Abstract
AbstractBackgroundWolbachia pipientisis an endosymbiont bacteria that induce cytoplasmic incompatibility and inhibit arboviral replication in mosquitoes. This study aimed at estimating the prevalence and genetic diversity ofWolbachiain different mosquito (Diptera: Culicidae) species from Cape Verde.MethodsMosquitoes were collected in six islands of Cape Verde using dippers/pipettes, BG-sentinel® traps, CDC light traps, and dorsal aspirators. Samples were identified to species using morphological keys and PCR-based molecular assays.Wolbachiawas detected by amplifying a fragment of the surface protein gene (wsp). Multilocus sequence typing (MLST) was performed with five housekeeping genes (coxA, gatB, ftsZ, hcpA and fbpA) and thewsphypervariable region (HVR) for strain identification. Identification ofwPip groups (wPip-I towPip-V) was performed using PCR-RFLP assay on the ankyrin-domain genepk1.ResultsNine mosquito species were collected, including the major vectorsAedes aegypti, Anopheles arabiensis, Culex pipiens s.s. andCulex quinquefasciatus. Wolbachiawas detected inCx. pipiens s.s. (100% prevalence),Cx. quinquefasciatus (98.3%), Cx. pipiens/quinquefasciatushybrids (100%) andCulex tigripes (100%). Results from MLST andwsphypervariable region typing showed thatWolbachiafromCx. pipiens s.l. belong to Sequence Type 9,wPip clade and supergroup BWolbachia. Phylogenetic analyses indicate thatWolbachiaisolated fromCx. tigripesbelongs to Supergroup B but integrates a distinct clade fromwPip with no attributed MLST profile. PCR-RFLP revealedwPip-II,wPip-III andwPip-IV groups inCulex pipiens s.l. wPip-IV was the dominant group, whilewPip-II andwPip-III were restricted to Maio and Fogo islands, respectively.ConclusionOur study showed a high prevalence and diversity ofWolbachiainCx pipiens s.l. from Cape Verde islands and, to the best of our knowledge, is the first to detectWolbachiainCx. tigripes, being represented in this species by a previously undescribed MLST Sequence Type.
Publisher
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory