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Antifungal activity of Stenotrophomonas maltophilia in Stomoxys calcitranslarvae

Atividade antifúngica de Stenotrophomonas maltophilia em larvas de Stomoxys calcitrans

Abstracts

The microbiota present in Stomoxys calcitrans larvae may assist their survival in contaminated environments through production of inhibitory substances. Bacteriological identification methods, the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were used to detect a bacterium naturally present in mucus and maceratedS. calcitrans larvae. The antifungal activity was determined based on the results from disk diffusion tests on an artificial solid medium. The bacterium was identified as Stenotrophomonas maltophilia and presented antifungal activity againstBeauveria bassiana sensu lato isolates CG 138, CG 228 and ESALQ 986. This result suggests that the larval microbiota is a factor that can compromise the use of B. bassiana s.l. fungus for biological control of S. calcitrans larvae.

Stenotrophomonas maltophilia ; Stomoxys calcitrans ; antifungal activity


A microbiota presente em larvas de Stomoxys calcitrans pode auxiliar na sua sobrevivência em ambientes contaminados, devido à produção de substâncias inibidoras. Métodos bacteriológicos de identificação, reação em cadeia da polimerase (PCR) e microscopia eletrônica de varredura (MEV) foram utilizados para detectar uma bactéria naturalmente presente no muco e macerado de larvas de S. calcitrans. A atividade antifúngica foi baseada nos resultados obtidos no teste de difusão em meio sólido artificial. A bactéria foi identificada como Stenotrophomonas maltophilia e apresentou atividade antifúngica contra os isolados CG 138, CG 228 e ESALQ 986 deBeauveria bassiana sensu lato. Estes resultados sugerem que a microbiota larval é um fator que pode comprometer o uso de B. bassiana s.l. no controle biológico de larvas de S. calcitrans.

Stenotrophomonas maltophilia ; Stomoxys calcitrans ; atividade antifúngica


Introduction

Stomoxys calcitrans (Linnaeus, 1758) (Diptera: Muscidae), known as the stable fly, parasitizes different animal species for its blood meal. This parasitism supports transmission of pathogenic microorganisms that cause losses in livestock. The fly's immature stages can be found in decomposing plant material (cane sugar, coffee straw or grass), in association with urine, feces and uneaten animal feed (BITTENCOURT; CASTRO, 2004Bittencourt AJ, Castro BG. Stomoxys calcitrans parasitism associated with cattle diseases in Espirito Santo do Pinhal, São Paulo, Brasil. Ann N y Acad Sci 2004; 1026: 219-221. PMid:15604496. http://dx.doi.org/10.1196/annals.1307.033
http://dx.doi.org/10.1196/annals.1307.03...
; BITTENCOURT, 2012). Accumulation of sugarcane by-products contributes towards stable fly outbreaks and consequently towards population imbalance (LEITE et al., 2013Leite IHF, Carvalho EB, Bittencourt AJ. Influência do vinhoto no desenvolvimento de Stomoxys calcitrans. Cienc Rural 2013; 43(2): 326-330. http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S0103-84782013000200022
http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S0103-84782013...
). Oda and Arantes (2010)Oda FH, Arantes CA. Surto populacional da mosca dos estábulos Stomoxys calcitrans, Linnaeus, 1758 (Diptera: Muscidae) no município de Planalto, SP. Rev Agron Meio Amb 2010; 3(1): 145-159. conducted a study with the aim of identifying the causes of high S. calcitrans infestation in the municipality of Planalto, SP, Brazil. They observed that larvae were found in the cane fields with the vinasse, and that inadequate vinasse management in the sugar cane processing plant and poor management of organic matter by farmers favored expansion of theS. calcitrans population.

