Original paper

Effect of thermal stress on the aquatic stages of wAlbB Wolbachia-infected Aedes aegypti

Zulzahrin, Zulhisham; Azman, Izzati Kausar; Mohd, Sharifah Nor Akmar Syed; Naziri, Mohd Redzuan Ahmad; Roslan, Mohamad Khairul; Lau, Yee-Ling; Chan, Yoke Fun; Sam, I-Ching; Vythilingam, Indra; Lee, Wenn-Chyau

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Entomologia Generalis Volume 45 Number 1 (2025), p. 145 - 151

published: Feb 26, 2025
published online: Jan 21, 2025
manuscript accepted: Dec 17, 2024
final revised version received: Nov 27, 2024
manuscript revision requested: Oct 29, 2024
manuscript received: Aug 20, 2024

DOI: 10.1127/entomologia/2024/2946

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Abstract

Aedes aegypti mosquitoes have been incriminated as the vectors of several medically important pathogens. An important vector control strategy against Ae. aegypti is the release of Ae. aegypti infected with Wolbachia bacteria. The bacteria can either suppress the population of mosquitoes, or replace the mosquito population with Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes, which are believed to hamper the transmission of several pathogens. However, the fitness cost of Wolbachia infection on the different stages of mosquito under different temperature settings remains to be evaluated thoroughly. Here, the effect of cool (20 °C), standard ambient (25 °C), warm (30 °C), and hot (35 °C) water temperatures on the immatures of wAlbB-infected Ae. aegypti (WIA) and wAlbB-uninfected Ae. aegypti (WUA) were evaluated, to determine the feasibility and sustainability of the Wolbachia-based vector control method. The egg-hatching, pupation, and adult emergence of WIA and WUA were significantly affected by temperatures, with WIA demonstrating significantly lower thermotolerance than WUA. The lower success of metamorphosis by WIA than WUA at 30 °C raises concern about the feasibility of Ae. aegypti population replacement by WIA in the tropics, especially during the heatwave episodes experienced by many areas in 2024. The Wolbachia-based vector control strategy may be more suitable for areas with lower ambient temperature.

Keywords

vector biological control • mosquito juvenile stages • thermotolerance