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Student 10-Minute Presentation Competition

Medical, Urban, and Veterinary Entomology

Student Competition

Student

Grad 10-min Competition: MUVE, Microbes

Identification of novel Wolbachia infections in Florida mosquitoes

Monday, November 10, 2025
8:24 AM - 8:36 AM Pacific
Location: Oregon Convention Center, Portland Ballroom 256, OCC
Oral Presentation Student Competition
Mosquito-borne diseases like malaria and dengue kill hundreds of thousands annually. Florida is a prominent site for arboviral disease and home to approximately 90 mosquito species. Among emerging novel biocontrol approaches is the use of Wolbachia, a virus-blocking endosymbiotic bacterium that is introduced artificially into mosquitoes to suppress disease. In contrast, naturally occurring Wolbachia infections can vary in their effects on pathogen infection; some decrease mosquito susceptibility to arbovirus and reduce transmission, while others have no effect. Despite their potential role in shaping vector competence, the natural distribution and prevalence of Wolbachia across mosquito species in Florida is largely unknown. To address this gap, we collected over 29,000 adult mosquitoes representing 35 species from east-central Florida, including both major vectors and nuisance species. We used qPCR to assess Wolbachia infection frequencies and titers, and Sanger sequencing to assess Wolbachia strain diversity. Wolbachia was detected in 37% of surveyed species, with six species exhibiting high infection frequencies (70–100%). To the best of our knowledge, we report Wolbachia infections in five mosquito species for the first time. Our results suggest that native Wolbachia infections are more widespread in Florida mosquitoes than previously known. This study provides a crucial foundation for exploring the ecological roles and effects of these native Wolbachia on the biology, speciation, and pathogen transmission for key mosquito species. Our results open new possibilities for environmentally safe vector control that leverage naturally occurring symbionts already integrated into local mosquito populations.