Quality control of long-term mass-reared Aedes albopictus for population suppression

Abstract The endosymbiotic bacterium Wolbachia is being developed as a tool to suppress mosquito populations and their transmitted pathogens, with successful field trials in multiple countries having resulted efforts scale up the capacity mass-produce mosquitoes for release. However, major challenges exist achieving this goal, including concerns that mass-reared will adapt laboratory conditions during long-term maintenance experience inbreeding depression, resulting poor performance of released field. Here, we assessed Aedes albopictus HC line infected triple-strain after mass-rearing at scaled-up densities 15 million per week over 50 generations. In comparison wild-type GUA line, had desirable characteristics release, robust male mating competitiveness, high female reproductive capacity, reduced vector competence dengue virus, increased density. Although larval survival rate lines was similar, larvae significantly faster, possibly because up-regulation molting hormone 20-hydroxyecdysone-related gene E75 larvae. Our results indicate many generations can retain quality if large effective population sizes sufficient genetic heterogeneity are maintained under optimized rearing demonstrate feasibility deploying -based approaches area-wide management vectors disease control.