Wolbachia strain wAlbB confers both fitness costs and benefit on Anopheles stephensi.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Wolbachia is a maternally transmitted intracellular bacterium that is estimated to infect up to 65% of insect species, but it is not naturally present in Anopheles malaria vectors. Wolbachia-based strategies for malaria vector control can be developed either through population replacement to reduce vectorial capacity or through population suppression to reduce the mosquito population. We have previously generated An. stephensi mosquitoes carrying a stable wAlbB Wolbachia infection and have demonstrated their ability to invade wild-type laboratory populations and confer resistance to Plasmodium on these populations.

Methods

We assessed wAlbB-associated fitness by comparing the female fecundity, immature development and survivorship, body size, male mating competive

SUBMITTER: Joshi D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4223616 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature