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Wolbachia invades Anopheles stephensi populations and induces refractoriness to Plasmodium infection

Guowu Bian1, Deepak Joshi, Yuemei Dong

  • 1Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA.

Science (New York, N.Y.)
|May 11, 2013
PubMed

Insights

Researchers established a stable Wolbachia infection in the malaria mosquito Anopheles stephensi. This breakthrough shows potential for controlling malaria by making mosquitoes resistant to the Plasmodium parasite.

Area of Science:

  • Vector-borne disease control
  • Medical entomology
  • Microbial symbiosis

Background:

  • Wolbachia bacteria are maternally transmitted symbionts in insects.
  • Previous attempts to infect Anopheles mosquitoes with Wolbachia for disease control were unsuccessful.
  • Establishing stable Wolbachia infections is crucial for developing novel vector control strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To establish a stable Wolbachia infection in the malaria vector Anopheles stephensi.
  • To assess the maternal transmission and cytoplasmic incompatibility of Wolbachia in A. stephensi.
  • To evaluate the potential of Wolbachia to confer resistance against Plasmodium falciparum.

Main Methods:

  • Introduction of Wolbachia strain wAlbB into Anopheles stephensi.
  • Assessment of maternal transmission efficiency and induction of cytoplasmic incompatibility.
  • Population invasion assays by seeding uninfected A. stephensi with infected individuals.
  • Evaluation of wAlbB-infected mosquitoes' resistance to Plasmodium falciparum infection.

Main Results:

  • Successful establishment of a stable Wolbachia (wAlbB) infection in Anopheles stephensi.
  • Demonstrated perfect maternal transmission and high levels of cytoplasmic incompatibility.
  • Achieved successful Wolbachia invasion in laboratory mosquito populations.
  • Observed significant resistance to Plasmodium falciparum in wAlbB-infected mosquitoes.

Conclusions:

  • Stable Wolbachia infections can be established in the malaria vector Anopheles stephensi.
  • Wolbachia wAlbB exhibits key characteristics for effective population replacement strategies.
  • This finding opens new avenues for controlling malaria transmission using Wolbachia technology.

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