Association between breeding-habitat bacterial communities and oviposition behavior of Aedes aegypti: Insights from arboviral outbreak-affected areas of Pune, Western India

Abstract

Aedes aegypti, an important vector of several arboviral diseases, is highly adapted to human-associated environments and commonly exploits anthropogenic water-holding containers for breeding. Understanding the ecological factors governing oviposition-site selection is essential for developing sustainable vector control strategies. Previous studies have established that microbial communities in breeding waters influence mosquito oviposition-site selection through the production of volatile organic compounds. Importantly, rapid urbanization in India has increased the availability of artificial breeding habitats for Ae. aegypti, potentially facilitating the transmission and persistence of arboviral diseases. However, the composition of bacterial communities in these larval habitats and their potential role in shaping the oviposition behavior of Ae. aegypti remain poorly characterized in the Indian context. Here, we investigated the bacterial diversity and community composition of Aedes larval habitats during the 2024 Zika and chikungunya outbreaks in Pune, India. Water samples, collected from artificial urban containers and natural freshwater habitats, were subjected to 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing. Artificial breeding habitats exhibited significantly higher bacterial diversity and were enriched with Enterobacter spp. compared with natural habitats. Oviposition bioassays further demonstrated a strong preference of gravid Ae. aegypti females for Enterobacter-conditioned water. GCMS analysis of bacterial suspension identified indole as a prominent volatile metabolite associated with Enterobacter, suggesting its possible role in mediating oviposition site selection. Together, these findings provide insights into the microbial and chemical ecology of Ae. aegypti breeding habitats and establish a basis for investigating microbial volatile cues as potential targets for vector surveillance and environmentally sustainable attract-and-kill strategies.