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The alkaline anterior midgut of larval mosquitoes as a barrier for microorganisms (1100.5)
Author(s) -
Onken Horst,
Bassous Monica,
Moffett David,
Corbo Christopher
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.28.1_supplement.1100.5
Subject(s) - midgut , aedes aegypti , biology , bacteria , larva , microorganism , bacilli , instar , microbiology and biotechnology , aedes , alkaline phosphatase , digestion (alchemy) , enzyme , biochemistry , ecology , chemistry , genetics , chromatography
The lumen of the anterior midgut of larval mosquitoes is maintained at extremely alkaline pH values of 10‐12, and digestive enzymes show very alkaline pH optima. This situation favors digestion of denatured protein like in acidic mammalian stomachs. In the present study, we are evaluating if the extremely alkaline pH region in the anterior midgut of 4 th instar larvae of yellow fever mosquitoes ( Aedes aegypti ) also serves as a barrier for microorganisms. Bacteria were identified with conventional, microbiological techniques by utilizing a series of biochemical assays. Samples involved the water (with food), unsterilized and sterilized larvae, as well as head/thorax and abdomen of sterilized larvae. The fifteen different microorganisms identified included species of gram‐negative bacilli, especially gammaproteobacteria, and a few gram‐positive rods. The presence of different species of bacteria in the anterior (head/thorax) and posterior (abdomen) parts of the animals indicates that the alkaline region in the midgut of larval Aedes aegypti does indeed serve as a selective barrier for bacteria.