Effects of phoxim exposure on gut microbial composition in the silkworm, Bombyx mori

Abstract Organophosphate pesticides are widely applied worldwide for agricultural purposes, and their exposures often result in adverse effects on Bombyx mori. The insect gut is a complicated ecosystem inhabited by a large number of microbes that play important roles in insect physiology and behavior. Recent studies have reported that alteration of their microbiota due to stressful conditions or environmental changes has been linked to a compromised health status and a susceptibility to diseases. In the present study, we aimed to assess the effects of phoxim exposure on intestinal microbes in silkworms. The results showed that phoxim exposure increased the bacterial community evenness and altered the structure of gut microbiota in silkworm larvae. The abundances of several genera, such as Methylobacterium and Aurantimonadaceae, in phoxim-treated larval guts were significantly reduced compared with the H2O-treated group, whereas the abundances of non-dominant bacteria, such as Staphylococcus, were significantly increased. Moreover, phoxim inhibited the expressions of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) at the mRNA level and enhanced the pathogenesis of Enterobacter cloacae (E. cloacae) against silkworm larvae, suggesting that the immune system was inhibited after phoxim exposure. Therefore, the gut microbial community shifts were apparent after phoxim exposure. The compositional and structural changes of intestinal microbes caused by phoxim exposure might affect the normal function of the intestinal tract of silkworm. These results highlighted the importance of the gut bacterial community when investigating the mechanisms of midgut injury after pesticide exposure in Bombyx mori.