Gut associated bacteria of insecticide-resistant lines of Spodoptera frugiperda: Diversity and potential role in insecticide degradation

Insects are associated with a diversified community of microrganisms, and there is a growing interest in exploiting insect associated bacterial symbionts for biotechnological applications. The proposed use of such bacterial symbionts can range from their application in the development of new technologies to aid in insect pest control, to improve fitness of mass-reared insects as probionts, and as a source of new molecules for industrial use, among others. Bacteria associated with insects can affect insect fitness in a number of ways, including in the metabolization of xenobiiotics. This implies that these bacteria could affect insect pest response to pesticides and have a potential application for bioremediation initiatives. Thus, we investigated the gut of several insecticide-resistant lines of Spodoptera frugiperda as a source of bacteria with the potential to degrade inseticides and also looked at the contribution of one of these bacteria in the response of a susceptible line of S. frugiperda to lufenuron.