Open AccessAssessment of fitness and vector competence of a New Caledonia wMel Aedes aegypti strain before field-release
Author(s) -
Nicolas Pocquet,
Olivia O’Connor,
Heather A. Flores,
Jordan Tutagata,
Morgane Pol,
David J. Hooker,
Catherine Inizan,
Sylvie Russet,
Johanna M. Duyvestyn,
Etiene Casagrande Pacidônio,
Dominique Girault,
Daniela da Silva Gonçalves,
Marine Minier,
F. Touzain,
Elodie Chalus,
Kevin Lucien,
Florie Cheilan,
Tristan Derycke,
Sylvie Laumond,
Cameron P. Simmons,
Myrielle DupontRouzeyrol,
Nadège Rossi
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
plos neglected tropical diseases
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.99
H-Index - 135
eISSN - 1935-2735
pISSN - 1935-2727
DOI - 10.1371/journal.pntd.0009752
Subject(s) - aedes aegypti , biology , wolbachia , virology , dengue fever , chikungunya , dengue virus , outbreak , aedes , fecundity , vector (molecular biology) , population , medicine , larva , genetics , ecology , host (biology) , environmental health , recombinant dna , gene
Background Biological control programs involving Wolbachia -infected Aedes aegypti are currently deployed in different epidemiological settings. New Caledonia (NC) is an ideal location for the implementation and evaluation of such a strategy as the only proven vector for dengue virus (DENV) is Ae . aegypti and dengue outbreaks frequency and severity are increasing. We report the generation of a NC Wolbachia- infected Ae . aegypti strain and the results of experiments to assess the vector competence and fitness of this strain for future implementation as a disease control strategy in Noumea, NC. Methods/principal findings The NC Wolbachia strain (NC- w Mel) was obtained by backcrossing Australian AUS- w Mel females with New Caledonian Wild-Type (NC-WT) males. Blocking of DENV, chikungunya (CHIKV), and Zika (ZIKV) viruses were evaluated via mosquito oral feeding experiments and intrathoracic DENV challenge. Significant reduction in infection rates were observed for NC- w Mel Ae . aegypti compared to WT Ae . aegypti . No transmission was observed for NC- w Mel Ae . aegypti . Maternal transmission, cytoplasmic incompatibility, fertility, fecundity, wing length, and insecticide resistance were also assessed in laboratory experiments. Ae . aegypti NC- w Mel showed complete cytoplasmic incompatibility and a strong maternal transmission. Ae . aegypti NC- w Mel fitness seemed to be reduced compared to NC-WT Ae . aegypti and AUS- w Mel Ae . aegypti regarding fertility and fecundity. However further experiments are required to assess it accurately. Conclusions/significance Our results demonstrated that the NC- w Mel Ae . aegypti strain is a strong inhibitor of DENV, CHIKV, and ZIKV infection and prevents transmission of infectious viral particles in mosquito saliva. Furthermore, our NC- w Mel Ae . aegypti strain induces reproductive cytoplasmic incompatibility with minimal apparent fitness costs and high maternal transmission, supporting field-releases in Noumea, NC.