Wolbachia-Induced Cytoplasmic Incompatibility to Control Insect Pests?

Wolbachia are a group of obligatory intracellular and maternally inherited bacteria of arthropods and nematodes, which have recently attracted attention for their potential as new biological control agents. Wolbachia are able to invade and maintain themselves in an enormous range of invertebrate species, including insects, mites, spiders, springtails, crustaceans and nematodes. Recent surveys using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) suggest that perhaps over 20% of arthropod species may be Wolbachiainfected, making this bacterium the most ubiquitous intracellular symbiont yet described. Wolbachia can manipulate host reproduction by using several strategies, one of which is cytoplasmic incompatibility. Wolbachia-induced cytoplasmic incompatibility can be used in several ways: (1) to directly suppress natural arthropod populations of economic and public health importance, (2) as a tool to spread genetically modified strains into wild arthropod populations, and (3) as an expression vector, once a genetic transformation system for this bacterium is developed. A major research aim is to introduce Wolbachia into pest and vector species of economic and public health relevance and, through Wolbachia-induced cytoplasmic incompatibility, to suppress or modify natural populations.

KEYWORDS Wolbachia, cytoplasmic incompatibility, Ceratitis capitata, insect pests, biological control