Analysis of the Hypervariable Regions (HVRs) of the wsp Gene of Wolbachia from Solenopsis invicta Ants in Southeastern Brazil

Rodrigo Fernando de Souza, Cíntia Martins, Roberto Manoel Pereira, Odair Correa Bueno

Centro de Estudos de Insetos Sociais, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Estadual Paulista Julio de Mesquita Filho, Campus Rio Claro, S?o Paulo, Brazil.
Universidade Federal do Piauí (Federal University of Piauí), Campus Parnaíba, Piauí, Brazil.
Urban Entomology Laboratory, Entomology & Nematology Department, University of Florida, Gainesville, USA.

DOI: 10.4236/ae.2014.23021                

Abstract

Wolbachia is a bacterium that infects many arthropods with horizontal or vertical transmission. The introduction and spreading of Solenopsis invicta in new areas may have influenced the acquisition of Wolbachia as this ant species spread from its South America origin to other parts of the globe. The wsp gene of Wolbachia was analyzed using the WSP Typing and a similarity analysis was conducted to analyse the sharing of the symbiont among nests of S. invicta ants. The analyses revealed the presence of two groups of Wolbachia: strain A belonging to InvA S. invicta subgroup, and the strain B belonging to Acromyrmex insinuator. The wsp gene and its hypervariable regions are shared among the Wolbachia present in different types of ants inhabiting in the New World. Wolbachia strains found in the nests of S. invicta are ant-specialist symbionts which may have spread by several means among the ant population.

Keywords

Ant, Recombination, Horizontal Transmission, Symbiont

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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