Detection of Wolbachia pipientis infection in arthropods in Hungary

Sexual anomalies are quite common among isopods and are also recorded in other arthropod soil macrofauna elements, such as diplopods. The anomalies include feminisation, parthenogenesis, cytoplasmic incompatibility and sex ratio distortions. Most of these alterations are caused by Wolbachia pipientis, an α-proteobacterium closely related to the human pathogenic Rickettsia species. These obligate cytoplasmic microorganisms live in the reproductive organs of their hosts and show maternal inheritance, as they can be transmitted to the next generation via egg cytoplasm. Wolbachia is able to alter the reproduction of its hosts to ensure its own spread. In this study common Hungarian diplopod and isopod species collected at two distant locations in deciduous forests were investigated. Since Wolbachia pipientis cannot be cultivated, a molecular diagnostic approach was adapted for the detection of the infection. The assay is based on the PCR-mediated amplification and sequence determination of the 16S rRNA gene. It was shown that 60–100% of the investigated isopod specimens were infected. In contrast, no infection was detected among diplopods. This report includes first records of Wolbachia infections in the isopods Hyloniscus riparius, Trachelipus rathkii and Trachelipus ratzeburgii.