Population structure and invasion history of Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae) in Southeast Asia and Australasia

Abstract

AbstractThe dengue mosquito, Aedes aegypti (Linnaeus, 1762), is a highly invasive and medically significant vector of dengue, yellow fever, chikungunya and Zika viruses, whose global spread can be attributed to increased globalization in the 15th through 20th century. Records of the invasion history of Ae. aegypti across Southeast Asia are sparse and there is little knowledge regarding the invasion routes that the species exploited to gain a foothold in the Indo‐Pacific. Likewise, a broad and geographically thorough investigation of Ae. aegypti population genetics in the Indo‐Pacific is lacking, despite this region being highly impacted by diseases transmitted by this species. We assess 11 nuclear microsatellites and mitochondrial COI sequences, coupled with widespread sampling through the Indo‐Pacific region to characterise population structure at a broad geographic scale. We also perform a comprehensive literature search to collate documentation of the first known records of Ae. aegypti at various locations in the Indo‐Pacific. We revealed additional spatial population genetic structure of Ae. aegypti in Southeast Asia, the Indo‐Pacific and Australasia compared with previous studies and find differentiation between multiple Queensland and Torres Strait Islands populations. We also detected additional genetic breaks within Australia, Indonesia and Malaysia. Characterising the structure of previously unexplored populations through this region enhances the understanding of the population structure of Ae. aegypti in Australasia and Southeast Asia and may assist predictions of future mosquito movement, informing control strategies as well as assessing the risk of new invasion pathways.