Mating-dependent gut enlargement and immune suppression in field-caught Aedes aegypti
- 1Entomology Department, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY USA
- 2Universidad del Valle de Guatemala, Guatemala City, Guatemala
Abstract
Mosquito reproduction and immunity hold tradeoffs that directly impact vector competence, yet the physiological mechanisms linking mating, immunity, and arbovirus infection remain poorly understood under natural conditions. We previously showed in laboratory strains of Aedes aegypti that mating induces gut growth, suppresses immune responses, and promotes microbiota expansion. Here, we extend these findings to field-collected mosquitoes. Mated females displayed significantly enlarged midguts compared to virgins. In gravid individuals, mating was associated with reduced expression of antimicrobial peptide genes (gambicin and attacin) and increased bacterial abundance. Laboratory-reared adults from field-collected immature stages exhibited the same mating-dependent patterns, confirming the robustness of this physiological trade-off across ecological contexts. Our results demonstrate that mating-dependent gut remodeling and immune modulation persist in natural populations, with a trend toward higher Zika virus infection probability in mated females, suggesting reproductive physiology as an underappreciated determinant of vector competence.
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BibTeX
@article{girard2026matingdependent,
title = {{Mating-dependent gut enlargement and immune suppression in field-caught Aedes aegypti}},
author = {Alessandra Girard and Adriana Echeverría and Miguel Santos and Norma Padilla and Mabel L. Taracena-Agarwal},
journal = {Communications Biology},
year = {2026},
month = jul,
doi = {10.1038/s42003-026-10654-6},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-026-10654-6},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Mating-dependent gut enlargement and immune suppression in field-caught Aedes aegypti
AU - Alessandra Girard
AU - Adriana Echeverría
AU - Miguel Santos
AU - Norma Padilla
AU - Mabel L. Taracena-Agarwal
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/07/14
JO - Communications Biology
DO - 10.1038/s42003-026-10654-6
UR - https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-026-10654-6
AB - Mosquito reproduction and immunity hold tradeoffs that directly impact vector competence, yet the physiological mechanisms linking mating, immunity, and arbovirus infection remain poorly understood under natural conditions. We previously showed in laboratory strains of Aedes aegypti that mating induces gut growth, suppresses immune responses, and promotes microbiota expansion. Here, we extend these findings to field-collected mosquitoes. Mated females displayed significantly enlarged midguts compared to virgins. In gravid individuals, mating was associated with reduced expression of antimicrobial peptide genes (gambicin and attacin) and increased bacterial abundance. Laboratory-reared adults from field-collected immature stages exhibited the same mating-dependent patterns, confirming the robustness of this physiological trade-off across ecological contexts. Our results demonstrate that mating-dependent gut remodeling and immune modulation persist in natural populations, with a trend toward higher Zika virus infection probability in mated females, suggesting reproductive physiology as an underappreciated determinant of vector competence.
SN - 2399-3642
ER -