In an ecological context, microorganisms should be considered to be important components of insect biology (DILLON; DILLON, 2004Dillon RJ, Dillon VM. The gut bacteria of insects: nonpathogenic interactions. Annu Rev Entomol 2004; 49: 71-92. PMid:14651457. http://dx.doi.org/10.1146/annurev.ento.49.061802.123416
http://dx.doi.org/10.1146/annurev.ento.4...
). According to Romero et al. (2006)Romero A, Broce A, Zurek L. Role of bacteria in the oviposition behaviour and larval development of Stable Flies. Med Vet Entomol 2006; 20(1): 115-121. PMid:16608496. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2915.2006.00602.x
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2915.20...
, S. calcitrans larvae are dependent on the presence of natural symbiotic microbiota. Lysyk et al. (1999)Lysyk TJ, Kalischuk-Tymensen L, Selinger LB, Lancaster RC, Wever L, Cheng KL. Rearing stable fly larvae (Diptera: Muscidae) on an egg yolk medium. J Med 1999; 36(3): 382-388. evaluated S. calcitrans larval survival in rearing medium supplemented with pure or mixed bacteria cultures. They reported that addition ofAcinetobacter sp., Empedobacter breve,Flavobacterium odoratum or Escherichia colifavored larval development. In another study, microbiota with pathogenic potential for humans and animals and bacteria used for biological control of arthropods were isolated from adult flies; 33 bacterial species from the families Bacillaceae, Enterobacteriaceae and Micrococcaceae were identified (CASTRO et al., 2008Castro BG, Souza MMS, Bittencourt AJ. Microbiota bacteriana em segmentos de mosca do estábulo Stomoxys calcitrans no Brasil: primeiro relato de espécies. Arq Bras Med Vet Zootec 2008; 60(3): 1029-1031.).

The bacterium Stenotrophomonas maltophilia, formerly classified as Pseudomonas sp. and Xanthomonas sp. (PALLERONI; BRADBURY, 1993Palleroni N, Bradbury J. Stenotrophomonas, a new bacterial genus for Xanthomonas maltophilia (Hugh 1980) Swings et al. 1983. Int J Syst Bacteriol 1993; 43(3): 606-609. PMid:8347518. http://dx.doi.org/10.1099/00207713-43-3-606
http://dx.doi.org/10.1099/00207713-43-3-...
; OLIVEIRA-GARCIA et al., 2002Oliveira-Garcia D, Dall'Agnol M, Rosales M, Azzuz ACGS, Martinez MB, Girón JA. Characterization of flagella produced by clinical strains of Stenotrophomonas maltophilia. Emerg Infect Dis 2002; 8(9): 918-923. PMid:12194767 PMCid:PMC2732543. http://dx.doi.org/10.3201/eid0809.010535
http://dx.doi.org/10.3201/eid0809.010535...
), can be found in a variety of geographical regions, environments and decomposing organic materials (rivers, wells, reservoir lakes, soil, raw milk, frozen fish, eggs, animal carcasses, hospital equipment and environment, semen, frozen bovine embryos, human anatomical sites and urine) (KONEMMAN et al., 2001Konemman EW, Allen SD, Janda WM, Schreckenberger PC, Winn WC. Diagnóstico Microbiológico – Texto e Atlas Colorido. Rio de Janeiro: Editora Médica e Científica Ltda; 2001.; ALMEIDA et al., 2005Almeida MTG, Bertelli ECP, Rossit ARB, Bertollo EMG, Martinez MB. Infecções hospitalares por Stenotrophomonas maltophilia: aspectos clínico-epidemiológicos, microbiológicos e de resistência antimicrobiana. Arq Ciênc Saúde 2005; 12(3): 141-145.). It has also been reported in goats and crocodiles (HARRIS; ROGERS, 2001Harris NB, Rogers DG. Septicemia associated with Stenotrophomonas maltophilia in a West African dwarf crocodile (Osteolaemus tetraspis subsp. tetraspis). J Vet Diagn Invest 2001; 13(3): 255-258. PMid:11482606. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/104063870101300313
http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/10406387010130...
) and in fish likeSeriola quinqueradiata (FURUSHITA et al., 2003Furushita M, Shiba T, Maeda T, Yahata M, Kaneoka A, Takahashi Y, et al. Similarity of tetracycline resistance genes isolated from fish farm bacteria to those from clinical isolates. Appl Environ Microbiol 2003; 69(9): 5336-5342. PMid:12957921 PMCid:PMC194972. http://dx.doi.org/10.1128/AEM.69.9.5336-5342.2003
http://dx.doi.org/10.1128/AEM.69.9.5336-...
) and Ictalunes punctatus(DU et al., 2011Du Z, Huang X, Wang K, Deng Y, Chen D, Geng Y, et al. Pathology of extracellular protease of Stenotrophomonas maltophilia isolated from channel catfish (Ictalunes punctatus) to mice. Afr J Biotechnol 2011; 10(10): 1953-1958.). Depending on the strain isolated, it may have pathogenic activity against both humans and animals (CHANSANG et al., 2010Chansang U, Mulla MS, Chantaroj S, Sawanpanyalert P. The eye fly Siphunculina funicola (Diptera: Chloropidae) as a carrier of pathogenic bacteria in Thailand. Southeast Asian J Trop Med Public Health 2010; 41(1): 61-71. PMid:20578483.).

