title: Distribution and dynamics of Wolbachia infection in Malaysian Aedes albopictus.
abstract: Wolbachia are maternally transmitted bacteria found in most arthropods and nematodes, but little is known about their distribution and reproductive dynamics in the Malaysian dengue vector Aedes albopictus. In this study, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to determine the presence of Wolbachia from field collected Ae. albopictus from various parts of the country using wsp specific primers. Ae. albopictus had Wolbachia infection ranging from 60 to 100%. No sequence diversity of wsp gene was found within all wAlbA and wAlbB sequences. Our findings suggest that Wolbachia infection amongst the Malaysian Ae. albopictus were not homogenously distributed in all districts in Malaysia. The presence of Wolbachia in different organs of Ae. albopictus was also determined. Wolbachia were only found in the ovaries and midguts of the mosquitoes, while absent in the salivary glands. The effects of Wolbachia on Ae. albopictus fecundity, longevity and egg viability were studied using infected and uninfected colonies. The removal of Wolbachia from Ae. albopictus resulted in reduced fecundity, longevity and egg viability, thus. Wolbachia seem to play a vital role in Ae. albopictus reproductive system.
authors.affiliation: Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Sylvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Joanne
authors.affiliation: Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia. Electronic address: indra.vythilingam@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Indra
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Vythilingam
authors.affiliation: Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Nava
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Yugavathy
authors.affiliation: Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Cherng-Shii
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Leong
authors.affiliation: Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Meng-Li
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Wong
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Sazaly
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: AbuBakar
mesh_terms: D000330:Aedes / Q000382:microbiology*; D000818:Animals; D003715:Dengue / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000635:transmission; D014644:Genetic Variation; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D007303:Insect Vectors / Q000382:microbiology*; D008296:Malaysia / Q000453:epidemiology; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D020577:Wolbachia / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology
keywords: Aedes albopictus; Dengue; Egg viability; Fecundity; Longevity; Wolbachia