S41598-021-89409-8.Pdf
www.nature.com/scientificreports OPEN Reduced competence to arboviruses following the sustainable invasion of Wolbachia into native Aedes aegypti from Southeastern Brazil João Silveira Moledo Gesto1,3,4, Gabriel Sylvestre Ribeiro1,3,4, Marcele Neves Rocha1,3,4, Fernando Braga Stehling Dias2,3, Julia Peixoto3, Fabiano Duarte Carvalho1, Thiago Nunes Pereira1 & Luciano Andrade Moreira1,3* Field release of Wolbachia-infected Aedes aegypti has emerged as a promising solution to manage the transmission of dengue, Zika and chikungunya in endemic areas across the globe. Through an efcient self-dispersing mechanism, and the ability to induce virus-blocking properties, Wolbachia ofers an unmatched potential to gradually modify wild Ae. aegypti populations turning them unsuitable disease vectors. Here we describe a proof-of-concept feld trial carried out in a small community of Niterói, greater Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Following the release of Wolbachia-infected eggs, we report here a successful invasion and long-term establishment of the bacterium across the territory, as denoted by stable high-infection indexes (> 80%). We have also demonstrated that refractoriness to dengue and Zika viruses, either thorough oral-feeding or intra-thoracic saliva challenging assays, was maintained over the adaptation to the natural environment of Southeastern Brazil. These fndings further support Wolbachia’s ability to invade local Ae. aegypti populations and impair disease transmission, and will pave the way for future epidemiological and economic impact assessments. Te mosquito Aedes aegypti (= Stegomyia aegypti) holds a core status among tropical disease vectors, being able to host and transmit a broad variety of viruses, such as those causing dengue, Zika and chikungunya 1,2.
[Show full text]