I batteri simbionti nel controllo delle malattie trasmesse da insetti vettori

Symbiotic control of insect pests It is well known that the microbiota of insects has a key role in their evolutionary success. Examples of bacterial symbiosis are remarkably common in insects, in particular in species involved in the transmission of diseases: numerous studies were carried out to reveal the basic mechanisms of the host–symbiont relationships and to develop alternative strategies to control vector borne diseases. The ‘Symbiotic control’, a new multifaceted approach that uses symbiotic microorganisms to control insect pests or reduce vector competence, has attracted much interest in the last few years. Three such approaches currently at the cutting edge are: (1) the disruption of microbial symbionts required by insect pests by intervening of their fitness; (2) the manipulation of symbionts expressing anti-pathogen molecules within the host; and (3) the introduction of exogenous microbes affecting life-span and vector capacity of the new hosts in insect populations. This work reviews the current knowledge on microbial symbiosis in mosquitoes that holds promise for the development of interventions of symbiotic control for mosquito borne diseases.