Biology subjects

Gaborit, P.

Publications and source records attributed to Gaborit, P..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2024

A DNA barcode library for Culex mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) of South America with the description of two cryptic species of subgenus Melanoconion

The genus Culex is one of the most diverse in the world and includes numerous known vector species of parasites and viruses to humans. Morphological identification of Culex species is notoriously difficult and rely mostly on the examination of properly dissected male genitalia which largely prevents female and immature identification during entomological, ecological or arboviral surveys. The aims of this study were (i) to establish a DNA barcode library for Culex mosquitoes of French Guiana based on the mitochondrial gene cytochrome c oxidase I (COI) marker, (ii) to compare three approaches of molecular delimitation of species to morphological identification, and (iii) to test the effectiveness of the COI marker at a broader geographical scale across South America. Mosquitoes used in this study were sampled in French Guiana between 2013 and 2023. We provide 246 COI sequences for 90 morphologically identified species of Culex, including five new country records and two newly described species. Overall, congruence between morphological identification and molecular delimitations using the COI barcode were high. The Barcode of Life Data clustering approach into Barcode Index Numbers gives the best result in terms of species delimitation, followed by the muti-rate Poisson Tree Processes and the Assemble Species by Automatic Partitioning methods. Inconsistencies between morphological identification and molecular delimitation can be explained by introgression, incomplete lineage sorting, imperfect taxonomy or the effect of the geographical scale of sampling. This increases by almost two-fold the number of mosquito species for which a DNA barcode is available in French Guiana, including 75% of the species of Culex currently known in the territory. Finally, this study confirms the usefulness of the COI barcode in identifying Culex mosquitoes of South America, but also points the limits of this marker for some groups of species within the subgenera Culex and Melanoconion.

molecular biology↗

bioRxiv2022

Relevance study of vector competence and insecticide resistance in Aedes aegypti laboratory lines

The urban mosquito species Aedes aegypti is the main vector of arboviruses worldwide. Mosquito control with insecticides is the most prevalent method for preventing transmission in the absence of effective vaccines and available treatments; however, the extensive use of insecticides has led to the development of resistance in mosquito populations throughout the world, and the number of epidemics caused by arboviruses has increased. Three mosquito lines with different resistance profiles to deltamethrin were isolated in French Guiana, including one with the I1016 knock-down resistant allele. Significant differences were observed in the cumulative proportion of mosquitoes with a disseminated chikungunya virus infection over time. In addition, certain genes (CYP6BB2, CYP6N12, GST2, trypsin) were variably overexpressed in the midgut at 7 days after an infectious blood meal in these three lines. Therefore, detoxification enzymes and kdr mutations may contribute to an enhanced midgut barrier and reduced dissemination rate. Our work shows that vector competence for chikungunya virus varied between Ae. aegypti laboratory lines with different deltamethrin-resistance profiles. More accurate verification of the functional association between insecticide resistance and vector competence remains to be demonstrated. ImportanceThree Ae. aegypti lines, isolated from the same collection site, underwent different insecticide selection pressures against deltamethrin under laboratory conditions. As a result, they developed different resistant profiles. In this study, when these lines were fed an artificial infectious blood meal containing chikungunya virus, all three lines including the reference strain showed a high infection rate. There was no statistical difference in infection rate found; however, the dissemination rate of the virus from midgut to head were significantly different. A higher resistance level detected by the WHO test was correlated with a lower viral dissemination rate for each strain. This study presented evidence that the insecticide selection pressure or the existence of insecticide resistance could lead to differences in viral dissemination or even transmission in mosquito populations. We hope that our study can give more insights into understanding the roles of mosquito insecticide resistance on viral transmission.

molecular biology↗

bioRxiv2020

Variation in pyrethroid resistance phenotypes in Anopheles darlingi from residual malaria transmission area: warning on suspected resistance built-up in French Guiana.

Anopheles darlingi is the major vector of malaria in South America. In French Guiana, malaria transmission occurs inland and along the rivers with a particular reemergence in the lower Oyapock area. Control against malaria vector is performed using deltamethrin indoor residual spraying and long lasting impregnated bednets. For four years, the level of resistance to pyrethroids was monitored using CDC bottle tests in An. darlingi populations. Resistance built-up was suspected in a mosquito population in malaria endemic area but did not sustained, supposably due to the reintroduction of susceptible alleles. No mutation on the insecticide target genes was found, metabolic resistance is then suspected.

zoology↗