Comparative Analysis of the Gut Microbiome in Wild and Lab Strains of Anopheles Quadrimaculatus Say, and its Effect on Innate Immunity

Vector competence of mosquitoes has been linked to the conditions in which the larvae mature to adults. The microbial community obtained from the rearing environment is suspected to be one key factor in this interplay. A better understanding of how the rearing environment affects the gut microbiome and Anopheles-Plasmodium interactions could be useful for understanding observed lab vs. field differences in Plasmodium biology and help drive future control efforts. Currently there is a lack of research done on the differences between lab strain mosquitoes and their rearing environments and how lab mosquitoes differ from wild type mosquitoes. Bridging this gap and studying how rearing habitats change gut microbiomes is critical for optimizing the lab-rearing environment. This thesis focuses on the effects larval rearing has on microbiome establishment and innate immune responses in the common malaria mosquito, Anopheles quadrimaculatus