Abstract
Simple SummaryWolbachia bacteria from different strains, carried by many insects and nematodes, can interact in many ways with their hosts by changing their biology in different ways, including by suppressing vector population and reducing parasite transmission. Consequently, Wolbachia play an important role in vector control strategies. This study assessed the prevalence of natural Wolbachia infections in mosquitoes collected in Cameroon. Despite the low prevalence that was revealed, Wolbachia spp. were found in eight species of field-collected mosquitoes and are closely related to clades A and B. Aedes aegypti and A. gambiae sl., the main vectors of dengue and malaria, respectively, were not infected in this study, while C. moucheti recorded a high prevalence (46.67%). Future characterisation of the Wolbachia bacteria obtained is needed.Wolbachia spp., known to be maternally inherited intracellular bacteria, are widespread among arthropods, including mosquitoes. Our study assessed the presence and prevalence of Wolbachia infection in wild mosquitoes collected in Cameroon, using the combination of 23s rRNA Anaplasmatacea and 16s rRNA Wolbachia genes. Mosquitoes that were positive for Wolbachia were sequenced for subsequent phylogenetic analysis. Out of a total of 1740 individual mosquitoes belonging to 22 species and five genera screened, 33 mosquitoes (1.87%) belonging to eight species (namely, Aedes albopictus, A. contigus, Culex quinquefasciatus, C. perfuscus, C. wigglesworthi, C. duttoni, Anopheles paludis and Coquillettidia sp.) were found to be positive for Wolbachia infections. Wolbachia spp. were absent in A. gambiae and A. aegypti, the main vectors of malaria and dengue, respectively. Phylogenetic analysis of the 16S RNA sequences showed they belong mainly to two distinct subgroups (A and B). This study reports the presence of Wolbachia in about eight species of mosquitoes in Cameroon and suggests that future characterisation of the strains is needed.
Highlights
We focus on the detection of mosquito-borne bacteria circulating in Cameroon
From the five bacterial groups screened in this study (Rickettsia spp., Borrelia spp., Bartonella spp., Coxiella burnetii and Anaplasmataceae), only DNA particles of Anaplasmataceae were found in our samples (33/1740; 1.89%)
All positive samples (33) using the 23s rRNA gene were found to be positive for Wolbachia spp. (W. pipientis, Wolbachia endosymbiont of Ctenocephalides felis wCfeT, Wolbachia endosymbiont of Chrysomya megacephala) with the exception of two samples that were positive for Anaplasma ovis (MT408585) with identification scores ranging from
Summary
Mosquitoes (Diptera, Culicidae) are one of the most diverse groups of arthropods in the world and are found in a wide range of aquatic and terrestrial habitats with varying morphological and behavioural adaptations [1,2]. In Cameroon, mosquitoes are implicated in the transmission of 26 arboviruses, malaria parasites and filarial worms causing diseases to humans, birds and great apes [4]. These diseases account for about 17% of infectious diseases in the world, and at least half of the world’s population lives in areas where mosquito-borne diseases are endemic [4]. Despite the measurable success of these tools in reducing the malarial burden, resistance to mosquito insecticides has emerged and limits the effectiveness of these tools, calling for the development of new control strategies
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