The maternally-inherited endosymbiont, Wolbachia, is known to alter the
reproductive biology of its arthropod hosts for its benefit and can
induce both positive and negative fitness effects in many hosts. Here we
describe the effects of the maintenance of two distinct Wolbachia
infections, one each from supergroups A and B, on the parasitoid host
Nasonia vitripennis. We compare the effect of Wolbachia infections on
various traits between the uninfected, single A infected, single B
infected, and the double infected strains with their cured versions.
Contrary to the previous reports, our results suggest that there is a
significant cost associated with the maintenance of Wolbachia infections
where traits like family size, fecundity, longevity, and rates of male
copulation are compromised in Wolbachia infected strains. The double
infected and supergroup B infection strains show higher Wolbachia titer
than supergroup A. The double infected Wolbachia strain has the most
detrimental impact on the host as compared to single infections.
Moreover, there is a supergroup-specific negative impact on these wasps
as the supergroup B infections elicit the most pronounced negative
effects. These findings raise important questions on the mechanism of
survival and maintenance of these reproductive parasites in arthropod
hosts.