Beauveria bassiana sensu lato(s.l.) (Balsamo) Vuillemin (REHNER; BUCKLEY, 2005Rehner SA, Buckley E. A Beauveria phylogeny inferred from nuclear ITS and EF1-alpha sequences: evidence for cryptic diversification and links to Cordyceps teleomorphs. Mycologia 2005; 97(1): 84-98. http://dx.doi.org/10.3852/mycologia.97.1.84
http://dx.doi.org/10.3852/mycologia.97.1...
; MEYLING et al., 2012Meyling NV, Pilz C, Keller S, Widmer F, Enkerli J. Diversity of Beauveria spp. isolates from pollen beetles Meligethes aeneus in Switzerland. J Invertebr Pathol 2012; 109(1): 7682. PMid:22008375. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jip.2011.10.001
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jip.2011.10....
) is an entomopathogenic anamorphic fungus found in soil samples and in a variety of insects (MEYLING; EILENBERG, 2007Meyling NV, Eilenberg J. Ecology of the entomopathogenic fungi Beauveria bassiana and Metarhizium anisopliae in temperature agroecosystems: potential for conservation biological control. Bio Control 2007; 43(2): 145-155. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.biocontrol.2007.07.007
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.biocontrol.2...
). Among 171 biopesticides surveyed by Faria and Wraight (2007)Faria MR, Wraight SP. Mycoinsecticides and mycoacaricides: a comprehensive list with worldwide coverage and international classificacion of formulacion types. Bio Control 2007; 43(3): 237-256. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.biocontrol.2007.08.001
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.biocontrol.2...
, B. bassiana s.l. represented 33.9% of the fungi most commonly used as the basis for mycoinsecticides and mycoacaricides.

This study aimed to identify and report for the first time the S. maltophilia bacteria present in mucus and macerate of S. calcitrans larvae, using bacteriological methods, the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and to evaluate the bacterial antifungal activity by means of the disk diffusion test.

Material and Methods

Stomoxys calcitrans colony

Adult flies were maintained in plastic cages supplied with citrated bovine blood (0.38%). Immature stages were maintained using an autoclaved rearing medium composed of sugarcane pulp (66 g), wheat flour (25 g), sodium bicarbonate (1 g), ground meat (8 g) and distilled water (127 ml) (CHRISTMAS, 1970; MORAES, 2007Moraes APR. Stomoxys calcitrans: estabelecimento de colônia e efeito de Metarhizium anisopliae sobre seus estágios imaturos [Dissertation]. Rio de Janeiro: Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro; 2007.).

Mucus and macerate of Stomoxys calcitrans larvae

Groups of nine 9-day-old larvae were used for collecting mucus and obtaining larval macerate. The larvae were washed in sterile distilled water and placed in sterile cryogenic tubes (1.2 ml) for mucus production (1 hour). After removing the larvae, 900 µl of cold sterile phosphate buffer solution (PBS) was added (0.1 M; NaCl 1.5 M; pH 7.4). Larval macerate was obtained by placing larvae in sterile microcentrifuge tubes (1.5 ml) with 900 µl of buffer solution (PBS) followed by maceration using a cone stick and storage in sterile cryogenic tubes (1.2 ml). The entire procedure was performed under a laminar flow hood. The samples were manipulated on ice and stored in an ultrafreezer (−80 °C).

Bacterial identification

The bacterial isolate from the mucus and macerate of S. calcitrans larvae was transferred to Petri dishes (9 cm) containing brain and heart infused agar (BHI) (52.0 g/l, MERCK®) and was incubated at 27 °C for 48 hours. After bacterial growth, the plates were kept under refrigeration (4 °C) (KONEMMAN et al., 2001Konemman EW, Allen SD, Janda WM, Schreckenberger PC, Winn WC. Diagnóstico Microbiológico – Texto e Atlas Colorido. Rio de Janeiro: Editora Médica e Científica Ltda; 2001.).

