Wolbachia are the most spread bacterial endosymbionts in the world. These bacteria can manipulate the host reproduction or block virus transmission in mosquitoes. For this reason, Wolbachia based strategies for vector control is seriously considered or already applied in several countries in the world. In South America, Wolbachia have been studied in human pathogen vectors such as sand flies and mosquitoes. In French Guiana, the diversity and distribution of Wolbachia are not well known in mosquitoes.

In this study, we screened for Wolbachia natural infection of mosquitoes in French Guiana by 16S rRNA, Wolbachia Surface Protein (WSP) gene and Multilocus Sequence Typing (MLST) molecular assays. Twenty-three out of 44 (52%) mosquito species were found positive for natural Wolbachia infection by PCR and highlights a two strains Wolbachia co-infection in three specimens of Mansonia titillans. Then, we analysed the phylogenetic relationships among the Wolbachia detected.

All tested specimens of Aedes aegypti, the major dengue vector of French Guiana, were found negative. These results about Wolbachia strains, distribution, and prevalence in mosquitoes of French Guiana pave the way to future Wolbachia based strategy for vector control in this amazonian territory.