Wolbachia wAlbB inhibit dengue and Zika infection in the mosquito Aedes aegypti with an Australian background
Fig 2
Wolbachia inhibit dengue 2 infections in Ae. aegypti wAlbB2-F4 mosquitoes.
(A) DENV-2 virus prevalence in the bodies, legs and wings, and saliva of Ae. aegypti wAlbB2-F4 and wild type mosquitoes 14 d after feeding on a blood meal containing 1 × 106.6 CCID50/ml (in C6/36 cells) of DENV-2 virus. P values are included for comparisons with significant differences in mosquito infection rates between wAlbB2-F4 and wild type mosquitoes (Fisher’s Exact test). (B) DENV-2 infection intensity in mosquitoes in A. Virus copy numbers were determined from bodies, legs and wings and saliva samples using quantitative reverse-transcriptase PCR (qRT-PCR). P values are shown for comparisons with significant different median virus copy numbers between wAlbB2-F4 and wild type mosquitoes (Mann-Whitney test). (C) Example whole body midsagittal section from a wild type mosquito dual stained for Wolbachia (green) and DENV-2 (red). (D) Whole body section of a wAlbB2-F4 female showing restriction of virus to the midgut. (E-F) High resolution images of midguts from wild type and wAlbB2-F4 mosquitoes showing lower DENV-2 staining density in the wAlbB2-F4 midgut. (G-H) High resolution images of salivary glands from wild type and wAlbB2-F4 mosquitoes showing dense Wolbachia infection and absence of DENV-2 infection in the latter. a, abdomen. h, head. LOD, limit of detection. m, midgut. s.g., salivary glands. t, thorax. Scale bars: C-D, 1 mm. E-F, 0.25 mm, G-H: 0.10 mm.