Ecological dynamics of field Aedes albopictus populations under Wolbachia-mediated suppression

作者：Yongjun Li, Jun‐Tao Gong, Yongkang Liang, Linchao Hu, Yingyang Wei, Renxian Gan, Xiao Hua Wang, Jianshe Yu, Moxun Tang, Ary A. Hoffmann, Bo Zheng, Zhiyong Xi · 发表于：Infectious Diseases of Poverty · 年份：2025 · DOI：10.1186/s40249-025-01367-9 · 被引用次数：4 · 研究领域：Insect symbiosis and bacterial influences、Mosquito-borne diseases and control、Insect and Pesticide Research

BACKGROUND: The incompatible insect technique (IIT), based on Wolbachia-induced conditional sterility, has proven highly effective in suppressing mosquito populations for dengue control. However, concerns that accidental release of infected females could drive population replacement have prompted integration of IIT with irradiation or advanced sex-separation technologies. Moreover, the broader ecological consequences of IIT-based suppression remain insufficiently understood. Here, we investigated whether standalone IIT, leveraging Wolbachia-associated fitness costs under real-world conditions, can effectively suppress Aedes albopictus populations without causing replacement, while also addressing key ecological concerns related to IIT-based mosquito population suppression. METHODS: We conducted field trials on Shazai Island, Nansha District, Guangzhou, China, releasing approximately 16,000 Wolbachia wPip-transinfected A. albopictus HC males per hectare per week from 2018 to 2019, following three years of combined IIT and sterile insect technique (SIT) application. Population suppression was monitored, with wPip infection frequency assessed to evaluate population replacement risks. Two-dimensional system of ordinary differential equations incorporating Wolbachia-induced fitness costs was established to predict population dynamics. Additionally, we assessed female mating preferences after three years of suppression and the impact on non-target Culex quinquefasciatus populations...