The Microbe's Master Plan to Control Sperm and Shape Generations

Half of all animal species harbor bacteria and phages in the reproductive tissues, yet the extent to which these microbes influence host biology is often overlooked relative to the microbiomes of guts and roots, for instance. In this talk, I will illuminate (i) the most widespread bacterial symbiosis in the animal kingdom (Wolbachia reproductive symbionts and their phage WO) and (ii) the central dogma underpinnings by which they determine the fate of Drosophila sperm biology to create a symbiosis that is fundamental to host evolution and vector control.