Nutritional provisioning by a simple microbial community enables Aedes aegypti development in detritus-devoid environments

Mosquitoes, particularly Aedes aegypti, are key vectors of diseases such as dengue, yellow fever, and Zika, often developing in container habitats where larvae rely on detritus and microbial communities. While traditional laboratory diets and detritus support larval growth, the specific contributions of microbes in these environments remain underexplored. Previous studies suggest that microbial communities may provide essential nutrients to mosquito larvae, but the precise interactions between microbes and detritus are not fully understood.

In this study, we hypothesized that A. aegypti can develop into adults through the nutritional support of a minimal microbial community, even without laboratory diets or detritus. Axenic (AX) larvae were inoculated with microorganisms from pan water used to rear mosquitoes in the lab and grown in minimal media. Successful adult development was observed, supported by a two-member microbial community consisting of Sphingobacterium sp. and Meyerozyma sp. MLABO. Functional assay and genome annotations revealed that these microorganisms interact synergistically to provide essential nutrients, including amino acids, B vitamins, and steroids, which are critical for larval development.

These findings demonstrate that mosquitoes can subsist as microbivores in nutrient-poor environments, with specific microbial consortia playing a key role in their development. This study sheds light on the intricate relationships between mosquitoes and their associated microbes, offering new insights into how microbial communities contribute to mosquito nutrition within detritus-based food webs.