CHARACTERIZATION OF THE CRICKET HINDGUT MICROBIOTA WITH FLUORESCENTLYLABELED RIBOSOMAL-RNA-TARGETED OLIGONUCLEOTIDE PROBES

Most cricket hindgut microorganisms (60 to 80%) were detected with a u niversal fluorescent rRNA-targeted probe and found to be eubacteria, G roup-specific probes showed that the hindguts of five different cricke t species harbor similar bacterial groups, although in different propo rtions, and that different diets shifted the structure of the hindgut microbial community, The Bacteroides-Prevotella probe, of the eight eu hacterial probes tested, stained the largest percentage of cells in al l crickets.