Evidence for natural hybridization and novel Wolbachia strain superinfections in the Anopheles gambiae complex from Guinea
Open Access
- 7 April 2021
- journal article
- research article
- Published by The Royal Society in Royal Society Open Science
- Vol. 8 (4)
- https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.202032
Abstract
Wolbachia, a widespread bacterium which can influence mosquito-borne pathogen transmission, has recently been detected within Anopheles (An.) species that are malaria vectors in Sub-Saharan Africa. Although studies have reported Wolbachia strains in the An. gambiae complex, apparent low density and prevalence rates require confirmation. In this study, wild Anopheles mosquitoes collected from two regions of Guinea were investigated. In contrast with previous studies, RNA was extracted from adult females (n = 516) to increase the chances for the detection of actively expressed Wolbachia genes, determine Wolbachia prevalence rates and estimate relative strain densities. Molecular confirmation of mosquito species and Wolbachia multilocus sequence typing (MLST) were carried out to analyse phylogenetic relationships of mosquito hosts and newly discovered Wolbachia strains. Strains were detected in An. melas (prevalence rate of 11.6%–16/138) and hybrids between An. melas and An. gambiae sensu stricto (prevalence rate of 40.0%–6/15) from Senguelen in the Maferinyah region. Furthermore, a novel high-density strain, termed wAnsX, was found in an unclassified Anopheles species. The discovery of novel Wolbachia strains (particularly in members, and hybrids, of the An. gambiae complex) provides further candidate strains that could be used for future Wolbachia-based malaria biocontrol strategies.Keywords
Funding Information
- Sir Henry Dale Fellowship (101285)
This publication has 78 references indexed in Scilit:
- Wolbachia Strain wAlbB Enhances Infection by the Rodent Malaria Parasite Plasmodium berghei in Anopheles gambiae MosquitoesApplied and Environmental Microbiology, 2012
- WolbachiastrainwMel induces cytoplasmic incompatibility and blocks dengue transmission inAedes albopictusProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2011
- Wolbachia and the biological control of mosquito‐borne diseaseEMBO Reports, 2011
- Population genetic structure of the malaria vector Anopheles nili in sub-Saharan AfricaMalaria Journal, 2010
- Host Adaptation of aWolbachiaStrain after Long-Term Serial Passage in Mosquito Cell LinesApplied and Environmental Microbiology, 2008
- Anopheles gambiae complex along The Gambia river, with particular reference to the molecular forms of An. gambiae s.sMalaria Journal, 2008
- Insertion polymorphisms of SINE200 retrotransposons within speciation islands of Anopheles gambiae molecular formsMalaria Journal, 2008
- Bacteria of the genus Asaia stably associate with Anopheles stephensi , an Asian malarial mosquito vectorProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2007
- Multilocus Sequence Typing System for the EndosymbiontWolbachia pipientisApplied and Environmental Microbiology, 2006
- A simple method for estimating evolutionary rates of base substitutions through comparative studies of nucleotide sequencesJournal of Molecular Evolution, 1980