Abstract
The insect endosymbiont Wolbachia pipientis (Rickettsiales: Rickettsiaceae) is undergoing field trials around the world to determine if it can reduce transmission of dengue virus from the mosquito Stegomyia aegypti to humans. Two different Wolbachia strains have been released to date. The primary effect of the wMel strain is pathogen protection whereby infection with the symbiont limits replication of dengue virus inside the mosquito. A second strain, wMelPop, induces pathogen protection, reduces the adult mosquito lifespan and decreases blood feeding success in mosquitoes after 15 days of age. Here we test whether Wolbachia infection affects mosquito attraction to host odours in adults aged 5 and 15 days. We found no evidence of reduced odour attraction of mosquitoes, even for those infected with the more virulent wMelPop. This bodes well for fitness and competitiveness in the field given that the mosquitoes must find hosts to reproduce for the biocontrol method to succeed.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 457-460 |
| Number of pages | 4 |
| Journal | Medical and Veterinary Entomology |
| Volume | 28 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Dec 1 2014 |
UN SDGs
This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
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SDG 3 Good Health and Well-being
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- Parasitology
- Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
- General Veterinary
- Insect Science
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