FIG 5.

Change in the levels of Hamiltonella (A) and Portiera (B) in B. tabaci adults, as quantified by qPCR across different treatments. Adult whiteflies were reared on cotton, and the levels of Hamiltonella and Portiera were measured (cotton on the x axis). Part of the whiteflies were reared on cotton and were then transferred to tomato plants infected with TYLCV for 48 h (48 h TYLCV on the x axis). After 48 h on TYLCV-infected tomato plants, adult whiteflies were transferred to cotton for additional 48 h, and the levels of the two bacteria were then quantified (48 h TYLCV and 48 h cotton on the x axis). The levels of the two bacteria were also measured in whiteflies that were kept on TYLCV-infected tomato plants for 48 h and were then transferred to cotton for 5 days. Asterisks indicate statistically significant differences in the levels of the bacterium tested between the two strains.