Macroscopic characteristics (colony aspects) and microscopic characteristics (optical microcopy after Gram staining) were evaluated and the catalase test (KONEMMAN et al., 2001Konemman EW, Allen SD, Janda WM, Schreckenberger PC, Winn WC. Diagnóstico Microbiológico – Texto e Atlas Colorido. Rio de Janeiro: Editora Médica e Científica Ltda; 2001.) and molecular biology techniques were applied, in order to identify the bacterium species.

Fragments of the 16S rRNA gene (∼1500 bp) were amplified from genomic DNA. The purified PCR products were sequenced directly using the sequencing primers 27f (AGA GTT TGA TCC TGG CTC AG) (FURUSHITA et al., 2003Furushita M, Shiba T, Maeda T, Yahata M, Kaneoka A, Takahashi Y, et al. Similarity of tetracycline resistance genes isolated from fish farm bacteria to those from clinical isolates. Appl Environ Microbiol 2003; 69(9): 5336-5342. PMid:12957921 PMCid:PMC194972. http://dx.doi.org/10.1128/AEM.69.9.5336-5342.2003
http://dx.doi.org/10.1128/AEM.69.9.5336-...
); 108r (CAG ATT CCC ACG CGT TAC GC) and 420r (TTA CAA CCC TAA GGC CTT C) (LEYS et al., 2004Leys NMJ, Ryngaert A, Bastiaens L, Verstraete W, Top EM, Springael D. Occurrence and phylogenetic diversity of Sphingomonas strains in soils contaminated with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Appl Environ Microbiol 2004; 70(4): 1944-1955. PMid:15066784 PMCid:PMC383131. http://dx.doi.org/10.1128/AEM.70.4.1944-1955.2004
http://dx.doi.org/10.1128/AEM.70.4.1944-...
); Amp2 (AAG GAG GTG ATC CAR CCG CA) (WANG et al., 1996Wang RF, Cao WW, Cerniglia CE. PCR detection and quantitation of predominant anaerobic bacteria in human and animal fecal samples. Appl Environ Microbiol 1996; 62(4): 1242-1247. PMid:8919784 PMCid:PMC167889.); 16S1203f (GAG GTG GGG ATG ACG TCA AGT CCT C); and 16S1110r (TGC GCT CGT TGC GGG ACT TAA CC) (SOARES-RAMOS et al., 2003Soares-Ramos JRL, Ramos HJO, Cruz LM, Chubatsu LS, Pedrosa FO, Rigo LU, et al. Comparative molecular analysis of Herbaspirillum strains by RAPD, RFLP, and 16S rDNA sequencing. Genet Mol Biol 2003; 26(4): 537-543. http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S1415-47572003000400019
http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S1415-47572003...
).

The 16S rRNA gene sequence was automatically aligned using ClustalW, and then corrected manually. The sequences were subjected to BLAST analysis (ALTSCHUL et al., 1997Altschul SF, Madden TL, Schäffer AA, Zhang J, Zhang Z, Miller W, et al. Gapped BLAST and PSI-BLAST: a new generation of protein database search programs. Nucleic Acids Res 1997; 25(17): 3389-3402. PMid:9254694 PMCid:PMC146917. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/nar/25.17.3389
http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/nar/25.17.3389...
) with the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) database (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov), and the closest relatives were included in the phylogenetic analysis. Phylogenetic analysis of 16S rRNA was performed using the neighbor-joining method and Kimura two-parameter (K2P) with the MEGA5 software package (TAMURA et al., 2011Tamura K, Peterson D, Peterson N, Stecher G, Nei M, Kumar S. MEGA5: Molecular Evolutionary Genetics Analysis Using Maximum Likelihood, Evolutionary Distance, and Maximum Parsimony Methods. Mol Biol Evol 2011; 28(10): 2731-2739. PMid:21546353 PMCid:PMC3203626. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msr121
http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msr121...
). A total of 1000 bootstrap replicates were performed.

