Detection of filarial parasites and Wolbachia endosymbiotic bacteria in mosquitoes by PCR

ABSTRACT

Wuchereria Bancroft; the principal etiologic agent of lymphatic filariasis is mosquito dependant in the biological transmission. Dirofilariasis is essentially a disease of canines which can also be trans-mitted to humans by culicine mosquitoes. Wolbachia are Rickettsia-like, obligatory intracellular bacteria that infect the reproductive and somatic tissues of some arthropods and nematodes. Our study aimed to identify the possible association between filarial parasites and Wolbachia by single and multiplex PCR. 1600 female mosquitoes collected from four localities in Assiut Governorate, Egypt were microscopically identified and divided into 64 mosquito pools according to their genera and collection site. Single PCR was firstly conducted on mosquitoes followed by multiplex PCR for simultaneous detection of the three filarial parasites [Wucheraria bancrofti, Dirofilaria immitis, and Dirofilaria repens] and Wolbachia in mosquitoes. The results indicated that Out of 64 mosquito pools, 8 pools were positive for Wuchererio bancrofti with estimated rate of infection [ERI 0.53%], 3 for each of Dirofilaria immitis and Dirofilaria repens [ERI 0.19%] and 6 pools were positive for Wolbachia [ERI 0.39%], five of them with filarial parasites [W. Bancrofti, D. immitis and D repens] [83.3%], with a significant P. value [< 0.05]. We concluded that there was a strong association between the presence of Wolbachia and filarial parasites that should be considered during the treatment of patients with filarial diseases by the use of specific anti-Wolbachia antibiotic in addition to the usual anti-filarial drugs