An elusive endosymbiont: Does occur naturally in ?

are maternally inherited endosymbiotic bacteria found within many insect species. mosquitoes experimentally infected with are being released into the field for borne disease control. These infections induce cytoplasmic incompatibility which is used to suppress populations through incompatible matings or replace populations through the reproductive advantage provided by this mechanism. However, the presence of naturally occurring in target populations could interfere with both population replacement and suppression programs depending on the compatibility patterns between strains. were thought to not harbor naturally but several recent studies have detected in natural populations of this mosquito. We therefore review the evidence for natural infections in to date and discuss limitations of these studies. We draw on research from other mosquito species to outline the potential implications of natural infections in for disease control. To validate previous reports, we obtained a laboratory population of from New Mexico, USA, that harbors a natural infection, and we conducted field surveys in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, where a natural infection has also been reported. However, we were unable to detect in both the laboratory and field populations. Because the presence of naturally occurring in could have profound implications for -based disease control programs, it is important to continue to accurately assess the status of target populations.