1. Successful introgression of wMel Wolbachia into Aedes aegypti populations in Fiji, Vanuatu and Kiribati.
- Author
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Simmons CP, Donald W, Tagavi L, Tarivonda L, Quai T, Tavoa R, Noran T, Manikaoti E, Kareaua L, Abwai TT, Chand D, Rama V, Deo V, Deo KK, Tavuii A, Valentine W, Prasad R, Seru E, Naituku L, Ratu A, Hesketh M, Kenny N, Beebe SC, Goundar AA, McCaw A, Buntine M, Green B, Frossard T, Gilles JRL, Joubert DA, Wilson G, Duong LQ, Bouvier JB, Stanford D, Forder C, Duyvestyn JM, Pacidônio EC, Flores HA, Wittmeier N, Retzki K, Ryan PA, Denton JA, Smithyman R, Tanamas SK, Kyrylos P, Dong Y, Khalid A, Hodgson L, Anders KL, and O'Neill SL
- Subjects
- Animals, Humans, Mosquito Vectors genetics, Mosquito Vectors microbiology, Fiji epidemiology, Vanuatu, Dengue Virus, Aedes genetics, Aedes microbiology, Wolbachia genetics, Zika Virus Infection, Zika Virus, Dengue
- Abstract
Pacific Island countries have experienced periodic dengue, chikungunya and Zika outbreaks for decades. The prevention and control of these mosquito-borne diseases rely heavily on control of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, which in most settings are the primary vector. Introgression of the intracellular bacterium Wolbachia pipientis (wMel strain) into Ae. aegypti populations reduces their vector competence and consequently lowers dengue incidence in the human population. Here we describe successful area-wide deployments of wMel-infected Ae. aegypti in Suva, Lautoka, Nadi (Fiji), Port Vila (Vanuatu) and South Tarawa (Kiribati). With community support, weekly releases of wMel-infected Ae. aegypti mosquitoes for between 2 to 5 months resulted in wMel introgression in nearly all locations. Long term monitoring confirmed a high, self-sustaining prevalence of wMel infecting mosquitoes in almost all deployment areas. Measurement of public health outcomes were disrupted by the Covid19 pandemic but are expected to emerge in the coming years., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Simmons et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)
- Published
- 2024
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