Establishment of wMel Wolbachia in Aedes aegypti mosquitoes and reduction of local dengue transmission in Cairns and surrounding locations in northern Queensland, Australia

作者：Peter A. Ryan, Andrew P. Turley, Geoff Wilson, Tim P. Hurst, Kate Retzki, Jack Brown-Kenyon, Lauren Hodgson, Nichola Kenny, Helen Victoria Cook, Brian L. Montgomery, Christopher J. Paton, Scott A. Ritchie, Ary A. Hoffmann, Nicholas Patrick Jewell, Stephanie K. Tanamas, Katherine L. Anders, Cameron P. Simmons, Scott Leslie O’Neill · 发表于：Gates Open Research · 年份：2019 · DOI：10.12688/gatesopenres.13061.1 · 被引用次数：247 · 研究领域：Insect symbiosis and bacterial influences、Mosquito-borne diseases and control、Insect and Pesticide Research

Background: The w Mel strain of Wolbachia has been successfully introduced into Aedes aegypti mosquitoes and subsequently shown in laboratory studies to reduce transmission of a range of viruses including dengue, Zika, chikungunya, yellow fever, and Mayaro viruses that cause human disease. Here we report the entomological and epidemiological outcomes of staged deployment of Wolbachia across nearly all significant dengue transmission risk areas in Australia. Methods: The w Mel strain of Wolbachia was backcrossed into the local Aedes aegypti genotype (Cairns and Townsville backgrounds) and mosquitoes were released in the field by staff or via community assisted methods. Mosquito monitoring was undertaken and mosquitoes were screened for the presence of Wolbachia . Dengue case notifications were used to track dengue incidence in each location before and after releases. Results: Empirical analyses of the Wolbachia mosquito releases, including data on the density, frequency and duration of Wolbachia mosquito releases, indicate that Wolbachia can be readily established in local mosquito populations, using a variety of deployment options and over short release durations (mean release period 11 weeks, range 2-22 weeks). Importantly, Wolbachia frequencies have remained stable in mosquito populations since releases for up to 8 years. Analysis of dengue case notifications data demonstrates near-elimination of local dengue transmission for the past five years in locations where Wolbachia...