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Effects on male fitness of removing Wolbachia infections from the mosquito Aedes albopictus

TitleEffects on male fitness of removing Wolbachia infections from the mosquito Aedes albopictus
Publication TypeArticolo su Rivista peer-reviewed
Year of Publication2009
AuthorsCalvitti, Maurizio, Moretti Riccardo, Porretta Daniele, Bellini R., and Urbanelli Sandra
JournalMedical and Veterinary Entomology
Volume23
Pagination132 - 140
Date Published2009///
KeywordsAedes albopictus, Cytoplasmatic incompatibility, Fitness, Genetic control, Male symbiosis, Wolbachia
Abstract

Cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI) induced by maternally inherited Wolbachia bacteria is a potential tool for the suppression of insect pest species with appropriate patterns of infection. The Asian tiger mosquito Aedes albopictus (Skuse) (Diptera: Culicidae) is known to be infected by two strains of Wolbachia pipientis Hertig (Rickettsiales: Rickettsiaceae), w Alb A and w Alb B, throughout its geographical distribution. This infection pattern theoretically restricts the application of CI-based control strategies. However, Wolbachia can be horizontally transferred using embryonic microinjection to generate incompatible transfected lines harbouring a single new strain of Wolbachia. In order to assess the feasibility of this approach, the effects of Wolbachia removal on mosquito fitness need to be clearly evaluated as the removal of natural superinfection is an inescapable step of this approach. Previous research has shown that uninfected females, produced by antibiotic treatment, showed a decrease in fitness compared with those infected with Wolbachia. In this study, the effect of Wolbachia removal on male fitness was investigated. Longevity and reproductive potential (mating competitiveness and sperm capacity) were assessed in both laboratory cages and greenhouses. No differences were observed between uninfected and infected males with respect to longevity, mating rate, sperm capacity and mating competitiveness in either laboratory conditions or greenhouses. The preservation of fitness in males of Ae. albopictus deprived of natural Wolbachia infection is discussed in relation to the development of incompatible insect technique suppression strategies. Finally, the potential application of aposymbiotic males in mark - release - recapture studies is suggested. © 2009.

Notes

Cited By (since 1996): 1Export Date: 23 August 2010Source: Scopus

URLhttp://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?eid=2-s2.0-66749164648&partnerID=40&md5=5be448e8956ed230f83d0b7644ff23e7
Citation Key158