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. 2024 Feb 1;17(1):49.
doi: 10.1186/s13071-024-06138-3.

First report on the molecular phylogenetics and population genetics of Aedes aegypti in Iran

Azim Paksa  1 , Kourosh Azizi  1 , Saideh Yousefi  2 , Sorna Dabaghmanesh  1 , Saeed Shahabi  1 , Alireza Sanei-Dehkordi  3   4
Affiliations

First report on the molecular phylogenetics and population genetics of Aedes aegypti in Iran

Azim Paksa et al. Parasit Vectors. .

Abstract

Background: Aedes aegypti, the primary vector of various human arboviral diseases, is a significant public health threat. Aedes aegypti was detected in Iran in 2018, in Hormozgan province, but comprehensive information regarding its genetic diversity and origin within the country remains scarce. This study aimed to determine the origin and genetic diversity of Ae. aegypti in southern Iran.

Methods: Aedes aegypti mosquitoes were collected from Bandar Abbas City, Hormozgan Province, southern Iran, between May and July 2022. Specimens were morphologically identified. Origin and assess genetic diversity were assessed based on the mitochondrial DNA-encoded cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (mtDNA-COI) gene.

Results: BLAST (basic local alignment search tool) analysis confirmed the accuracy of the morphological identification of all specimens as Ae. aegypti, with 100% similarity to GenBank sequences. Calculated variance and haplotype diversity were 0.502 and 0.00157, respectively. Among the 604 examined nucleotide sequences, only a single site was non-synonymous. Total nucleotide diversity and average pairwise nucleotides were determined as 0.00083 and 0.502, respectively. Fu and Li's D test values were not statistically significant. Strobeck's S statistic value was 0.487, and Tajima's D value was 1.53395; both were not statistically significant (P > 0.10).

Conclusions: Phylogenetic analysis revealed two distinct clades with minimal nucleotide differences and low haplotype diversity, suggesting the recent establishment of Ae. Aegypti in the southern region of Iran. The phylogenetic analysis also indicated an association between Ae. aegypti populations and mosquitoes from Saudi Arabia and Pakistan.

Keywords: Aedes aegypti; Genetic diversity; Haplotype; Iran; mtDNA-COI gene.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Geographical locations of collection sites. Map was constructed using arc-GIS software, version 10.8 (ESRI, Redlands, CA, USA)
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Molecular phylogenetic analysis of the mtDNA-COI gene of Aedes aegypti samples and outgroup (Culiseta longiareolata) by the maximum likelihood method based on the Tamura-Nei model. The tree with the highest log likelihood (− 1071.43) is shown. The percentage of trees in which the associated taxa clustered together is shown above the branches. The tree is drawn to scale, with branch lengths corresponding to the number of substitutions per site. MtDNA-COI, Mitochondrial DNA-encoded cytochrome c oxidase subunit I gene
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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