Establishment of Wolbachia infection in Aedes aegypti from Pakistan via embryonic microinjection and semi-field evaluation of general fitness of resultant mosquito population

Abstract

Background Dengue is a mosquito-borne viral disease that is mainly spread by Aedes aegypti. It is prevalent on five continents, predominantly in tropical and sub-tropical zones across the world. Wolbachia bacteria have been extensively used in vector control strategies worldwide. The focus of the current study was to obtain a natural population of Ae. aegypti harbouring Wolbachia and to determine the impact of this bacteria on the new host in a semi-field environment. Methods Wolbachia-infected Aedes albopictus was collected from the city of Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan, and Wolbachia were successfully introduced into laboratory-reared Ae. aegypti via embryonic microinjection. The stable vertical transmission of wAlbB in the host population was observed for eight generations, and the impact of Wolbachia on the general fitness of the host was evaluated in semi-field conditions. Results In the laboratory and semi-field experiments, wAlbB Wolbachia presented a strong cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI) effect, evidenced as zero egg hatching, in crosses between Wolbachia-infected males and wild (uninfected) females of Ae. aegypti. Wolbachia infection had no noticeable impact on the general fitness (P > 0.05), fecundity, body size (females and males) and mating competitiveness of the new host, Ae. aegypti. However, there was a significant decrease in female fertility (egg hatch) (P < 0.001). In addition, under starvation conditions, there was a remarkable decrease (P < 0.0001) in the life span of Wolbachia-infected females compared to uninfected females (4 vs. > 5 days, respectively). Conclusions Wolbachia strain wAlbB has a great potential to control the dengue vector in Ae. aegypti populations by producing 100% CI with a limited burden on its host in natural field conditions. This strain can be used as a biological tool against vector-borne diseases. Graphical Abstract

Wolbachia Infection through Hybridization to Enhance an Incompatible Insect Technique-Based Suppression of Aedes albopictus in Eastern Spain

“…Negative effects on host fitness due to Wolbachia have been previously reported to occur, especially in the first generations after the establishment of the infection, and may affect immature mortality, adult longevity, female fecundity, and egg fertility [ 32 , 66 , 68 , 69 ]. Wolbachia can alter these traits through direct interaction with host cytoplasmic and nuclear components [ 70 ] but also indirectly because of the alteration of the microbial community, which may affect the expression of genes involved in metabolism [ 71 ].…”

Biological comparative study between Wolbachia-infected Aedes aegypti mosquito and Wolbachia-uninfected strain, Jeddah city, Saudi Arabia

“…Each independent sample was crushed in BAPS buffer solution (Bovine Albumin Phosphate Saline) to obtain a suspension to be detected. DNA was extracted according to the method of Sarwar et al, (2022) . A group of primers for Wolbachia bacteria identification was added to the rest of the reaction chemicals ( Table 1 ).…”

Updates on traditional methods for combating malaria and emerging Wolbachia-based interventions

“…Wolbachia ’s CI induction leads to an effective mosquito and disease control strategy. Through this and other mechanisms such as lifespan shortening and direct pathogen interference, Wolbachia presents unique biological control strategies for mosquito and disease prevention ( Iturbe-Ormaetxe et al., 2011 ; Sarwar et al., 2022 ).…”