Geographical distribution of Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus (Diptera: Culicidae) and genetic diversity of invading population of Ae. albopictus in the Republic of the Congo

Wellcome Open Research

article

Basile Kamgang¹  Theodel A. Wilson-Bahun¹  Helen Irving³  Michael O. Kusimo¹  Arsene Lenga²  Charles S. Wondji¹ 

[1] Medical Entomology, Centre for Research in Infectious Diseases;Faculty of Science and Technology, Marien Ngouabi University;Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine

关键词: Aedes albopictus;    Aedes aegypti;    ecological distribution;    arbovirus vectors;    genetic diversity;    Republic of Congo;   

DOI  :  10.12688/wellcomeopenres.14659.3

学科分类：内科医学

来源: Wellcome

【 摘 要 】

Background: The arbovirus vector,Aedes albopictus, originating from Asia, has recently invaded African countries, including the Republic of the Congo, where it was associated with a chikungunya outbreak. Up until now, little was known about its distribution in relation to the nativeAedes aegypti and how the invasion will modify the epidemiology of arboviral diseases. Here, we assessed the current distribution ofAe. albopictus andAe. aegypti in the Republic of the Congo and explored the genetic diversity of the invading species,Ae. albopictus.Methods: Immature stages ofAedes were collected in nine locations in the Republic of the Congo in 2017 following a north-south transect and reared to adult stage. Adults were morphologically identified, counted and grouped according to species and location. Genetic diversity ofAe. albopictus was assessed by analyzing the cytochrome oxidase I (COI) gene.Results: Ae. albopictus andAe. aegypti were found together across the country in all the locations investigated. The invasive species is predominant over the native species in all locations except Brazzaville, suggesting thatAe. albopictus is displacingAe. aegypti across Congo. When comparing the species distributions across the two largest cities, Brazzaville and Pointe Noire,Ae. albopictus was more prevalent thanAe. aegypti in the suburbs whereas the opposite situation was reported in the city centre. Mitochondrial DNA analysis revealed very low genetic diversity ofAe. albopictus with only three haplotypes recorded across the country supporting the recent introduction of this species in the Republic of the Congo. Phylogenetic tree analysis revealed thatAe. albopictus from Congo originated from other tropical Asian countries such as China, likely as a result of increasing trade links.Conclusion: These findings are important for the implementation of vector control strategies and can serve as a foundation for further research on these vectors in the country.

【 授权许可】

CC BY