Scanning electron microscopy

Groups of six 9-day-old S. calcitrans larvae were washed in sterile distilled water, fixed in super skipper solution [kerosene (17 pt), glacial acetic acid (11 pt), 95% ethanol (50 pt), isobutyl alcohol (17 pt) and dioxane (5 pt)] for 30 seconds, washed through immersion in Carl's solution [95% ethanol (28 pt), 45% formaldehyde (11 pt), glacial acetic acid (4 pt) and H20 (57 pt)] and maintained in this same solution for 24 hours (GRODOWITZ et al., 1982Grodowitz MJ, Krchma J, Broce AB. A method for preparing soft bodied larval diptera for scanning electron microscopy. J Kans Entomol Soc 1982; 55(4): 751-753.). The larvae were dehydrated in a standard ethanol series (15 minutes in each of 30, 50, 70, 80, 85, 90 and 95% and three periods of 100%), dried in a CO2 critical-point drier and coated with gold particles (10 milliampere/90 seconds) for production of electron micrographs in a JEOL JSM-JEM 1011 scanning electron microscope, with the aim of viewing the bacterial structures (GRODOWITZ et al., 1982Grodowitz MJ, Krchma J, Broce AB. A method for preparing soft bodied larval diptera for scanning electron microscopy. J Kans Entomol Soc 1982; 55(4): 751-753.; OLIVEIRA-GARCIA et al., 2002Oliveira-Garcia D, Dall'Agnol M, Rosales M, Azzuz ACGS, Martinez MB, Girón JA. Characterization of flagella produced by clinical strains of Stenotrophomonas maltophilia. Emerg Infect Dis 2002; 8(9): 918-923. PMid:12194767 PMCid:PMC2732543. http://dx.doi.org/10.3201/eid0809.010535
http://dx.doi.org/10.3201/eid0809.010535...
; DEDAVID et al., 2007Dedavid BA, Gomes CI, Machado G. Microscopia Eletrônica de Varredura. Aplicações e preparações de amostras: materiais poliméricos, metálicos e semicondutores. Porto Alegre: EdiPUCRS; 2007.).

Beauveria bassiana sensu lato

Beauveria bassiana s.l. CG 138, CG 228 and ESALQ 986 isolates were cultured in potato dextrose agar (PDA; 39 g/l; DIFCO®) and 1% yeast extract (YE; 1%; MERC®) in the dark at 25 °C and 70-80% relative humidity (RH) for 15 days (FERNANDES et al., 2009Fernandes EKK, Moraes AML, Pacheco RS, Rangel DEN, Miller MP, Bittencourt VR, et al. Genetic diversity among Brazilian isolates of Beauveria bassiana: comparisons with non-Brazilian isolates and other Beauveria species. J Appl Microbiol 2009; 107(3): 760-774. PMid:19486413. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2672.2009.04258.x
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2672.20...
). For the isolate CG 138, the host was: (Coleoptera: Curculionidae); origin: Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil; latitude: 08°05′S; longitude: 34°55′W; year: 1989. For the isolate CG 228, the host was: (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae); origin: Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil; latitude 03°07′S; longitude: 60°10′W; year: 1991. For the isolate ESALQ 986, the host was: (Acari: Ixodidae); origin: Piracicaba, São Paulo, Brazil; latitude: 22°43′S; longitude: 47°38′W; year: 1990 (FERNANDES et al., 2009Fernandes EKK, Moraes AML, Pacheco RS, Rangel DEN, Miller MP, Bittencourt VR, et al. Genetic diversity among Brazilian isolates of Beauveria bassiana: comparisons with non-Brazilian isolates and other Beauveria species. J Appl Microbiol 2009; 107(3): 760-774. PMid:19486413. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2672.2009.04258.x
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2672.20...
).

To prepare the fungal suspensions, the isolates were removed from the Petri dishes (9 cm) with a scalpel, and then suspended and agitated (vortex, 2 min.) in a sterile solution (distilled water and 0.01% Tween). A Neubauer chamber was used to obtain a concentration of 1 × 108 con/ml. The viability of the conidia was assessed by inoculating the suspensions in Petri dishes containing PDA (39 g/l, DIFCO®) and YE (1%, MERC®) and counting the numbers of germinated and ungerminated conidia (ALVES, 1998Alves SB. Controle Microbiano de Insetos. Piracicaba: FEALQ; 1998.;FERNANDES et al., 2009Fernandes EKK, Moraes AML, Pacheco RS, Rangel DEN, Miller MP, Bittencourt VR, et al. Genetic diversity among Brazilian isolates of Beauveria bassiana: comparisons with non-Brazilian isolates and other Beauveria species. J Appl Microbiol 2009; 107(3): 760-774. PMid:19486413. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2672.2009.04258.x
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2672.20...
).

