Abstract
Field release of Wolbachia-infected Aedes aegypti has emerged as a promising solution to manage the transmission of dengue, Zika and chikungunya in endemic areas across the globe. Through an efficient self-dispersing mechanism, and the ability to induce virus-blocking properties, Wolbachia offers an unmatched potential to gradually modify wild Ae. aegypti populations turning them unsuitable disease vectors. Here we describe a proof-of-concept field trial carried out in a small community of Niterói, greater Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Following the release of Wolbachia-infected eggs, we report here a successful invasion and long-term establishment of the bacterium across the territory, as denoted by stable high-infection indexes (> 80%). We have also demonstrated that refractoriness to dengue and Zika viruses, either thorough oral-feeding or intra-thoracic saliva challenging assays, was maintained over the adaptation to the natural environment of Southeastern Brazil. These findings further support Wolbachia’s ability to invade local Ae. aegypti populations and impair disease transmission, and will pave the way for future epidemiological and economic impact assessments.
Highlights
The mosquito Aedes aegypti (= Stegomyia aegypti) holds a core status among tropical disease vectors, being able to host and transmit a broad variety of viruses, such as those causing dengue, Zika and c hikungunya[1,2]
A small community in Rio de Janeiro (RJ) was subject to a rolling out strategy based on adult releases, which led to the invasion and long-term establishment of the bacterium in the field
To evaluate the efficiency of egg releases as a method of Wolbachia field deployment in Brazil, we carried out a pilot study in Jurujuba, a suburban neighborhood of Niterói (Rio de Janeiro State)
Summary
The mosquito Aedes aegypti (= Stegomyia aegypti) holds a core status among tropical disease vectors, being able to host and transmit a broad variety of viruses, such as those causing dengue, Zika and c hikungunya[1,2]. Since effective vaccines or therapeutic drugs are still under d evelopment[13,14,15] and not currently available to fight outbreaks of Zika, dengue and chikungunya, public health initiatives rely entirely on vector control This is achieved by the mechanical elimination of breeding sites and the use of chemical insecticides to reduce Ae. aegypti populations. Successful field release trials using Ae. aegypti lines infected with Wolbachia wMel strain have been reported in Northern Australia, Indonesia and more recently in Southeastern B razil[22,40,41] In the latter, a small community in Rio de Janeiro (RJ) was subject to a rolling out strategy based on adult releases, which led to the invasion and long-term establishment of the bacterium in the field. Important vector competence data following the invasion is still lacking and needs to be assessed in order to provide evidence of virus-blocking maintenance
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