60 - Using Wolbachia-infected males to suppress Aedes aegypti populations at three locations in the Florida Keys

Abstract: Wolbachia is a naturally occurring bacterium that commonly infects insects, but does not occur naturally in Aedes aegypti. Wolbachia can be introgressed into Ae. aegypti eggs and resulting adult Wolbachia-infected males can be released into the wild to mate with and sterilize non-infected females. Absence of the same Wolbachia strain in the female leads to cytoplasmic incompatibility and should reduce the wild Ae. aegypti population over time. The Florida Keys Mosquito Control District has been exploring new techniques for controlling Ae. aegypti, a species which poses a substantial risk for transmitting diseases like dengue, Zika, and chikungunya. In this study, we released Wolbachia-infected males (Wolbachia pipientis, wAlbB strain) at three different 20 acre Ae. aegypti breeding sites in the Florida Keys. We used an application rate of 1,200 males/acre/week from June – October 2025. Three control sites were paired with the release sites to evaluate population suppression.