How to translate text using browser tools
18 April 2017 Landscape Genetics of Aedes mcintoshi (Diptera: Culicidae), an Important Vector of Rift Valley Fever Virus in Northeastern Kenya
Lindsay P. Campbell, Alana M. Alexander
Author Affiliations +
Abstract

Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV) is a vector-borne, zoonotic disease that affects humans, wild ungulates, and domesticated livestock in Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. Rift Valley fever virus exhibits interepizootic and epizootic phases, the latter defined by widespread virus occurrence in domesticated livestock. Kenya appears to be particularly vulnerable to epizootics, with 11 outbreaks occurring between 1951 and 2007. The mosquito species Aedes mcintoshi (subgenus Neomelaniconion) is an important primary vector for RVFV in Kenya. Here, we investigate associations between genetic diversity and differentiation of one regional subclade of Ae. mcintoshi in Northeastern Kenya with environmental variables, using a multivariate statistical approach. Using CO1 (cytochrome oxidase subunit 1) sequence data deposited in GenBank, we found no evidence of isolation by distance contributing to genetic differentiation across the study area. However, we did find significant CO1 subpopulation structure and associations with recent mean precipitation values. In addition, variation in genetic diversity across our seven sample sites was associated with both precipitation and percentage clay in the soil. The large number of haplotypes found in this data set indicates that a great deal of diversity remains unsampled in this region. Additional sampling across a larger geographic area, combined with next-generation sequencing approaches that better characterize the genome, would provide a more robust assessment of genetic diversity and differentiation. Further understanding of the genetic structure of Ae. mcintoshi could provide useful information regarding the potential for RVFV to spread across East African landscapes.

© The Authors 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Entomological Society of America. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com
Lindsay P. Campbell and Alana M. Alexander "Landscape Genetics of Aedes mcintoshi (Diptera: Culicidae), an Important Vector of Rift Valley Fever Virus in Northeastern Kenya," Journal of Medical Entomology 54(5), 1258-1265, (18 April 2017). https://doi.org/10.1093/jme/tjx072
Received: 16 November 2016; Accepted: 14 March 2017; Published: 18 April 2017
JOURNAL ARTICLE
8 PAGES

This article is only available to subscribers.
It is not available for individual sale.
+ SAVE TO MY LIBRARY

KEYWORDS
Aedes mcintoshi
landscape genetics
Rift Valley fever virus
RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS
Get copyright permission
Back to Top