Replication of transinfected Wolbachia in horn fly Haematobia irritans irritans (L.) (Diptera: Muscidae) cell cultures

Bacteria in the genus Wolbachia are being considered for biological control of horn flies. To facilitate research on their potential, we established cell lines from embryos of North American horn flies, Haematobia irritans irritans. The lines were derived from laboratory colonies of antibiotic-treated flies and are free of indigenous Wolbachia symbionts. Cell line HIE18 was transinfected with two culture isolates of Wolbachia, wStr from the small brown planthopper, Laodelphax striatellus and wAlbB (Aa23) from the Asian tiger mosquito Aedes albopictus. wStr and wAlb replicated in HIE18 cells and could be serially transferred. The innate permissiveness of line HIE18 to Wolbachia-infection makes it a candidate for isolating indigenous H. irritans Wolbachia strains, and studying the molecular and cellular basis of the interaction of Wolbachia bacteria with horn flies.