Natural Infection of Mosquitoes in French Guiana: Prevalence, Distribution, and Genotyping.

are the most spread bacterial endosymbionts in the world. These bacteria can manipulate host reproduction or block virus transmission in mosquitoes. For this reason, -based strategies for vector control are seriously considered or have already been applied in several countries around the world. In South America, have been studied in human pathogen vectors such as sand flies and mosquitoes. In French Guiana, the diversity and distribution of are not well known in mosquitoes. In this study, we screened for natural infection in mosquitoes in French Guiana by using 16S rRNA, surface protein (WSP), and multi-locus sequence typing (MLST) molecular assays. A total of 29 out of 44 (65.9%) mosquito species were positive for natural infection according to the PCR results, and two strains co-infected three specimens of . Then, we analyzed the phylogenetic relationships among the detected. All of the tested specimens of , the major dengue vector of French Guiana, were negative. These results regarding strain, distribution, and prevalence in mosquitoes from French Guiana highlight -mosquito associations and pave the way for a future -based strategy for vector control in this Amazonian territory.