Wolbachia Bacterium Found in Water Strider (Gerris sp.) in Dalton, Massachusetts

Presenter: Keeley McKenney

Faculty Sponsor: Jacob Barnett

School: Berkshire Community College

Research Area: Biology

Session: Poster Session 3, 1:15 PM - 2:00 PM, Concourse, B11

ABSTRACT

Wolbachia is a bacterium that can live within the cells of many species of arthropods (insects, spiders, crustaceans, etc.).  It passes through generations from infected mother to offspring, often altering the host’s reproductive processes to spread more efficiently.  It can also stop hosts, such as mosquitos (Culicidae sp.), from contracting certain viruses and spreading them to other organisms.  My research aimed to discover if Wolbachia infected the Water Striders (Gerris sp.) in Dalton Massachusetts as a contribution to Penn State’s Wolbachia Project.  I wild-caught one Water Strider from a brook in Dalton MA, extracted the DNA from its abdomen, ran three different rounds of Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR), and visualized the PCR products against known controls using Gel Electrophoresis.  My results showed the Water Strider to be infected with Wolbachia.  To determine a more confident identification for my arthropod and its Wolbachia strain, the DNA was sent to a lab to be sequenced.  Sequencing showed my arthropod to be a Non-Biting Midge (Chironomidae sp.), and the Wolbachia to be from the Supergroup A strain.  My data was uploaded to the Wolbachia Project database to aid in uncovering where Wolbachia is present, what types of arthropods it is infecting, and what strains of Wolbachia are infecting certain areas as well as certain arthropods.  This may contribute to the control of arthropod-borne virus infections in humans (Homo sapiens).

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