Distinct haplotypes and free movement of Aedes aegypti in Port Sudan, Sudan

Any attempt to control a mosquito-borne disease should primarily focus on controlling its vector. In Sudan, arboviral infections are a major health problem where periodical outbreaks of arboviruses transmitted byAedes aegyptihave been reported. This preliminary study was performed to uncover the population genetic diversity ofAedes aegyptifrom Red Sea State, Sudan, using mtDNA-COIgene. We performed morphological identification, PCR and DNA nucleotide sequencing and analysed the genetic polymorphism, and isolation by distance ofAedes aegyptifrom four sites. Of the 55 samples successfully sequenced, six haplotypes were revealed. Global haplotype network revealed that the predominant haplotype in Sudan (Hap1; 31 sequences = 56.4%), the second most frequent haplotype (Hap2; 13 sequences = 23.6%) and Hap 5 (3.6%) were identical or genetically close to isolates seen in different countries distributed in the United States, South America, Europe, Asia and two African isolates, one from Kenya and the other from Europa Island (Mozambique Channel). Haplotype 4 (3.6%) appeared closely related to mosquitoes sampled from Cameroon, Kenya, Sri Lanka and India and belonged to a lineage that contained isolates from all over the geographical expansion. Haplotype 6 (1.8%) seemed quite distant from any other sequenced mtDNA. To summarize, four haplotypes were found only in Sudan, and one rare haplotype appeared genetically distant from all other haplotypes, suggesting a local origin. Subdivision measures and testing suggested a probable free (or almost free) migration between the different sites sampled

Aedes mosquitoes in the Republic of the Sudan, with dichotomous keys for the adult and larval stages

ABSTRACT Descriptions of the mosquitoes of the Republic of the Sudan are mostly limited to works published more than 60 years ago. Khartoum State in central Sudan, which encompasses the capital city, has experienced many outbreaks of diseases caused by mosquito-borne pathogens, including Rift Valley fever. In this paper we focus on the composition of Aedes mosquitoes in high-risk areas in and around major agricultural projects. This is based on longitudinal surveillance of adults and larvae during the hot dry and rainy seasons in 2013. A total of 630 adult female mosquitoes were collected. Anopheles mosquitoes were the most abundant (n = 456, 72.4%), followed by Culex (n = 96, 15.2%) and Aedes (n = 78, 12.4%). Only three Aedes species were identified: Aedes caballus (n = 38, 48.7% of the Aedes), Aedes vexans arabiensis (n = 30, 38.5%) and Aedes caspius (n = 10, 12.8%). A total of 42,549 larvae were collected. Aedes larvae were the most abundant (n = 30,936, 72.7%), followed by Culex (n = 9656, 22.7%) and Anopheles (n = 1957, 4.6%). The Aedes larvae included Ae. caspius (n = 21,957, 71.0% of the Aedes), Ae. vexans arabiensis (n = 5577, 18.0%), Aedes quasiunivittatus (n = 107, 0.3%), Aedes dentatus (Theobald) (n = 204, 0.7%) and 3091 unidentifiable larvae (10.0%), denoted as Forms X, Y and Z. We discuss the bionomics of the four identified species of Aedes and provide updated keys for the identification of the mosquito genera and the larvae and adults of the Aedes species recorded from the Republic of the Sudan. ARTICLE HISTOR