Abstract
BackgroundAedes aegypti control programs have failed to restrain mosquito population expansion and, consequently, the spread of diseases such as dengue, Zika, and Chikungunya. Wolbachia infection of mosquitoes is a new and promising complementary tool for the control of arbovirus transmission. The use of Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes, mass reared using human blood, is currently being tested in several countries. However, the use of human blood for mass rearing mosquitoes, and thus expansion of this strategy, is problematic. With the aim of overcoming this problem, we tested the effect of different types of blood source on the fitness parameters of female Ae. aegypti and the Wolbachia titer over generations to be able to guarantee the suitability of an alternative source to human blood for mass rearing Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes.MethodsWe investigated and compared essential parameters of the vector capacity of laboratory strains of Ae. aegypti with and without Wolbachia that fed on blood of different types of host (human, guinea pig, and mouse). The parameters analyzed were fecundity, fertility, pupation dynamics, and adult survival. Also, we tested whether it is possible to maintain mosquitoes with Wolbachia on mouse blood over generations without losing the bacterium titer.ResultsThe average number of eggs per female, egg viability and pupation dynamics in the Wolbachia-infected mosquito (wMelBr) strain were similar, regardless of the blood source. The F1 progenies of females that fed on mouse blood or human blood were analyzed. The longevity of males was lower than that of females. F1 female survival differed depending on the presence of Wolbachia in the mother. In subsequent generations analyzed up until F35, the relative Wolbachia density was even higher when mosquitoes fed on mouse blood in comparison to human blood.ConclusionsTaken together, our results provide no evidence that the different types of blood influenced the fitness of the Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes. The presence of the bacterium in the colonies of Wolbachia-infected Ae. aegypti after 35 generations under the conditions evaluated indicates that they can be maintained on mouse blood. Based on these results, we show that it is possible to use mouse blood to feed female mosquitoes when using human blood for this purpose is problematic.Graphical
Highlights
Aedes aegypti control programs have failed to restrain mosquito population expansion and, the spread of diseases such as dengue, Zika, and Chikungunya
A random pool of mosquitoes was tested for the presence of Wolbachia by reverse transcription quantitative–polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR), as described below
The average number of eggs laid per female wMelBr was the same regardless of the blood source (P < 0.0001)
Summary
Aedes aegypti control programs have failed to restrain mosquito population expansion and, the spread of diseases such as dengue, Zika, and Chikungunya. The use of Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes, mass reared using human blood, is currently being tested in several countries. With the aim of overcoming this problem, we tested the effect of different types of blood source on the fitness parameters of female Ae. aegypti and the Wolbachia titer over generations to be able to guarantee the suitability of an alternative source to human blood for mass rearing Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes. A primary vector of arboviruses such as dengue, Zika, and chikungunya, has a wide geographical distribution and is found in tropical and subtropical regions around the world [1, 2]. Vector control programs have failed to restrain mosquito population expansion and, the spread of mosquito-borne diseases. No specific treatment nor effective vaccines are yet available for these diseases [6]
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