic data obtained from the five farms (PERMANOVA, pseudo-F = 46.95, p = 0.002). Family-based taxonomic analysis indicated that the relative abundance of viruses in the gut overall metagenome varied significantly between farms, with viral reads comprising approximately 41.2%, 15.0%, 4.3%, 4.0%, and 1.6% of metagenomic sequences from the farms Tohamsan gumbengi farm (TO), Secomnalagum gumbengi (IS), Gumbengi brothers (BR), Kyungpook farm (KB), and Jhbio (JH), respectively. More than 98% of the DNA viruses in the hindgut were bacteriophages, mainly belonging to the Siphoviridae family. At the species level, Phage Min1, infecting the genus Microbacterium, was detected in all farms, and it was the most abundant bacteriophage in intestinal microbiota, with a prevalence of 0.9% to 29.09%. The detected eukaryotic DNA viruses accounted for 0.01% to 0.06% of the intestinal microbiota and showed little or no relationship with insect viruses. Therefore, they most likely originated from contaminated feed or soil. These results suggest that the condition of substrates used as feed is more important than genetic factors in shaping the intestinal viral microbiota of P. brevitarsis larvae. These results can be used as reference data for understanding the hindgut microbiota of P. brevitarsis larvae and, more generally, the gut virome of insects. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic Diversity of Insect-Associated Microorganisms)

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14 pages, 1903 KiB  

Open AccessArticle

Metagenomic Analyses of Gut Bacteria of Two Sandfly Species from Western Ghats, India, Differing in Their Vector Competence for Leishmaniasis

by Anns Tom, Nanda Kumar Yellapu, Manju Rahi and Prasanta Saini

Microorganisms 2025, 13(7), 1615; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms13071615 - 9 Jul 2025

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Abstract

Phlebotomine sandflies are the primary vectors of Leishmania parasites, the causative agents of leishmaniasis. In India, Phlebotomus argentipes is the confirmed vector of Leishmania donovani. The sandfly gut microbiota plays a crucial role in Leishmania development and transmission, yet it remains largely [...] Read more.

Phlebotomine sandflies are the primary vectors of Leishmania parasites, the causative agents of leishmaniasis. In India, Phlebotomus argentipes is the confirmed vector of Leishmania donovani. The sandfly gut microbiota plays a crucial role in Leishmania development and transmission, yet it remains largely understudied. This study used a metagenomic approach targeting the V3–V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene to compare the gut bacterial communities of P. argentipes and Sergentomyia babu prevalent in Kerala. A total of 18 distinct bacterial phyla were identified in P. argentipes, and 14 in S. babu, both dominated by Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, and Firmicutes. A total of 315 genera were identified in P. argentipes, with a high relative abundance of Pseudomonas (6.3%), whereas S. babu harbored 327 genera, with Pseudomonas showing a higher relative abundance of 11%. Unique to P. argentipes, bacterial phyla such as Fusobacteria, Armatimonadetes, Elusimicrobia, Chlamydiae, and Crenarchaeota were identified, whereas Chlorobi was specific to S. babu. Additionally, 145 species were identified in P. argentipes, compared to 164 species in S. babu. These findings provide a comparative baseline of gut microbial diversity between vector and non-vector sandfly species, offering a foundation for future functional investigations into vector competence. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic Diversity of Insect-Associated Microorganisms)

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19 pages, 6632 KiB  

Open AccessArticle

Quantifying Potentially Suitable Geographical Habitat Changes in Chinese Caterpillar Fungus with Enhanced MaxEnt Model

by Yaqin Peng, Danping Xu, Habib Ali, Zhiqian Liu and Zhihang Zhuo

Insects 2025, 16(3), 262; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects16030262 - 3 Mar 2025

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Abstract

Chinese Caterpillar Fungus (CCF) is a fungal–insect complex formed by the underground larvae of certain species in the family Hepialidae parasitized by Ophiocordyceps sinensis (Berk.) (G.H.Sung, J.M.Sung, Hywel-Jones & Spatafora). It is a precious Chinese herbal medicine with significant medicinal value. This study [...] Read more.

Chinese Caterpillar Fungus (CCF) is a fungal–insect complex formed by the underground larvae of certain species in the family Hepialidae parasitized by Ophiocordyceps sinensis (Berk.) (G.H.Sung, J.M.Sung, Hywel-Jones & Spatafora). It is a precious Chinese herbal medicine with significant medicinal value. This study aimed to identify the key environmental factors influencing the distribution of CCFs using the MaxEnt model. First, in the MaxEnt model optimized using the ENMeval package, the most suitable combinations of feature classes and regularization parameters were selected. Second, 22 environmental variables were used to construct distribution models for O. sinensis, host insects, and CCFs. Then, the distribution areas of O. sinensis and host insects were overlapped to identify highly suitable habitats where both coexist. Finally, these highly suitable habitats were compared to analyze the differences in the distribution areas of O. sinensis and host insects and their contributions to the formation of the CCF distribution area. The results showed that elevation, bio18, and bio09 were the primary environmental factors influencing the distributions of O. sinensis, host insects, and CCFs. Considering the present, 2050s, and 2070s, the highly suitable areas for all three entities overlapped to a large extent. When we superimposed the high-suitability zones of O. sinensis and host insects, the overlapping area was found to be 56.87 × 10⁴ km², which accounted for 5.92% of China’s total land area. The high-suitability area for CCFs was 64.06 × 10⁴ km², accounting for 6.67% of China’s total land area. The findings of this study provide valuable insights into the mechanisms behind the combination of O. sinensis and host insects in forming CCFs. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic Diversity of Insect-Associated Microorganisms)

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29 pages, 5744 KiB  

Open AccessReview

Using Insect Larvae and Their Microbiota for Plastic Degradation

by Isabel Vital-Vilchis and Esther Karunakaran

Insects 2025, 16(2), 165; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects16020165 - 5 Feb 2025

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 4660

Abstract

Plastic pollution is one of the biggest current global threats to the environment given that petroleum-based plastic is recalcitrant and can stay in the environment for decades, even centuries, depending on the specific plastic type. Since less than 10% of all plastic made [...] Read more.

