Demographic History, Genetic Load, and the Efficacy of Selection in the Globally Invasive Mosquito Aedes aegypti.

ABSTRACT: Aedes aegypti is the main vector species of yellow fever, dengue, Zika, and chikungunya. The species is originally from Africa but has experienced a spectacular expansion in its geographic range to a large swath of the world, and the demographic effects of which have remained largely understudied. In this report, we examine whole-genome sequences from six countries in Africa, North America, and South America to investigate the demographic history of the spread of A. aegypti into the Americas and its impact on genomic diversity and deleterious genetic load. In the Americas, we observe patterns of strong population structure consistent with relatively low (but probably nonzero) levels of gene flow but occasional long-range dispersal and/or recolonization events. We also find evidence that th

SUBMITTER: Kent TV 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12034524 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature