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Cited by 74Insect symbiosis and bacterial influencesInsect and Arachnid Ecology and BehaviorAnimal Behavior and Reproduction

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 1 of the 1 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.

Antibiotic treatment leads to the elimination of Wolbachia endosymbionts and sterility in the diplodiploid collembolan Folsomia candida

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Pike, Nathan, Kingcombe, Rachel·2009·BMC Biology
DOI 10.1186/1741-7007-7-54PMC PMC2739161
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Abstract

BACKGROUND: Wolbachia is an extremely widespread bacterial endosymbiont of arthropods and nematodes that causes a variety of reproductive peculiarities. Parthenogenesis is one such peculiarity but it has been hypothesised that this phenomenon may be functionally restricted to organisms that employ haplodiploid sex determination. Using two antibiotics, tetracycline and rifampicin, we attempted to eliminate Wolbachia from the diplodiploid host Folsomia candida, a species of springtail which is a widely used study organism. RESULTS: Molecular assays confirmed that elimination of Wolbachia was successfully achieved through continuous exposure of populations (over two generations and several weeks) to rifampicin administered as 2.7% dry weight of their yeast food source. The consequence of this elimination was total sterility of all individuals, despite the continuation of normal egg production. CONCLUSION: Microbial endosymbionts play an obligatory role in the reproduction of their diplodiploid host, most likely one in which the parthenogenetic process is facilitated by Wolbachia. A hitherto unknown level of host-parasite interdependence is thus recorded.

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Figure 1 Population growth rate (average ± standard error) measured across four doses of tetracycline and rifampicin over two generations. Note that the x-axis is nominal.
Figure 1 Population growth rate (average ± standard error) measured across four doses of tetracycline and rifampicin over two generations. Note that the x-axis is nominal.CC BY · PubMed Central

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Cites

  • Structural Mechanism for Rifampicin Inhibition of Bacterial RNA Polymerase

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    “The mode of action of rifampicin is to disrupt an even earlier step in the process of protein synthesis: rifampin binds to prokaryotic DNA-dependent RNA polymerase, inhibiting transcription of DNA to messenger RNA and thereby precluding subsequent translation of RNA to proteins [25].”

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Research works printed but not linked: 25

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Metadata

Authors
Pike, N., & Kingcombe, R.
Affiliations
University of Oxford (GB)
Corresponding author
Pike, Nathan
Venue
BMC Biology
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Published
2009-08-24
Volume
7
Issue
1
Pages
54-54
ISSN
1741-7007 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1186/1741-7007-7-54
PMC
PMC2739161
OpenAlex
W2087567813
Cited by
74
References
1
Citations by year
2026: 3 · 2024: 4 · 2023: 5 · 2022: 7 · 2021: 5 · 2020: 8 · 2019: 9 · 2018: 5 · 2017: 5 · 2016: 4 · 2015: 5 · 2014: 5 · 2013: 4 · 2012: 1
FWCI
1.84
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • BMC Biology (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion)
Funders
  • University of Rochester
  • Università degli Studi di Siena
  • University of Oxford
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Insect Science › Insect symbiosis and bacterial influences
  • Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Insect Science › Insect and Arachnid Ecology and Behavior
  • Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics › Animal Behavior and Reproduction
Keywords
Wolbachia, endosymbionts, Folsomia candida, Collembola, parthenogenesis, reproductive sterility, antibiotic removal, tetracycline, rifampicin, haplodiploidy
MeSH terms
Animals, Anti-Bacterial Agents, Arthropods, Denmark, Diet, Diploidy, Female, France, United Kingdom, Male, Ovum, Parthenogenesis, Reproduction, Rifampin, Symbiosis, Tetracycline, Polymerase Chain Reaction, Cloning, Organism, Wolbachia, Clutch Size

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CoChat. (2026). Citation check: Antibiotic treatment leads to the elimination of Wolbachia endosymbionts and sterility in the diplodiploid collembolan Folsomia candida. https://app.cochat.ai/papers/10.1186/1741-7007-7-54
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Pike, N., & Kingcombe, R. (2009). Antibiotic treatment leads to the elimination of Wolbachia endosymbionts and sterility in the diplodiploid collembolan Folsomia candida. BMC Biology. https://doi.org/10.1186/1741-7007-7-54