Molecular Evidence of Wolbachia Species in Wild-Caught Aedes albopictus and Aedes aegypti Mosquitoes in Four States of Northeast India.

, a Gram-negative intracellular bacterium, naturally infects many arthropods, including mosquito vectors responsible for the spread of arboviral diseases such as Zika, chikungunya, and dengue fever. Certain strains are involved in inhibiting arbovirus replication in mosquitoes, and this phenomenon is currently being studied to combat disease vectors. A study was conducted in four states in north-eastern India to investigate the presence of natural infection in wild-caught and mosquitoes, the established vectors of dengue. The detection of a infection was confirmed by nested PCR and sequencing in the two mosquito species and . Positivity rates observed in and pools were 38% (44 of 115) and 85% (41 of 48), respectively, and the difference was significant (chi-square = 28.3174,  = 0.00000010). Sequencing revealed that all detected strains belonged to supergroup B. Although infection in has been previously reported from India, no such reports are available from north-eastern India. Data on naturally occurring strains are essential for selecting the optimal strain for the development of -based control measures. This information will be helpful for the future application of -based vector control measures in this part of the country.