Plastic pollution is one of the biggest current global threats to the environment given that petroleum-based plastic is recalcitrant and can stay in the environment for decades, even centuries, depending on the specific plastic type. Since less than 10% of all plastic made is recycled, and the other solutions (such as incineration or landfill storage) are pollutant methods, new, environmentally friendly solutions are needed. In this regard, the latest biotechnological discovery on this topic is the capability of insect larvae to use plastic polymers as carbon feedstock. This present review describes the most relevant information on the insect larvae capable of degrading plastic, mainly Galleria mellonella (Fabricius, 1798), Tenebrio molitor (Linnaeus, 1758), and Zophobas atratus (Fabricius, 1776), and also adds new information about other less commonly studied “plastivore” insects such as termites. This review covers the literature from the very first work describing plastic degradation by larvae published in 2014 all the way to the very latest research available (till June 2024), focusing on the identification of a wide variety of plastic-degrading microorganisms isolated from larvae guts and on the understanding of the potential molecular mechanisms present for degradation to take place. It also describes the latest discoveries, which include the identification of novel enzymes from waxworm saliva. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic Diversity of Insect-Associated Microorganisms)

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14 pages, 1084 KiB  

Open AccessSystematic Review

Pathogens of Medical Importance Identified in Hospital-Collected Cockroaches: A Systematic Review

by Ariel Crespo, Yaxsier de Armas, Virginia Capó, Enrique Iglesias, Jaime Palomares-Marín, Luis Fonte, Arturo Plascencia-Hernández, Claudia L. Cueto-Aragón, Enrique J. Calderón and Héctor R. Pérez-Gómez

Microorganisms 2025, 13(2), 337; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms13020337 - 4 Feb 2025

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 4971

Abstract

Cockroaches serve as mechanical vectors for medically important pathogens, and their presence in hospitals is a common occurrence. This review summarizes the pathogens carried by cockroaches collected in hospitals around the world during the period 2000–2024 and focuses on their antibiotic resistance mechanisms [...] Read more.

Cockroaches serve as mechanical vectors for medically important pathogens, and their presence in hospitals is a common occurrence. This review summarizes the pathogens carried by cockroaches collected in hospitals around the world during the period 2000–2024 and focuses on their antibiotic resistance mechanisms and potential impact on the public health system. The conventional techniques are most used to identify microorganisms and determine antibiotic resistance, but there are few studies that use molecular techniques for bacterial identification and resistance mechanism detection. The species that appear most frequently in the selected articles were Escherichia coli (22 articles) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (11 articles). Regarding antibiotic resistance, this review describes 79.0% (34/43) of the studies analyzed. E. coli and P. aeruginosa bacteria were found to be resistant to antibiotics in 51.2% and 25.6% of articles, respectively. The identification of pathogens carried by cockroaches collected in hospitals suggests a potential risk of these insects in the transmission of healthcare-associated infections, mainly in developing countries, where this issue is most alarming. The collected data suggest that integrated approaches to cockroach control and infestation management should be put in place based on scientific evidence. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic Diversity of Insect-Associated Microorganisms)

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8 pages, 220 KiB  

Open AccessBrief Report

Detection of Anaplasma phagocytophilum DNA in Deer Keds: Massachusetts, USA

by Patrick Pearson, Guang Xu, Eric L. Siegel, Mileena Ryan, Connor Rich, Martin J. R. Feehan, Blake Dinius, Shaun M. McAuliffe, Patrick Roden-Reynolds and Stephen M. Rich

Insects 2025, 16(1), 42; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects16010042 - 4 Jan 2025

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Abstract

Deer keds (Lipoptena spp. and Neolipoptena ferrisi) are hematophagous ectoparasites that primarily infest white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) and other cervids in the United States. The distribution of deer keds in the northeastern United States and the pathogens they harbor [...] Read more.

Deer keds (Lipoptena spp. and Neolipoptena ferrisi) are hematophagous ectoparasites that primarily infest white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) and other cervids in the United States. The distribution of deer keds in the northeastern United States and the pathogens they harbor remains relatively unexplored. In this study, we examined the geographical distribution and pathogen prevalence of deer keds in Massachusetts by collecting samples from white-tailed deer and testing for tick-borne pathogens. Deer keds were collected across the state, including in four previously unrecorded counties, indicating a wide distribution. Pathogen screening revealed the presence of Anaplasma phagocytophilum DNA in 30% of the keds, but no other pathogens were detected. The medical and biological significance of detecting A. phagocytophilum DNA in deer keds requires future studies. This research provides a baseline for the distribution and pathogen prevalence of deer keds in Massachusetts and highlights the potential of deer keds as sentinels for monitoring deer-associated microbes. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic Diversity of Insect-Associated Microorganisms)

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