Disk diffusion test in artificial solid medium

Ten microliters of fungal suspension at a concentration of 1 × 108 con/ml, from the three isolates (CG 138, CG 228 and ESALQ 986) were spread evenly with a sterile swab in Petri dishes containing PDA (39 g/l) and YE (1%). Similarly to the method used by Hunt (1986)Hunt DWA. Absence of fatty acid germination inhibitors for conidia of Beauveria bassiana on the integument of the Bark Beetle Dendroctonus ponderosae (Coleoptera: Scolytidae). Can Entomol 1986; 118(8): 837-838. http://dx.doi.org/10.4039/Ent118837-8
http://dx.doi.org/10.4039/Ent118837-8...
and Urbanek et al. (2012), three filter paper disks (6 mm in diameter) were autoclaved (120 °C for 20 min) and dried in a Pasteur oven (100 °C), and then were immersed in the macerate of the larvae. After the procedure, the disks were placed in dishes cultured with the fungal suspension. The same procedure was carried out with the mucus samples. These dishes (three dishes/isolate) were incubated for three days at 25 ± 1 °C and 70-80% RH. The fungal inhibition zone was verified on the second and third days after the start of the experiment. The assays were carried out twice to obtain more reliable results.

Results

Similarity analyses based on the 16S rRNA sequence (∼1,450 bp), on a representative strain, revealed that these isolates belonging to the genus Stenotrophomonas were more closely related to the S. maltophilia strain K279a (accession number AM743169.1). Phylogenetic analysis based on the 16S rRNA gene of a representative isolate was compared with the most closely related bacterial strains retrieved from the database, and these confirmed the result (Figure 1).

Figure 1.
Neighbor-joining phylogenetic tree based on partial 16S rRNA gene sequences from the Brazilian isolate and reference strains ofStenotrophomonas and other related bacteria. The database accession numbers are indicated after the bacterial names. Bootstrap analyses were performed with 1000 cycles. The dendrogram was constructed using the MEGA4 program, and the clustering was carried out using the neighbor-joining method. Bootstrap values of 450% are indicated at nodes. Scale bar = 0.002 substitutions per nucleotide position.

The macroscopic characteristics of the bacterial colony were: regular borders, brightness, light brown color, smoothness and convex and mucoid appearance (Figure 2a). According to the microscopic characteristics, the bacterium was Gram-negative, with a bacillary straight or slightly curved form. The catalase test was positive. Bacillary bacteria and bacterial ultrastructures such as a long polar flagellum and microfibers were also viewed when the larval surface was observed using SEM (Figure 2b).

Figure 2.
Stenotrophomonas maltophilia present in mucus and macerate and on Stomoxys calcitrans larvae. (a) Bacterial colony in brain and heart infused agar (BHI), showing macroscopic characteristics; (b) scanning electron microscopy (SEM) (16,000 ×) showing ultrastructural characteristics (arrow); (c) bacterial growth and inhibition of Beauveria bassiana s.l. growth (arrow).

The disk diffusion test (Figure 2c) showed bacterial growth on all the filter paper disks. The bacteria grown on the disks had the same macro characteristics as observed in the BHI Petri dish colonies (Figure 2a). An inhibition zone was formed around the disk in the dishes cultured with the three fungal isolates (Figure 2c). Disks immersed in larval mucus or immersed in macerated larvae all presented the inhibition zone. The conidial suspensions used in the present study had 100% viability.

Discussion

Molecular biology-based techniques provide rapid and precise bacterial identification, while traditional techniques based on morphological and physiological characteristics are inconclusive (VIDEIRA et al., 2004Videira SS, Oliveira ALM, Baldani JI, Baldani VLD. Identificação e avaliação da diversidade de novos isolados de bactérias diazotróficas em plantas de arroz (Oryza sativa). Rev Univ Rural, Sér Ci Vida 2004; 24(2): 35-40.). For this reason, PCR was used to identify the bacterium. Furthermore, SEM revealed bacterial ultrastructures (Figure 1) similar to those described by others in identifying S. maltophilia (OLIVEIRA-GARCIA et al., 2002Oliveira-Garcia D, Dall'Agnol M, Rosales M, Azzuz ACGS, Martinez MB, Girón JA. Characterization of flagella produced by clinical strains of Stenotrophomonas maltophilia. Emerg Infect Dis 2002; 8(9): 918-923. PMid:12194767 PMCid:PMC2732543. http://dx.doi.org/10.3201/eid0809.010535
http://dx.doi.org/10.3201/eid0809.010535...
).

