How do different Wolbachia strains influence Aedes aegypti virus transmission?

Barelds, Richard (2022) How do different Wolbachia strains influence Aedes aegypti virus transmission? Bachelor's Thesis, Biology.

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Abstract

With a large proportion of the human population at risk of becoming infected by arthropod-borne diseases, and vaccines for most of these diseases not existing yet, consequences for public health are substantial. These diseases can be caused by several types of pathogens, most of which are viruses. It is imperative that action is taken to reduce the number of people infected with these viruses. These viruses are primarily carried by the mosquito vector Aedes aegypti. Therefore the actions taken have been against these mosquitoes, in an attempt to limit the amount of infections. Most of the actions are population control, but other limiting strategies have also been deployed. An alternative method of reducing the amount of infections would be reducing the capability of the mosquitoes to carry the viruses. In an attempt to do both methods at once, a bacteria species that is present in roughly 60% of insect species called Wolbachia has been introduced. These bacteria have been found to impact host fitness, as well as interact with viruses. In this thesis, I will compare three strains of Wolbachia in their ability to both control the mosquito population size and reduce viral transmissions. In summary, all three compared strains serve their purpose, and have their situation in which they would be preferred over the others. The wMel strain however does show the best overall results, making it the most viable strain in the majority of situations. Further research should be conducted

Item Type:	Thesis (Bachelor's Thesis)
Supervisor name:	Lequime, S.J.J.
Degree programme:	Biology
Thesis type:	Bachelor's Thesis
Language:	English
Date Deposited:	21 Jul 2022 06:29
Last Modified:	21 Jul 2022 06:29
URI:	https://fse.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/28076

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