DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Characterization of vertebrate host communities through mosquito blood meal-derived DNA for biodiversity conservation and epidemiological applications

论文研究：通过蚊血粉衍生的 DNA 表征脊椎动物宿主群落，用于生物多样性保护和流行病学应用

• 批准号: 1701975
• 负责人: Akito Kawahara
• 金额: $ 1.98万
• 依托单位: University of Florida
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2017
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2017-06-01 至 2019-05-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1701975&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: DISSERTATION; RESEARCH; Characterization; vertebrate; host

Female mosquitoes typically cannot reproduce without taking blood from a vertebrate host, making them effective vectors of disease-causing pathogens such as malaria parasites, West Nile virus and Zika virus. For this reason, mosquitoes have an enormous impact on humanity, as illustrated by the recent episodes of local Zika virus transmission in Florida and Texas, and the epidemic in Latin America. Preventing and mitigating the effects of mosquito-borne pathogens requires a detailed understanding of the interactions between mosquitoes and hosts. Globally, there are around 3,500 mosquito species, each with distinct preferences for certain hosts. Some take blood from any available vertebrate, but most prefer only certain animals (mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, even fish). By understanding these relationships, researchers can assess how a pathogen moves through an ecosystem, and predict the risk of human infection. To investigate mosquito-host interactions, researchers use a method called blood meal analysis. Mosquito blood meals contain the DNA of their hosts, which is used to determine the host animal's identity. While these data provide insight on pathogen transmission, they can also improve understanding of vertebrate host communities. Results from this research will be disseminated via social media platforms and published in peer-reviewed scientific journals. A graduates student will be trained and involved in all aspects of this work. The taxonomic composition of host DNA within a sample of mosquito blood meals reflects the vertebrate host community. Data generated through mosquito blood meal analysis are traditionally collected, analyzed, and interpreted under an epidemiological context. Following the emergence of methods for molecular species detection and environmental DNA analysis, host DNA derived from the blood meals of hematophagous invertebrates has been recognized as a source of molecular data that is informative to vertebrate conservation. This research integrates epidemiological methods of mosquito blood meal analysis and vertebrate diversity assessment, with the aim of generating datasets that are simultaneously valuable to both conservation and the characterization of mosquito-borne pathogen transmission networks. Current blood meal analysis approaches rely largely on polymerase chain reaction amplification and Sanger sequencing of the DNA barcoding regions of host genes. Because host DNA derived from the mosquito gut is inherently degraded by digestion, next generation sequencing approaches are likely to enhance the ability of making successful identifications. This research will identify the hosts of mosquitoes collected at two sites in Florida, Everglades National Park and the University of Florida campus, through next generation sequencing. Mosquito blood meals will be used to characterize the host communities of both sites, detect the presence of Burmese pythons and other invasive vertebrates in the Everglades, and enhance the understanding of relationships between mosquito species and host communities.

雌性蚊子如果不吸取脊椎动物宿主的血液，通常无法繁殖，这使它们成为疟原虫、西尼罗河病毒和寨卡病毒等致病病原体的有效载体。因此，蚊子对人类产生了巨大的影响，最近佛罗里达州和德克萨斯州当地寨卡病毒的传播以及拉丁美洲的流行就说明了这一点。预防和减轻蚊媒病原体的影响需要详细了解蚊子和宿主之间的相互作用。全球大约有 3,500 种蚊子，每种蚊子对某些宿主都有不同的偏好。有些人从任何可用的脊椎动物身上采集血液，但大多数人只喜欢某些动物（哺乳动物、鸟类、爬行动物、两栖动物，甚至鱼类）。通过了解这些关系，研究人员可以评估病原体如何在生态系统中移动，并预测人类感染的风险。为了研究蚊子与宿主的相互作用，研究人员使用了一种称为血粉分析的方法。蚊子的血粉中含有宿主的 DNA，可用于确定宿主动物的身份。虽然这些数据提供了有关病原体传播的见解，但它们也可以增进对脊椎动物宿主群落的了解。这项研究的结果将通过社交媒体平台传播，并在同行评审的科学期刊上发表。研究生将接受培训并参与这项工作的各个方面。蚊子血粉样本中宿主 DNA 的分类组成反映了脊椎动物宿主群落。传统上，通过蚊血粉分析生成的数据是在流行病学背景下收集、分析和解释的。随着分子物种检测和环境 DNA 分析方法的出现，源自食血无脊椎动物血液的宿主 DNA 已被认为是为脊椎动物保护提供信息的分子数据来源。这项研究整合了蚊血粉分析和脊椎动物多样性评估的流行病学方法，旨在生成对蚊媒病原体传播网络的保护和表征同时有价值的数据集。目前的血粉分析方法主要依赖于宿主基因 DNA 条形码区域的聚合酶链反应扩增和桑格测序。由于源自蚊子肠道的宿主 DNA 本质上会因消化而降解，因此下一代测序方法可能会增强成功识别的能力。这项研究将通过下一代测序来识别在佛罗里达州大沼泽国家公园和佛罗里达大学校园两个地点收集的蚊子的宿主。蚊血粉将用于表征两个地点的宿主群落，检测大沼泽地中缅甸蟒蛇和其他入侵脊椎动物的存在，并增强对蚊子物种与宿主群落之间关系的了解。