According to Konemman et al. (2001)Konemman EW, Allen SD, Janda WM, Schreckenberger PC, Winn WC. Diagnóstico Microbiológico – Texto e Atlas Colorido. Rio de Janeiro: Editora Médica e Científica Ltda; 2001. and Almeida et al. (2005)Almeida MTG, Bertelli ECP, Rossit ARB, Bertollo EMG, Martinez MB. Infecções hospitalares por Stenotrophomonas maltophilia: aspectos clínico-epidemiológicos, microbiológicos e de resistência antimicrobiana. Arq Ciênc Saúde 2005; 12(3): 141-145., S. maltophilia can be obtained from different sources. Oliveira et al. (2000)Oliveira SMP, Moraes BA, Gonçalves CA, Giordano-Dias CM, D'Almeida JM, Asensi MD, et al. Prevalência da microbiota no trato digestivo de fêmeas de Lutzomyia longipalpis (Lutz & Neiva, 1912) (Diptera: Psychodidae) provenientes do campo. Rev Soc Bras Med Trop 2000; 33(3): 319-322. PMid:10967602. http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S0037-86822000000300012
http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S0037-86822000...
identified it in the microbiota from the digestive tract of female Lutzomyia longipalpis flies and Chansang et al. (2010)Chansang U, Mulla MS, Chantaroj S, Sawanpanyalert P. The eye fly Siphunculina funicola (Diptera: Chloropidae) as a carrier of pathogenic bacteria in Thailand. Southeast Asian J Trop Med Public Health 2010; 41(1): 61-71. PMid:20578483. isolated the same species on the surface of Siphunculina funicola flies. However, there are no reports of this species as part of the S. calcitrans larval microbiota, and therefore the present report can be considered to be its first description in this host.

The metabolic versatility of S. maltophilia (RYAN et al., 2009Ryan RP, Monchy S, Cardinale M, Taghavi S, Crossman L, Avison MB, et al. The versatility and adaptation of bacteria from the genus Stenotrophomonas. Nat Rev Microbiol 2009; 7(7): 514-525. PMid:19528958. http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nrmicro2163
http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nrmicro2163...
) allows it to colonize human urine (KONEMMAN et al., 2001Konemman EW, Allen SD, Janda WM, Schreckenberger PC, Winn WC. Diagnóstico Microbiológico – Texto e Atlas Colorido. Rio de Janeiro: Editora Médica e Científica Ltda; 2001.), canine urine (KRALOVA-KOVARIKOVA et al., 2012Kralova-Kovarikova S, Husnik R, Honzak D, Kohout P, Fictum P. Stenotrophomonas maltophilia urinary tract infections in three dogs: a case report. Vet Med 2012; 57(7): 380-383.), crocodile kidney (septicemia) (HARRIS; ROGERS, 2001Harris NB, Rogers DG. Septicemia associated with Stenotrophomonas maltophilia in a West African dwarf crocodile (Osteolaemus tetraspis subsp. tetraspis). J Vet Diagn Invest 2001; 13(3): 255-258. PMid:11482606. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/104063870101300313
http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/10406387010130...
) and buffalo liver (PETRIDOU et al., 2010Petridou E, Filioussis G, Karavanis E, Kritas SK. Stenotrophomonas maltophilia as a causal agent of pyogranulomatous hepatitis in a buffalo (Bubalus bubalis). J Vet Diagn Invest 2010; 22(5): 772-774. PMid:20807941. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/104063871002200522
http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/10406387100220...
). However, there is no description of its presence in the urine or feces of cattle, horses or other production animals. Accordingly, the presence of S. maltophilia in plants, soil and water (ALMEIDA et al., 2005Almeida MTG, Bertelli ECP, Rossit ARB, Bertollo EMG, Martinez MB. Infecções hospitalares por Stenotrophomonas maltophilia: aspectos clínico-epidemiológicos, microbiológicos e de resistência antimicrobiana. Arq Ciênc Saúde 2005; 12(3): 141-145.), and in urine and fecal materials, may be one of the reasons that makes it part of the microbiota of S. calcitrans larvae, since the immature stages of this fly develop in moist contaminated environments comprised of a mixture of urine, feces, soil and decaying plant (BITTENCOURT; CASTRO, 2004Bittencourt AJ, Castro BG. Stomoxys calcitrans parasitism associated with cattle diseases in Espirito Santo do Pinhal, São Paulo, Brasil. Ann N y Acad Sci 2004; 1026: 219-221. PMid:15604496. http://dx.doi.org/10.1196/annals.1307.033
http://dx.doi.org/10.1196/annals.1307.03...
; BITTENCOURT, 2012).

