title: Chikungunya-Wolbachia interplay in Aedes albopictus.
abstract: A severe Chikungunya (CHIK) outbreak recently hit several countries of the Indian Ocean. On La Réunion Island, Aedes albopictus was incriminated as the major vector. This mosquito species is naturally co-infected with two distinct strains of the endosymbiont Wolbachia, namely wAlbA and wAlbB, which are increasingly attracting interest as potential tools for vector control. A PCR quantitative assay was developed to investigate Wolbachia/mosquito host interactions. We show that Wolbachia densities are slightly decreased in CHIK virus (CHIKV)-infected females. We measured the impact of CHIKV replication on a lysogenic virus: WO bacteriophage. Our data indicate that WO is sheltered by wAlbB, likely at a single copy per bacteria, and that CHIKV replication is not a physiological stress triggering WO entrance into the lytic cycle.
authors.affiliation: Université Montpellierz 2, France.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Tortosa
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Courtiol
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Moutailler
authors.forename: A-B
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Failloux
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Weill
mesh_terms: D000330:Aedes / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000821:virology*; D000818:Animals; D001435:Bacteriophages / Q000235:genetics*; D002646:Chikungunya virus / Q000235:genetics*; D017931:DNA Primers / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D006790:Host-Parasite Interactions; D007303:Insect Vectors; D010957:Plasmids / Q000235:genetics; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D017508:Reunion; D012737:Sex Factors; D014779:Virus Replication / Q000502:physiology; D020577:Wolbachia / Q000235:genetics / Q000821:virology*
chemical_list: D017931:DNA Primers