Phylogeny of Wolbachia strains in populations of Aedes aegypti and Culex pipiens in Hormozgan Province, South of Iran

Aedes aegypti , and Culex pipiens are the primary vector of human arboviral diseases, which represent an important public health problem. Controlling mosquitoes with Wolbachia as an endosymbiont bacterium is a new approach in this field. This study was conducted to detect Wolbachia infection in Aedes aegypti and Culex pipiens in Hormozgan Province, South of Iran. Specimens of Ae. aegypti and Cx. pipiens were collected from 10 localities in Bandar Abbas City, Hormozgan province of southern Iran. All samples were identified using valid identification keys. After DNA identification by Collin's method, genomic DNA of the mosquitoes were used for detection of Wolbachia infection by Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) amplification of Wolbachia surface protein (wsp gene). In this study, a total, 460 Ae. aegypti and 716 Cx. pipiens were collected. From a total of 358 adult Cx. pipiens screened using the wsp primer, 212 (59.22%) Cx. pipiens mosquitoes infected Wolbachia . The Cx. pipiens wsp sample sequences were similar to Wolbachia strains belonging to supergroups B. Out of a total of 230 Ae. aegypti investigations of Wolbachia infection, the results showed that there is no Wolbachia infection in this species. By utilizing wsp molecular maker, our study demonstrated the presence of supergroup B strain of Wolbachia in individual Cx. pipiens samples. Although no Wolbachia infection in Ae. aegypti was detected in present study but it is possible to introduce Wolbachia populations with Wolbachia -free populations by infecting this species and it can be used as a promising tool for controlling vectors and reducing the transmission of arboviral diseases by cytoplasmic incompatibility.