In the literature, these microorganisms' ability to produce substances that inhibit growth and affect competing agents has been reported (DILLON; DILLON, 2004Dillon RJ, Dillon VM. The gut bacteria of insects: nonpathogenic interactions. Annu Rev Entomol 2004; 49: 71-92. PMid:14651457. http://dx.doi.org/10.1146/annurev.ento.49.061802.123416
http://dx.doi.org/10.1146/annurev.ento.4...
). Some metabolites synthesized by S. maltophilia, such as pyrrolnitrin and maltophilia, allow this bacterium to survive in polymicrobial niches (KERR, 1996Kerr JR. Inhibition of growth of fungi pathogenic to man by Stenotrophomonas maltophilia. J Med Microbiol 1996; 45(5): 380-382. PMid:8918956. http://dx.doi.org/10.1099/00222615-45-5-380
http://dx.doi.org/10.1099/00222615-45-5-...
; ALMEIDA et al., 2005Almeida MTG, Bertelli ECP, Rossit ARB, Bertollo EMG, Martinez MB. Infecções hospitalares por Stenotrophomonas maltophilia: aspectos clínico-epidemiológicos, microbiológicos e de resistência antimicrobiana. Arq Ciênc Saúde 2005; 12(3): 141-145.). Kerr (1996)Kerr JR. Inhibition of growth of fungi pathogenic to man by Stenotrophomonas maltophilia. J Med Microbiol 1996; 45(5): 380-382. PMid:8918956. http://dx.doi.org/10.1099/00222615-45-5-380
http://dx.doi.org/10.1099/00222615-45-5-...
reported that ten S. maltophiliastrains inhibited the growth of Candida krusei, C. keyfr, C. guilliermondii, C. tropicalis, C. lusitaniae, C. parapsilosis, C. pseudotropicalis, C. albicans, C. glabrata and Aspergillus fumigatus. However, this activity was not demonstrated in other bacteria such as E. coli (NCTC 10418),Staphylococcus aureus (NCTC 6571) andHaemophilus influenzae (NCTC 11931).

Ryan et al. (2009)Ryan RP, Monchy S, Cardinale M, Taghavi S, Crossman L, Avison MB, et al. The versatility and adaptation of bacteria from the genus Stenotrophomonas. Nat Rev Microbiol 2009; 7(7): 514-525. PMid:19528958. http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nrmicro2163
http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nrmicro2163...
reported that S. maltophilia can be used for biological control of phytopathogenic fungi such as Fusarium graminearum andVerticilium dahliae. The disk diffusion test (Figure 1c) aimed to demonstrate that the bacterium naturally obtained from the mucus and macerate of S. calcitrans larvae has antifungal activity against three B. bassiana s.l. isolates. This result suggests that the larval microbiota/microenvironment is a factor that can affect the use of B. bassiana s.l. fungus for biological control of S. calcitrans larvae.

S. maltophilia was identified in S. calcitrans larvae and larval mucus. This bacterium has antifungal activity against B. bassiana s.l. CG 138, CG 228 and ESALQ 986 isolates. Knowledge of the microbiota of S. calcitrans larvae is of considerable importance for integrated pest management in which entomopathogenic fungi are applied, since the substances produced by these bacteria can disrupt them. Accordingly, studies are required in order to select tolerant and effective fungal isolates for biological control of the immature stages of S. calcitrans.

We are grateful to the National Center for Genetic Resources (CENARGEN)/Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (EMBRAPA) and the “Luiz de Queiroz” Higher School of Agriculture, University of São Paulo (ESALQ - USP) for providing the fungal isolate used in this study. We also are grateful to Geraldo Baeta da Cruz (EMBRAPA Agrobiology Research Unit, Seropédica, RJ, Brazil) and Suzana Côrte-Real Faria's research team at the Oswaldo Cruz Institute (IOC/FIOCRUZ, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil) for their technical support and use of equipment for scanning electron microscopy. Vania Rita Elias Pinheiro Bittencourt is a CNPq researcher.

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Publication Dates

  • Publication in this collection
    Apr-Jun 2014

History

  • Received
    14 Jan 2014
  • Accepted
    11 Mar 2014
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