Bacterial and Fungal Microbiota in Anopheles darlingi Exhibit Differences in Diversity Across Three Main Colombian Malaria-endemic Regions.

Anopheles darlingi is the main malaria vector in the Neotropics. Despite their importance, little is known about the microbiota composition in areas where these vectors are found. Since the microbiota may influence host biology and vector competence, it is essential to understand these microbial communities in endemic regions. This study explores the bacterial and fungal communities in An. darlingi from three malaria-endemic areas in Colombia and examined how geography influences microbial composition. Mosquitoes were collected from the Bajo Cauca, Pacific and Amazonas regions, and their microbiota was characterized by amplifying and sequencing the 16 S rRNA V3-V4 region for bacteria and the ITS2 region for fungi. Analysis indicated greater alpha diversity in An. darlingi mosquitoes from the Amazonas region. Beta diversity findings demonstrated differences in bacterial and fungal community compositions across regions, especially between Amazonas and the other two regions. Additionally, the similarity of microbial communities declined slightly with increasing geographic distance. This study significantly advances our understanding of the microbiota associated with An. darlingi in endemic regions of Colombia, by revealing notable differences in bacterial and fungal community composition and abundance across diverse geographical populations. Importantly, these new insights extend beyond species and geographic boundaries by providing evidence of specific fungal communities linked to the vector, paving the way for innovative microbiota-based vector control strategies in malaria vector research.