Quantifying Fitness Costs in Transgenic Aedes aegypti Mosquitoes.

ABSTRACT: Transgenic mosquitoes often display fitness costs compared to their wild-type counterparts. In this regard, fitness cost studies involve collecting life parameter data from genetically modified mosquitoes and comparing them to mosquitoes lacking transgenes from the same genetic background. This manuscript illustrates how to measure common life history traits in the mosquito Aedes aegypti, including fecundity, wing size and shape, fertility, sex ratio, viability, development times, male contribution, and adult longevity. These parameters were chosen because they reflect reproductive success, are simple to measure, and are commonly reported in the literature. The representative results quantify fitness costs associated with either a gene knock-out or a single insertion of a gene drive elemen

SUBMITTER: Williams AE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11531664 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature