Dataset Information

Successful introgression of wMel Wolbachia into Aedes aegypti populations in Fiji, Vanuatu and Kiribati.

ABSTRACT: Pacific Island countries have experienced periodic dengue, chikungunya and Zika outbreaks for decades. The prevention and control of these mosquito-borne diseases rely heavily on control of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, which in most settings are the primary vector. Introgression of the intracellular bacterium Wolbachia pipientis (wMel strain) into Ae. aegypti populations reduces their vector competence and consequently lowers dengue incidence in the human population. Here we describe successful area-wide deployments of wMel-infected Ae. aegypti in Suva, Lautoka, Nadi (Fiji), Port Vila (Vanuatu) and South Tarawa (Kiribati). With community support, weekly releases of wMel-infected Ae. aegypti mosquitoes for between 2 to 5 months resulted in wMel introgression in nearly all locations. Long term monitoring confirmed a high, self-sustaining prevalence of wMel infecting mosquitoes in almost all deployment areas. Measurement of public health outcomes were disrupted by the Covid19 pandemic but are expected to emerge in the coming years.

SUBMITTER: Simmons CP

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10980184 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Successful introgression of wMel Wolbachia into Aedes aegypti populations in Fiji, Vanuatu and Kiribati.

Simmons Cameron P CP Donald Wesley W Tagavi Lekon L Tarivonda Len L Quai Timothy T Tavoa Raynelyn R Noran Tebikau T Manikaoti Erirau E Kareaua Lavinia L Abwai Tabomoa Tinte TT Chand Dip D Rama Vineshwaran V Deo Vimal V Deo Kharishma Karti KK Tavuii Aminiasi A Valentine Wame W Prasad Raviikash R Seru Eremasi E Naituku Leikitah L Ratu Anaseini A Hesketh Mark M Kenny Nichola N Beebe Sarah C SC Goundar Anjali A AA McCaw Andrew A Buntine Molly M Green Ben B Frossard Tibor T Gilles Jeremie R L JRL Joubert D Albert DA Wilson Geoff G Duong Le Quyen LQ Bouvier Jean B JB Stanford Darren D Forder Carolyn C Duyvestyn Johanna M JM Pacidônio Etiene C EC Flores Heather A HA Wittmeier Natalie N Retzki Kate K Ryan Peter A PA Denton Jai A JA Smithyman Ruth R Tanamas Stephanie K SK Kyrylos Peter P Dong Yi Y Khalid Anam A Hodgson Lauren L Anders Katherine L KL O'Neill Scott L SL

PLoS neglected tropical diseases 20240314 3

Pacific Island countries have experienced periodic dengue, chikungunya and Zika outbreaks for decades. The prevention and control of these mosquito-borne diseases rely heavily on control of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, which in most settings are the primary vector. Introgression of the intracellular bacterium Wolbachia pipientis (wMel strain) into Ae. aegypti populations reduces their vector competence and consequently lowers dengue incidence in the human population. Here we describe successful are ...[more]

PMID: 38484041

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Project description:BackgroundNew approaches to preventing chikungunya virus (CHIKV) are needed because current methods are limited to controlling mosquito populations, and they have not prevented the invasion of this virus into new locales, nor have they been sufficient to control the virus upon arrival. A promising candidate for arbovirus control and prevention relies on the introduction of the intracellular bacterium Wolbachia into Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. This primarily has been proposed as a tool to control dengue virus (DENV) transmission; however, evidence suggests Wolbachia infections confer protection for Ae. aegypti against CHIKV. Although this approach holds much promise for limiting virus transmission, at present our understanding of the ability of CHIKV to infect, disseminate, and be transmitted by wMel-infected Ae. aegypti currently being used at Wolbachia release sites is limited.Methodology/principal findingsUsing Ae. aegypti infected with the wMel strain of Wolbachia that are being released in Medellin, Colombia, we report that these mosquitoes have reduced vector competence for CHIKV, even with extremely high viral titers in the bloodmeal. In addition, we examined the dynamics of CHIKV infection over the course of four to seven days post feeding. Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes remained non-infective over the duration of seven days, i.e., no infectious virus was detected in the saliva when exposed to bloodmeals of moderate viremia, but CHIKV-exposed, wild type mosquitoes did have viral loads in the saliva consistent with what has been reported elsewhere. Finally, the presence of wMel infection had no impact on the lifespan of mosquitoes as compared to wild type mosquitoes following CHIKV infection.Conclusions/significanceThese results could have an impact on vector control strategies in areas where Ae. aegypti are transmitting both DENV and CHIKV; i.e., they argue for further exploration, both in the laboratory and the field, on the feasibility of expanding this technology beyond DENV.

Dataset Information

Successful introgression of wMel Wolbachia into Aedes aegypti populations in Fiji, Vanuatu and Kiribati.

Publications

Successful introgression of wMel Wolbachia into Aedes aegypti populations in Fiji, Vanuatu and Kiribati.

Similar Datasets

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