Dataset Information

Female Adult Aedes albopictus Suppression by Wolbachia-Infected Male Mosquitoes.

ABSTRACT: Dengue, chikungunya and zika viruses are pathogens with an increasing global impact. In the absence of an approved vaccine or therapy, their management relies on controlling the mosquito vectors. But traditional controls are inadequate, and the range of invasive species such as Aedes albopictus (Asian Tiger Mosquito) is expanding. Genetically modified mosquitoes are being tested, but their use has encountered regulatory barriers and public opposition in some countries. Wolbachia bacteria can cause a form of conditional sterility, which can provide an alternative to genetic modification or irradiation. It is unknown however, whether openly released, artificially infected male Ae. albopictus can competitively mate and sterilize females at a level adequate to suppress a field population. Also, the unintended establishment of Wolbachia at the introduction site could result from horizontal transmission or inadvertent female release. In 2014, an Experimental Use Permit from the United States Environmental Protection Agency approved a pilot field trial in Lexington, Kentucky, USA. Here, we present data showing localized reduction of both egg hatch and adult female numbers. The artificial Wolbachia type was not observed to establish in the field. The results are discussed in relation to the applied use of Wolbachia-infected males as a biopesticide to suppress field populations of Ae. albopictus.

SUBMITTER: Mains JW

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5034338 | biostudies-other | 2016 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-other

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Female Adult Aedes albopictus Suppression by Wolbachia-Infected Male Mosquitoes.

Mains James W JW Brelsfoard Corey L CL Rose Robert I RI Dobson Stephen L SL

Scientific reports 20160923

Dengue, chikungunya and zika viruses are pathogens with an increasing global impact. In the absence of an approved vaccine or therapy, their management relies on controlling the mosquito vectors. But traditional controls are inadequate, and the range of invasive species such as Aedes albopictus (Asian Tiger Mosquito) is expanding. Genetically modified mosquitoes are being tested, but their use has encountered regulatory barriers and public opposition in some countries. Wolbachia bacteria can cau ...[more]

PMID: 27659038

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Project description:The dispersal patterns of mosquito vectors are important drivers of vector-borne infectious disease dynamics and understanding movement patterns is pivotal to devise successful intervention strategies. Here, we investigate the dispersal patterns of two globally important mosquito vectors, Aedes albopictus and Culex quinquefasciatus, by marking naturally-occurring larvae with stable isotopes (13C or 15N). Marked individuals were captured with 32 CDC light trap, 32 gravid trap, and 16 BG Sentinel at different locations within two-kilometer radii of six larval habitats enriched with either 13C or 15N. In total, 720 trap nights from July to August 2013 yielded a total of 32,140 Cx. quinquefasciatus and 7,722 Ae. albopictus. Overall, 69 marked female mosquitoes and 24 marked male mosquitoes were captured throughout the study period. The distance that Cx. quinquefasciatus females traveled differed for host-seeking and oviposition-seeking traps, with females seeking oviposition sites traveling further than those seeking hosts. Our analysis suggests that 41% of Cx. quinquefasciatus females that were host-seeking occurred 1-2 kilometer from their respective natal site, while 59% remained within a kilometer of their natal site. In contrast, 59% of Cx. quinquefasciatus females that were seeking oviposition sites occurred between 1-2 kilometer away from their larval habitat, while 15% occurred > 2 kilometer away from their natal site. Our analysis estimated that approximately 100% of Ae. albopictus females remained within 1 km of their respective natal site, with 79% occurring within 250m. In addition, we found that male Ae. albopictus dispersed farther than females, suggesting male-biased dispersal in this Ae. albopictus population. This study provides important insights on the dispersal patterns of two globally relevant vector species, and will be important in planning next generation vector control strategies that mitigate mosquito-borne disease through sterile insect techniques, novel Wolbachia infection, and gene drive strategies.

Project description:Juvenile hormone (JH) is a major hormonal regulator in insects. In Aedes aegypti females, JH signals the completion of the ecdysis to the adult stage and initiates reproductive processes. Although the regulation of JH synthesis and titer in Ae. aegypti females has been extensively studied, relatively little is known about changes of JH synthesis and titers in male mosquitoes, as well as on the roles of JH controlling male reproductive biology. A better understanding of male mosquito reproductive biology, including an improved knowledge of the hormonal control of reproduction, could increase the likelihood of success of male-targeting vector control programs. Using a high performance liquid chromatography coupled to electrospray tandem mass spectrometry method, we measured JH biosynthesis and hemolymph levels in male mosquitoes during pupal and adult stages. Our results revealed tightly concomitant changes in JH biosynthesis and JH hemolymph titers. Synthesis of JH III was very low in late pupae, significantly increased during the first 24 h after adult eclosion, and then remained relatively constant during the first six days after adult eclosion. Feeding high sugar diets resulted in an increase of JH synthesis and titers, and starvation significantly decreased JH synthesis, but this effect could be reversed by changing the males back to a high sugar diet. JH synthesis rates were similar in virgin and mated males, but hemolymph JH levels were different in well-nourished virgin and mated males. Starvation resulted in a significant reduction in insemination rates; with well-nourished males inseminating 2 times more females than water-fed. Giving a 20% sugar meal for 24 h to those mosquitoes that were previously starved for 6 days, caused a significant rise in insemination rates, restoring them to levels similar to those recorded for 20% fed males. These results suggest that nutrition plays a role on male fecundity, and this effect might be mediated by JH.

Dataset Information

Female Adult Aedes albopictus Suppression by Wolbachia-Infected Male Mosquitoes.

Publications

Female Adult Aedes albopictus Suppression by Wolbachia-Infected Male Mosquitoes.

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