BACKGROUND Insect species have established sophisticated symbiotic associations with diverse groups of microorganisms including bacteria which have been shown to affect several aspects of their biology, physiology, ecology and evolution. In addition, recent studies have shown that insect symbionts, including those localized in the gastrointestinal tract, can be exploited for the enhancement of sterile insect technique (SIT) applications against major insect pests such as the Mediterranean fruit fly (medfly) Ceratitis capitata. We previously showed that Enterobacter sp. AA26 can be used as probiotic supplement in medfly larval diet improving the productivity and accelerating the development of the VIENNA 8 genetic sexing strain (GSS), which is currently used in large scale operational SIT programs worldwide. RESULTS Enterobacter sp. AA26 was an adequate nutritional source for C. capitata larvae, comprising an effective substitute for brewer's yeast. Incorporating inactive bacterial cells in the larval diet conferred a number of substantial beneficial effects on medfly biology. The consumption of bacteria-based diet (either as full or partial yeast replacement) resulted in decreased immature stages mortality, accelerated immature development, increased pupal weight, and elongated the survival under stress conditions. Moreover, neither the partial nor the complete replacement of yeast with Enterobacter sp. AA26 had significant impact on adult sex ratio, females' fecundity, adults' flight ability and males' mating competitiveness. The absence of both yeast and Enterobacter sp. AA26 (deprivation of protein source and possible other important nutrients) from the larval diet detrimentally affected the larval development, survival and elongated the immature developmental duration. CONCLUSIONS Enterobacter sp. AA26 dry biomass can fully replace the brewer's yeast as a protein source in medfly larval diet without any effect on the productivity and the biological quality of reared medfly of VIENNA 8 GSS as assessed by the FAO/IAEA/USDA standard quality control tests. We discuss this finding in the context of mass-rearing and SIT applications.

中文翻译：

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肠杆菌 AA26肠道共生体可作为地中海果蝇大量繁殖和无菌昆虫技术应用的蛋白质来源。

背景技术昆虫物种已经与包括细菌在内的各种微生物建立了复杂的共生联系，这些细菌已被证明会影响其生物学，生理学，生态学和进化的几个方面。此外，最近的研究表明，可以利用昆虫共生体（包括那些位于胃肠道的共生体）来增强针对主要害虫（例如地中海果蝇（Medfly）Capetata capitata）的无菌昆虫技术（SIT）的应用。先前我们显示了肠杆菌属。AA26可用作美蝇幼虫饮食中的益生菌补充剂，可提高生产力并加速VIENNA 8遗传性鉴定菌株（GSS）的开发，该菌株目前已在全球范围内的大规模SIT计划中使用。结果肠杆菌属。AA26是C. capitata幼虫的充足营养来源，它是啤酒酵母的有效替代品。在幼虫饮食中掺入无活性细菌细胞可对地中海果蝇生物学产生许多实质性的有益影响。食用以细菌为基础的饮食（完全或部分替代酵母）可降低未成熟阶段的死亡率，加速未成熟发育，增加weight重量，并延长应激条件下的生存期。此外，用肠杆菌属细菌既不能部分取代酵母也不能完全取代酵母。AA26对成年性别比，雌性繁殖力，成年飞行能力和雄性交配竞争力有显着影响。酵母和肠杆菌都不存在。幼虫饮食中的AA26（剥夺蛋白质源和可能的其他重要营养素）有害地影响了幼虫的发育，存活并延长了未成熟的发育时间。结论肠杆菌属。通过FAO / IAEA / USDA标准质量控制测试评估，AA26干生物质可以完全替代啤酒酵母，成为美蝇幼虫饮食中的蛋白质来源，而对VIENNA 8 GSS饲养的蝇蝇的生产力和生物学质量没有任何影响。我们将在大规模饲养和SIT应用程序的背景下讨论此发现。酵母作为美蝇幼虫饮食中的蛋白质来源，而对粮农组织/国际原子能机构/美国农业部标准质量控制测试所评估的VIENNA 8 GSS所产美蝇的生产率和生物学质量没有任何影响。我们将在大规模饲养和SIT应用程序的背景下讨论此发现。酵母作为美蝇幼虫饮食中的蛋白质来源，而对粮农组织/国际原子能机构/美国农业部标准质量控制测试所评估的VIENNA 8 GSS所产美蝇的生产率和生物学质量没有任何影响。我们将在大规模饲养和SIT应用程序的背景下讨论此发现。