Establishment of Wolbachia infection in the biting midge Culicoides sonorensis via Larval and Adult Feeding

Wolbachia is a common endosymbiont found in more than ~55% of all insects. Wolbachia can act as a reproductive parasite and has been exploited to reduce mosquito populations. Wolbachia has also been demonstrated to inhibit viral transmission by mosquitoes. In vitro Wolbachia infections in C. sonorensis cell lines have also been shown to reduce replication rates of blue tongue virus (BTV) and Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease Virus (EHDV). Here, we present our work aimed at establishing a stable Wolbachia infection in lab-reared Culicoides midges via feeding at both larval and adult stages. To our knowledge, attempting to infect Culicoides biting midges with Wolbachia at any life stage has not been reported, even though this is an essential step in determining any in vivo effect of Wolbachia infections in C. sonorensis. Future applications and knowledge gaps pertaining to the use of Wolbachia-infected Culicoides midges are also discussed.