Molecular tool for monitoring the safety of Aedes (Stegomyia) aegypti Rockefeller rearing in arthropod containment facilities

Abstract The interest in and use of Aedes (Stegomyia) aegypti (Linnaeus) (Diptera: Culicidae) insectary lines increased in most laboratories around the world since the recognition of the transmission of human and animal pathogens by this mosquito species, resulting in further scientific research on tropical diseases and vectors, and the development of chemical and biological products for mosquito populations control. In recent years, approaches to mosquito populations reduction have focused on new technologies that include the release of Wolbachia-infected lines, genetically modified vector and insects subjected to radiation in the Sterile Insect Technique. In order to evaluate some of these techniques, it is essential to count with wild A. aegypti populations and the reference strain, accurately identified, maintained under laboratory conditions. This work proposes a new tool to monitor possible exchanges between reference mosquito strain and wild native populations of A. aegypti in neighboring areas, or between different lines in the same insectary. We aligned and compared ND5 gene fragments of A. aegypti from diverse sources, finding a region with putative Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms between individuals of Rockefeller (Rock) strain and different wild A. aegypti populations. These polymorphic sites in the molecular marker, allowed us to discriminate Rock reference strain from the wild A. aegypti haplotypes found in the southeast of Argentina and bordering areas with Brazil, Uruguay and Paraguay, and it can be useful as a tool for regulatory entities of mosquito insectaries at different Arthropod Containment Levels.