Metagenomics data of the bacterial community in Bemisia tabaci from Burkina Faso

<p>Microbial symbionts are widespread in insects and some of them have been associated to adaptive changes. Primary symbionts (P-symbionts) have a nutritional role that allows their hosts to feed on unbalanced diets (plant sap, wood, blood). Most of them have undergone genome reduction, but their genomes still retain genes involved in pathways that are necessary to synthesize the nutrients that their hosts need. However, in some P-symbionts, essential pathways are incomplete and secondary symbionts (S-symbionts) are required to complete parts of their degenerated functions. The P-symbiont of the phloem sap-feeder <i>Bemisia tabaci</i>, <i>Portiera aleyrodidarium,</i> lacks genes involved in the synthesis of vitamins, cofactors, and also of some essential amino-acids. Seven S-symbionts have been detected in the <i>B. </i>tabaci species complex. Phenotypic and genomic analyses have revealed various effects, from reproductive manipulation to fitness benefits, notably some of them have complementary metabolic capabilities to <i>Portiera</i>, suggesting that their presence may be obligatory. In order to get the full picture of the symbiotic community of this pest, we investigated, through metabarcoding approaches, the symbiont content of individuals from Burkina Faso, a West African country where <i>B. tabaci</i> induces severe crop damage. While no new putative <i>B. tabaci </i>S-symbiont was identified, <i>Hemipteriphilus, </i>a symbiont only described in <i>B. tabaci</i> populations from Asia<i>,</i> was detected for the first time on this continent. Phylogenetic analyses however reveal that it is a different strain than the reference found in Asia. Specific diagnostic PCRs showed a high prevalence of these S-symbionts and especially of <i>Hemipteriphilus </i>in different genetic groups. These results suggest that <i>Hemipteriphilus</i> may affect the biology of <i>B. tabaci</i> and provide fitness advantage in some <i>B. tabaci</i> populations.</p>