All Wolbachia articles
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NewsNature’s 10: Ten people who shaped science in 2025
Microbiologists and scientists tackling infectious diseases are among Nature’s annual list of ten people at the heart of some of the biggest science stories of 2025.
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NewsNew super pest combines broad spectrum of microbes
Researchers investigating what role the reed leafhopper’s microbial flora might have played in its rapid spread as a pest found it hosts at least seven species of bacteria and appears to be completely dependent on three of these species, which inhabit specific organs.
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NewsIn the midst of a global dengue epidemic, Wolbachia kept a Brazilian city safe
In the middle of the world’s worst global dengue epidemic, a city in Brazil was effectively protected by an innovative program that introduced the bacterium Wolbachia into the local mosquito population, lowering the rate of dengue by almost 90 per cent.
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NewsBeetles under climate stress lay larger male eggs: Wolbachia infection drives adaptive reproduction strategy
Researchers find that azuki bean beetles, a common pest, produce larger eggs yielding male offspring when infected with Wolbachia bacteria under elevated temperature and carbon dioxide conditions.
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NewsCoveted lac pigment may have a fungal origin
The colourful pigment extracted from the lac insect may actually be produced by a symbiotic yeast-like organism living inside the insect, a new study has found. The yeast-like organism exclusively harbours genes coding for key ingredients in the pigment synthesis pathway.
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OpinionReproductive biology though the lens of the microbiome
Madangchanok Imchen and Seth R. Bordenstein from the One Health Microbiome Center - winner of AMI’s WH Pierce Prize 2024 - explore the potential of the reproductive microbiome, particularly the fascinating Wolbachia, to counter global disease threats.
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NewsOne Health Microbiome Center named as winner of WH Pierce Global Impact in Microbiology Prize 2024
The One Health Microbiome Center at Penn State has been named as this year’s winner of the WH Pierce Global Impact in Microbiology Prize 2024.
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NewsClimate change responsible for 19% of today’s rising dengue burden - but Wolbachia offers hope
Climate change is having a massive global impact on dengue transmission, accounting for 19% of the current dengue burden, with a potential to spark an additional 40%-60% spike by 2050 — and by as much as 150%-200% in some areas.
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NewsSymbiotic bacterium affects reproduction of biological control insect
Researchers have revealed that the symbiotic bacterium Rickettsia induces strong cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI) in the predatory mirid bug, Nesidiocoris tenuis, which preys on agricultural pests such as whiteflies and thrips.
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NewsField deployment of Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes using uncrewed aerial vehicle
The World Mosquito Program has developed a technique to control dengue transmission by releasing Wolbachia-infected Aedes aegypti mosquitoes.
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NewsDiscovery of bacterial proteins that induce asexual reproduction in insects
From microbes in the human gut to symbiotic algae in coral reefs, research in recent decades has increasingly revealed the pivotal roles that microorganisms (or microbial species) play in shaping the biology of host organisms and of broader ecosystems. For example, some endosymbionts—microbes that live within the cells of a ...
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NewsStudy reveals how virus hijacks insect sperm to control disease vectors and pests
A new study reveals how viral proteins from symbiotic bacteria cause sterility in insects.
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NewsMosquito-controlling bacteria might also enhance insect fertility
A new study reveals biological mechanisms by which a specific strain of bacteria in the Wolbachia genus might enhance the fertility of the insects it infects - with potentially important implications for mosquito-control strategies.
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NewsSome hosts have an ‘evolutionary addiction’ to their microbiome
Microbes might not actually be helping their hosts; instead, microbe-free hosts might malfunction because they have evolved an addiction to their microbes, says one evolutionary ecologist.