Isolation, Pure Culture, and Characterization of “
Candidatus
Arsenophonus arthropodicus,” an Intracellular Secondary Endosymbiont from the Hippoboscid Louse Fly
Pseudolynchia canariensis
ABSTRACT
Members of the genus
Arsenophonus
comprise a large group of bacterial endosymbionts that are widely distributed in arthropods of medical, veterinary, and agricultural importance. At present, little is known about the role of these bacteria in arthropods, because few representatives have been isolated and cultured in the laboratory. In the current study, we describe the isolation and pure culture of an
Arsenophonus
endosymbiont from the hippoboscid louse fly
Pseudolynchia canariensis
. We propose provisional nomenclature for this bacterium in the genus
Arsenophonus
as “
Candidatus
Arsenophonus arthropodicus.” Phylogenetic analyses indicate that “
Candidatus
Arsenophonus arthropodicus” is closely related to the
Arsenophonus
endosymbionts found in psyllids, whiteflies, aphids, and mealybugs. The pure culture of this endosymbiont offers new opportunities to examine the role of
Arsenophonus
in insects. To this end, we describe methods for the culture of “
Candidatus
Arsenophonus arthropodicus” in an insect cell line and the transformation of this bacterium with a broad-host-range plasmid.