Spatial Distribution and Long-Term Persistence of <i>Wolbachia</i>-Infected <i>Aedes aegypti</i> in the Mentari Court, Malaysia
Yoon Ling Cheong,
Wasi A. Nazni,
Han Lim Lee,
Ahmad NoorAfizah,
Ibrahim C. MohdKhairuddin,
Ghazali M. R. Kamarul,
Nasir M. N. Nizam,
Mohd A. K. Arif,
Zabari M. NurZatilAqmar,
Saidin M. Irwan,
Khairuddin Khadijah,
Yusof M. Paid,
Omar Topek,
Asim H. Hasnor,
Rahman AbuBakar,
Balvinder Singh Gill,
Kamaludin Fadzilah,
Aris Tahir,
Steven P. Sinkins,
Ary A. Hoffmann
Affiliations
Yoon Ling Cheong
Institute for Medical Research, National Institutes of Health, Ministry of Health Malaysia, Jalan Pahang, Kuala Lumpur 50588, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Wasi A. Nazni
Institute for Medical Research, National Institutes of Health, Ministry of Health Malaysia, Jalan Pahang, Kuala Lumpur 50588, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Han Lim Lee
Institute for Medical Research, National Institutes of Health, Ministry of Health Malaysia, Jalan Pahang, Kuala Lumpur 50588, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Ahmad NoorAfizah
Institute for Medical Research, National Institutes of Health, Ministry of Health Malaysia, Jalan Pahang, Kuala Lumpur 50588, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Ibrahim C. MohdKhairuddin
Institute for Medical Research, National Institutes of Health, Ministry of Health Malaysia, Jalan Pahang, Kuala Lumpur 50588, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Ghazali M. R. Kamarul
Institute for Medical Research, National Institutes of Health, Ministry of Health Malaysia, Jalan Pahang, Kuala Lumpur 50588, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Nasir M. N. Nizam
Institute for Medical Research, National Institutes of Health, Ministry of Health Malaysia, Jalan Pahang, Kuala Lumpur 50588, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Mohd A. K. Arif
Institute for Medical Research, National Institutes of Health, Ministry of Health Malaysia, Jalan Pahang, Kuala Lumpur 50588, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Zabari M. NurZatilAqmar
Institute for Medical Research, National Institutes of Health, Ministry of Health Malaysia, Jalan Pahang, Kuala Lumpur 50588, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Saidin M. Irwan
Institute for Medical Research, National Institutes of Health, Ministry of Health Malaysia, Jalan Pahang, Kuala Lumpur 50588, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Khairuddin Khadijah
Petaling District Health Office, Ministry of Health Malaysia, SS 6, Petaling Jaya 47301, Selangor, Malaysia
Yusof M. Paid
Petaling District Health Office, Ministry of Health Malaysia, SS 6, Petaling Jaya 47301, Selangor, Malaysia
Omar Topek
Federal Territory Health Department of Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya, Ministry of Health Malaysia, Jalan Cenderasari, Tasik Perdana, Kuala Lumpur 50480, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Asim H. Hasnor
Institute for Health Behavioural Research, National Institutes of Health, Ministry of Health Malaysia, Jalan Setia Murni U13/52, Seksyen U13 Setia Alam, Shah Alam 40170, Selangor, Malaysia
Rahman AbuBakar
Institute for Health Behavioural Research, National Institutes of Health, Ministry of Health Malaysia, Jalan Setia Murni U13/52, Seksyen U13 Setia Alam, Shah Alam 40170, Selangor, Malaysia
Balvinder Singh Gill
Institute for Medical Research, National Institutes of Health, Ministry of Health Malaysia, Jalan Pahang, Kuala Lumpur 50588, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Kamaludin Fadzilah
Institute for Medical Research, National Institutes of Health, Ministry of Health Malaysia, Jalan Pahang, Kuala Lumpur 50588, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Aris Tahir
Institute for Medical Research, National Institutes of Health, Ministry of Health Malaysia, Jalan Pahang, Kuala Lumpur 50588, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Steven P. Sinkins
MRC—University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, 464 Bearsden Road, Glasgow G61 1QH, UK
Ary A. Hoffmann
Bio21 Institute and the School of BioSciences, University of Melbourne, 30 Flemington Road, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia
Dengue is endemic in Malaysia, and vector control strategies are vital to reduce dengue transmission. The Wolbachia strain wAlbB carried by both sexes of Ae. aegypti was released in Mentari Court, a high-rise residential site, in October 2017 and stopped after 20 weeks. Wolbachia frequencies are still being monitored at multiple traps across this site, providing an opportunity to examine the spatiotemporal distribution of Wolbachia and mosquito density with respect to year, residential block, and floor, using spatial interpolation in ArcGIS, GLMs, and contingency analyses. In just 12 weeks, Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes were established right across the Mentari Court site with an overall infection frequency of >90%. To date, the Wolbachia frequency of Ae. aegypti has remained high in all areas across the site despite releases finishing four years ago. Nevertheless, the Wolbachia invaded more rapidly in some residential blocks than others, and also showed a relatively higher frequency on the eighth floor. The Ae. aegypti index tended to differ somewhat between residential blocks, whilst the Ae. albopictus index was relatively higher at the top and bottom floors of buildings. In Mentari Court, only a short release period was required to infiltrate Wolbachia completely and stably into the natural population. The results inform future releases in comparable sites in a dengue control programme.