Open Release of Male Mosquitoes Infected with a Wolbachia Biopesticide: Field Performance and Infection Containment

摘要: Background: Lymphatic filariasis (LF) is a globally significant disease, with 1.3 billion persons in 83 countries at risk. A coordinated effort of administering annual macrofilaricidal prophylactics to the entire at-risk population has succeeded impacting and eliminating LF transmission multiple regions. However, some areas South Pacific are predicted persist as sites, due part biology mosquito vector, which led call for additional tools augment drug treatments. Autocidal strategies against mosquitoes resurging invasive vector borne examples that include field trials genetically modified Wolbachia replacement. critical questions must be addressed anticipation full trials, including assessments competitiveness transfected males risk unintended Methodology/Principal Findings: We report outcome experiments testing strategy employs biopesticide. The based upon Wolbachia-induced conditional sterility, known cytoplasmic incompatibility, repeated release incompatible suppress population. criticism biopesticide approach female or horizontal can result replacement instead suppression. present laboratory assessing their ability transmit via transmission. Conclusions/Significance: results demonstrate Wolbachia-transfected Aedes polynesiensis competitive under conditions during thirty-week open period, indicated by mark, release, recapture brood-hatch failure among females site. Experiments ‘dead end hosts’ methods were adequate prevent findings encourage continued development extension autocidal medically important species.