Mosquito larva distribution and natural Wolbachia infection in campus areas of Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand

Thunyarat Surasiang; Sirilak Chumkiew; Pongsakorn Martviset; Pathanin Chantree; Pongsakorn Martviset; Pathanin Chantree; Mantana Jamklang

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Mosquito larva distribution and natural Wolbachia infection in campus areas of Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand

Author: Thunyarat SURASIANG ¹ ; Sirilak CHUMKIEW ² ; Pongsakorn MARTVISET ³ ; Pathanin CHANTREE ³ ; Pongsakorn MARTVISET ⁴ ; Pathanin CHANTREE ⁴ ; Mantana JAMKLANG ⁵
Author Information

1. Institute of Molecular Biosciences, Mahidol University
2. School of Biology, Institute of Science, Suranaree University of Technology
3. Research Unit in Nutraceuticals and Food Safety, Thammasat University
4. Department of Preclinical Science, Faculty of Medicine, Thammasat University
5. School of Preclinical Sciences, Institute of Science, Suranaree University of Technology
Publication Type:Journal Article
Keywords: Breeding sites; Breteau Index; Campus area; Dengue; House Index; Mosquito larvae; Wolbachia
From: Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Medicine 2022;15(7):314-321
CountryChina
Language:Chinese
Abstract: Objective: To determine the prevalence of mosquito larvae in campus areas and the infection rate of endosymbiotic bacteria, Wolbachia in mosquito larvae. Method: The mosquito larvae samples were collected in residential areas and academic buildings of Suranaree University of Technology located in Northeastern Thailand during 2017-2018. Mosquito species identification was performed using GLOBE mosquito protocols and Rattanarithikul & Panthusiri's keys. The gene encoding for the surface protein of Wolbachia was amplified by PCR and confirmed by DNA sequencing. Results: Armigeres sp. is the highest proportion of mosquito larvae followed by Culex spp., Aedes albopictus, Aedes aegypti, and Toxorynchites spp., respectively. Aedes aegypti have breeding sites mostly in the containers found indoors, whereas the main breeding sites of Aedes albopictus were found in both outdoors and indoors. The House Index and Breteau Index for Aedes spp. was more than 5% and 20%, respectively, in both areas, indicating that these areas are dengue sensitive. The highest proportion of Wolbachia infection was found in the larvae of Culex spp. (86.21%), followed by Aedes albopictus (69.23%) and rarely detected in Aedes aegypti (9.09%). Conclusion: The present study reported the first natural infection of Wolbachia in mosquito larvae in Thailand. Our result suggested that the mosquito species containing higher proportion of Wolbachia are less likely to be vectors for dengue. Therefore, Wolbachia transfection in mosquito larvae could be applied as a biocontrol for dengue and other mosquito-borne disease prevention.