The torix group of Rickettsia have been recorded from a wide assemblage of invertebrates, but details of transmission and biological impacts on the host have rarely been established. The common bed bug (Cimex lectularius) is a hemipteran insect which lives as an obligatory hematophagous pest of humans and is host to a primary Wolbachia symbiont and two facultative symbionts, a BEV-like symbiont, and a torix group Rickettsia. In this study, we first note the presence of a single Rickettsia strain in multiple laboratory bed bug isolates derived from Europe and Africa. Importantly, we discovered that the Rickettsia has segregated in two laboratory strains, providing infected and uninfected isogenic lines for this study. Crosses with these lines established transmission was purely maternal, in contrast to previous studies of torix infections in planthoppers where paternal infection status was also important. Fluorescence in-situ hybridization analysis indicates Rickettsia infected in oocytes and bacteriomes, and other somatic tissues. There was no evidence that Rickettsia infection was associated with sex ratio distortion activity, but Rickettsia infected individuals developed from first instar to adult more slowly. The impact of Rickettsia on fecundity and fertility were investigated. Rickettsia infected females produced fewer fertile eggs, but there was no evidence for cytoplasmic incompatibility. These data imply the existence of an unknown benefit to C. lectularius carrying Rickettsia that awaits further research.

中文翻译：

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臭虫立克次体在普通臭虫Cimex lectularius（半翅目：Cimicidae）中的传播，向性和生物学影响

已经从各种各样的无脊椎动物中记录了立克次体的鸟嘴类，但是很少确定传播途径和对宿主的生物影响的细节。普通臭虫（Cimex lectularius）是一种半翅目昆虫，作为人类的必不可少的食血性害虫而生活，寄主有Wolbachia初级共生体和两个兼性共生体，BEV状共生体和toritix群立克次体。在这项研究中，我们首先注意到在源自欧洲和非洲的多个实验室臭虫分离物中存在单个立克次体菌株。重要的是，我们发现立克次体已分离出两种实验室菌株，为这项研究提供了感染的和未感染的等基因系。与这些系的杂交建立的传播纯属母体传播，这与以前关于飞虱感染飞虱的研究相反，在飞虱中，父本感染状况也很重要。荧光原位杂交分析表明立克次体感染了卵母细胞，细菌和其他体细胞组织。没有证据表明立克次体感染与性别比例畸变活动有关，但是由立克次体感染的个体从初龄到成年的发育较慢。研究了立克次体对生殖力和繁殖力的影响。立克次体被感染的雌性产生的受精卵较少，但没有证据表明细胞质不相容。这些数据表明携带立克次体的C.lectularius存在未知的益处，有待进一步研究。