ABSTRACT
ObjectiveTo investigate the infection and genotypes of Wolbachia in Aedes albopictus. MethodsAdult and larval samples of Aedes albopictus were collected from different residential and wild areas from 2020 to 2021， Wolbachia surface protein （wsp） gene was amplified and genotyped for wAlbA and wAlbB by PCR， and sequenced for phylogenetic analysis. The difference of detection rate among different habitats， male and female adult mosquitoes， adult and larvae was compared by χ2 analysis. ResultsThe detection rate of Wolbachia in adult and larvae of Aedes albopictus were 43.5% （77/177） and 70.4% （190/270）， respectively， with a statistically significant difference （χ2=32.086，P<0.001）， and wAlbA and wAlbB were mainly detected together. The detection rate of Wolbachia in female and male Aedes albopictus were 50.7% （76/150） and 3.7% （1/27）， respectively， with a statistically significant difference（χ2=20.533，P<0.001）. The detection rate of adult Aedes albopictus in Songjiang wild area， residential area and Hongkou residential area were 91.7% （55/60）， 18.8% （22/117） and 41.7% （30/72）， respectively， with a statistically significant difference （χ2=54.322，P<0.001）. Genotyping and phylogenetic analysis showed that adult and larvae of Aedes albopictus infected with Wolbachia were mainly wAlb A and wAlb B. In addition， some sequences formed clades independently， and the genetic distance from other sequences was relatively large. ConclusionInfection of Wolbachia in Aedes albopictus is relatively common in Songjiang District. The main genotypes are wAlb A and wAlb B and there may be other subtypes， which are worthy of further exploration and research.
ABSTRACT
ABSTRACT The emergence of insecticide resistance in different mosquito populations underscores the pressing need for alternative approaches to control vector-borne diseases. Among several technological strategies, the employment of bacterial symbionts, such as the Wolbachia pipientis strains wMel and wAlbB to inhibit the ability of Aedes aegypti (Linnaeus, 1762) to transmit dengue and Zika viruses in endemic regions worldwide is promising. This investigation examines both the bacterial diversity associated with Culex quinquefasciatus and the genetic diversity of Wolbachia in females collected in Coari, Amazonas State, Brazil. Both 16S rRNA and Wolbachia surface protein (wsp) gene sequences were generated and examined. Proteobacteria was the dominant phylum. Wolbachia was the predominant genus, followed by Providencia, unclassified Erwiniaceae, and Acinetobacter. The presence of Delftia in Cx. quinquefasciatus need further investigations to identify the strains and if any of them can inhibit the transmission of arboviruses by this mosquito. Wolbachia 16S rRNA sequences were detected in all samples analyzed. The wsp sequences from Coari specimens were identified as Wolbachia wPip strain of the supergroup B. These sequences are identical and share 100% similarity with those of other Cx. quinquefasciatus populations from Brazil. Our findings suggest the hypothesis of previous studies that the Wolbachia invasion in Cx. quinquefasciatus was recent.
ABSTRACT
Individual, naturally occurring Phlebotomus mongolensis and Phlebotomus caucasicus from Iran were screened for infections with the maternally inherited intracellular Rickettsia-like bacterium Wolbachia pipientis via targeting a major surface protein gene (wsp). The main objective of this study was to determine if W. pipientis could be detected in these species. The sandflies were screened using polymerase chain reaction to amplify a fragment of the Wolbachia surface protein gene. The obtained sequences were edited and aligned with database sequences to identify W. pipientis haplotypes. Two strains of Wolbachia were found. Strain Turk 54 (accession EU780683) is widespread and has previously been reported in Phlebotomus papatasi and other insects. Strain Turk 07 (accession KC576916) is a novel strain, found for first time in the two sister species. A-group strains of W. pipientis occur throughout much of the habitat of these sandflies. It is possible that Wolbachia is transferred via horizontal transmission. Horizontal transfer could shed light on sandfly control because Wolbachia is believed to drive a deleterious gene into sandflies that reduces their natural population density. With regard to our findings in this study, we can conclude that one species of sandfly can be infected with different Wolbachia strains and that different species of sandflies can be infected with a common strain.