Modelling the Spatial Spread of Wolbachia Bacteria in Mosquitoes

Modelling the Spatial Spread of Wolbachia Bacteria in Mosquitoes Minsu Kim Erasmus Mundus Masters in Complex Systems University of Warwick Wolbachia is a maternally inherited, intracellular bacteria that causes a number of abnormalities in their host’s reproductive system. Recent studies show that infecting mosquito populations with Wolbachia is a promising new strategy for controlling diseases such as dengue fever and yellow fever. Wolbachia infection can spread rapidly through mosquito populations following its introduction, and infected mosquitos have been shown to have a much reduced capacity to transmit disease. The success of this strategy depends on how easily and rapidly the Wolbachia spreads. This report is focused on the dynamics of Wolbachia infection in spatially heterogenous environments. We extend the single-patch model of mosquito population to the two-patch model as the simplest spatially heterogenous system. The twopatch model describes the interaction between mosquito population dynamics and Wolbachia infection frequency for an age-structured insect population regulated by larval density dependence. We show that spatial subdivision and migration between patches can affect to the dynamics of mosquitoes and spreads of Wolbachia. The results help to design a properWolbachia-releasing strategy to the heterogenous distribution of mosquito habitats.