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Peer-reviewedCC BY 4.0PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases

Friends or foes: Unraveling the tsetse fly-Spiroplasma symbiosis

  • Serap Aksoy1
  • Brian L. Weiss2
  • Daniel J. Bruzzese3
  • Fabian Gstöttenmayer4
  • Richard Echodu
  • Giulia Fiorenza
  • Riccardo Piccinno
  • Anna Rodolfa Malacrida
  • Adly M. M. Abd-Alla
4 affiliations
  1. 1Department of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, Connecticut, United States of America
  2. 2Gulu University Multifunctional Research Laboratories, Gulu, Uganda
  3. 3Department of Biology and Biotechnology “Lazzaro Spallanzani”, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
  4. 4Insect Pest Control Laboratory, Joint FAO/IAEA Centre of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture, Vienna, Austria
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Abstract

Tsetse flies (Glossina spp.) transmit African trypanosomes, the causative agents of human African and African animal trypanosomiases (HAT and AAT, respectively). These neglected tropical diseases impose significant public health and economic burdens across sub-Saharan Africa. Trypanosome transmission by tsetse flies is influenced by multiple factors, including host genetic background, ecological factors, and interactions with heritable microbial endosymbionts. Spiroplasma glossinidia has recently emerged as an important modulator of tsetse reproductive fitness and vector competence, making it a potential target for symbiont-based vector control strategies. In this review, we summarize the current knowledge of the tsetse-Spiroplasma symbiosis. We detail Spiroplasma’s spatial and temporal infection dynamics in laboratory-reared and natural populations. Additionally, we highlight key aspects of the bacterium’s genomics, phylogenetics, and physiological interactions with its tsetse host, including influences on host gene expression reproductive physiology, and vector competence. Finally, we discuss how the tsetse–Spiroplasma symbiosis could be harnessed to develop innovative, biological-based vector control and trypanosome transmission-blocking strategies, and we identify critical gaps that must be addressed to translate these findings into effective disease control interventions.

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Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{aksoy2026friends,
  title = {{Friends or foes: Unraveling the tsetse fly-Spiroplasma symbiosis}},
  author = {Serap Aksoy and Brian L. Weiss and Daniel J. Bruzzese and Fabian Gstöttenmayer and Richard Echodu and Giulia Fiorenza and Riccardo Piccinno and Anna Rodolfa Malacrida and Adly M. M. Abd-Alla},
  journal = {PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases},
  year = {2026},
  month = sep,
  doi = {10.1371/journal.pntd.0014698},
  url = {https://journals.plos.org/plosntds/article?id=10.1371/journal.pntd.0014698},
  note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - Friends or foes: Unraveling the tsetse fly-Spiroplasma symbiosis
AU  - Serap Aksoy
AU  - Brian L. Weiss
AU  - Daniel J. Bruzzese
AU  - Fabian Gstöttenmayer
AU  - Richard Echodu
AU  - Giulia Fiorenza
AU  - Riccardo Piccinno
AU  - Anna Rodolfa Malacrida
AU  - Adly M. M. Abd-Alla
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/09/10
JO  - PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases
DO  - 10.1371/journal.pntd.0014698
UR  - https://journals.plos.org/plosntds/article?id=10.1371/journal.pntd.0014698
AB  - Tsetse flies (Glossina spp.) transmit African trypanosomes, the causative agents of human African and African animal trypanosomiases (HAT and AAT, respectively). These neglected tropical diseases impose significant public health and economic burdens across sub-Saharan Africa. Trypanosome transmission by tsetse flies is influenced by multiple factors, including host genetic background, ecological factors, and interactions with heritable microbial endosymbionts. Spiroplasma glossinidia has recently emerged as an important modulator of tsetse reproductive fitness and vector competence, making it a potential target for symbiont-based vector control strategies. In this review, we summarize the current knowledge of the tsetse-Spiroplasma symbiosis. We detail Spiroplasma’s spatial and temporal infection dynamics in laboratory-reared and natural populations. Additionally, we highlight key aspects of the bacterium’s genomics, phylogenetics, and physiological interactions with its tsetse host, including influences on host gene expression reproductive physiology, and vector competence. Finally, we discuss how the tsetse–Spiroplasma symbiosis could be harnessed to develop innovative, biological-based vector control and trypanosome transmission-blocking strategies, and we identify critical gaps that must be addressed to translate these findings into effective disease control interventions.
SN  - 1935-2735
ER  -