Abstract:
Two Wolbachia strains, wMel and wAlbB, have been transinfected into Aedes aegypti mosquitoes for population replacement with the aim of reducing dengue transmission. Epidemiological data from various endemic sites suggest a pronounced decrease in dengue transmission after implementing this strategy. In this study, we investigated the impact of the Wolbachia strains wMel and wAlbB on Ae. aegypti fitness in a common genetic background. We found that Ae. aegypti females infected with the wMel strain exhibited several significant differences compared with those infected with the wAlbB strain. Specifically, wMel-infected females laid significantly fewer eggs, ingested a lower amount of blood, had a reduced egg production rate, and exhibited a decreased Wolbachia density at a later age compared with mosquitoes infected with the wAlbB strain. Conversely, the wAlbB strain showed only mild negative effects when compared with Wolbachia-uninfected specimens. These differential effects on Ae. aegypti fitness following infection with either wMel or wAlbB may have important implications for the success of population replacement strategies in invading native Ae. aegypti populations in endemic settings. Further research is needed to better understand the underlying mechanisms responsible for these differences in fitness effects and their potential impact on the long-term efficacy of Wolbachia-based dengue control programs.IMPORTANCEThe transmission of arboviruses such as dengue, Zika, and chikungunya is on the rise globally. Among the most promising strategies to reduce arbovirus burden is the release of one out of two strains of Wolbachia-infected Aedes aegypti: wMel and wAlbB. One critical aspect of whether this approach will succeed involves the fitness cost of either Wolbachia strains on mosquito life history traits. For instance, we found that wMel-infected Ae. aegypti females laid significantly fewer eggs, ingested a lower amount of blood, had a reduced egg production rate, and exhibited a decreased Wolbachia density at a later age compared with mosquitoes infected with the wAlbB strain. Conversely, the wAlbB strain showed only mild negative effects when compared with Wolbachia-uninfected specimens. These differential effects on mosquito fitness following infection with either wMel or wAlbB may have important implications for the success of population replacement strategies in invading native Ae. aegypti populations.
摘要:
两种Wolbachia菌株,WMel和WAlbB,已被感染为埃及伊蚊,以替代种群,以减少登革热传播。来自各个流行地点的流行病学数据表明,实施此策略后,登革热传播显着减少。在这项研究中,我们调查了Wolbachia菌株wMel和wAlbB对Ae的影响。在共同的遗传背景下的埃及伊蚊适合度。我们发现Ae.感染wMel菌株的埃及伊蚊雌性与感染wAlbB菌株的雌性相比表现出显着差异。具体来说,感染mel的雌性产卵明显减少,摄入较少量的血液,产蛋率降低,与感染wAlbB菌株的蚊子相比,在更晚的年龄表现出Wolbachia密度降低。相反,与未感染Wolbachia的标本相比,wAlbB菌株仅显示出轻度的负面影响。这些对Ae的不同影响。感染wMel或wAlbB后的埃及伊蚊适应性可能对入侵本地Ae的种群替代策略的成功具有重要意义。特有环境中的埃及伊蚊种群。需要进一步的研究来更好地了解这些健身效应差异的潜在机制及其对基于Wolbachia的登革热控制计划的长期疗效的潜在影响。重要的是登革热等虫媒病毒的传播,Zika,基孔肯雅热在全球范围内呈上升趋势。减少虫媒病毒负担的最有希望的策略之一是释放两种Wolbachia感染的埃及伊蚊中的一种:wMel和wAlbB。这种方法是否成功的一个关键方面涉及两种Wolbachia菌株对蚊子生活史特征的适应性成本。例如,我们发现WMel感染了Ae.埃及伊蚊雌性产卵明显减少,摄入较少量的血液,产蛋率降低,与感染wAlbB菌株的蚊子相比,在更晚的年龄表现出Wolbachia密度降低。相反,与未感染Wolbachia的标本相比,wAlbB菌株仅显示出轻度的负面影响。感染wMel或wAlbB后,这些对蚊子适应性的差异影响可能对种群替代策略入侵本地Ae的成功具有重要意义。埃及伊蚊种群。