A study on Wolbachia-dengue-carrying Aedes mosquitoes (diptera: culicidae) focuses on the sustainability and frequency of Wolbachia in high-rise buildings in Selangor, Malaysia

The challenge of dengue control due to the unavailability of a specific medication stresses the importance of releasing Wolbachia -carrying mosquitoes through vector control programs. This study investigated the sustainability and frequency of Wolbachia in Wolbachia -dengue-carrying mosquitoes in two dengue hotspot localities in Selangor. A modified sticky ovitrap was used to collect adult mosquitoes in two Wolbachia -releasing areas in Selangor, Kelana Puteri and Kelana D'Putera condominiums. All mosquito samples were subjected to PCR using wsp-specific primers for Wolbachia detection. Dengue virus was detected using RT-PCR, followed by multiplex-PCR. Out of the 80 Aedes spp. collected , Ae. aegypti was the most predominant species. More than one-third of Ae. aegypti were positive for Wolbachia , with 22.9% being superinfected with both Wolbachia A and B strains. About 61.4% of the species were uninfected with Wolbachia . Ae. aegypti carrying the Wolbachia A strain was also identified, which has previously never been reported. This strain was similar to the one found naturally in Ae. albopictus . None of the Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus were positive for dengue virus. This study could serve as a model for local researchers or health authorities to design and plan an effective field release and monitoring of Wolbachia -infected mosquitoes.