Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41845520›Full record

ArticleParasites & vectors2026

Detection of supergroup B Wolbachia strains and their co-infection with Plasmodium falciparum in wild Anopheles funestus in southeastern Tanzania: implications for malaria control.

Reuben E Mmweteni, Anitha B Philbert, Gustav Mkandawile, Faraji Abilahi, Saidi Abbasi, Jamal Msemo, Salum Milonge, Francis A Tumbo, Yohana Mwalugelo, Letus L Muyaga and 5 more

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Article in Parasites & vectors, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

15 authors.

Reuben E MmweteniCollege of Natural and Applied Sciences, Department of Zoology and Wildlife Conservation, University of Dar Es Salaam, P.O Box 35064, Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania. reubenmweteni@gmail.com.
Anitha B Philbert *College of Natural and Applied Sciences, Department of Zoology and Wildlife Conservation, University of Dar Es Salaam, P.O Box 35064, Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania.
Gustav MkandawileEnvironmental Health and Ecological Sciences Department, Ifakara Health Institute, P. O. Box 53, Ifakara, Tanzania.
Faraji AbilahiEnvironmental Health and Ecological Sciences Department, Ifakara Health Institute, P. O. Box 53, Ifakara, Tanzania.
Saidi AbbasiEnvironmental Health and Ecological Sciences Department, Ifakara Health Institute, P. O. Box 53, Ifakara, Tanzania.
Jamal MsemoEnvironmental Health and Ecological Sciences Department, Ifakara Health Institute, P. O. Box 53, Ifakara, Tanzania.
Salum MilongeEnvironmental Health and Ecological Sciences Department, Ifakara Health Institute, P. O. Box 53, Ifakara, Tanzania.
Francis A TumboEnvironmental Health and Ecological Sciences Department, Ifakara Health Institute, P. O. Box 53, Ifakara, Tanzania.
Yohana MwalugeloEnvironmental Health and Ecological Sciences Department, Ifakara Health Institute, P. O. Box 53, Ifakara, Tanzania.
Letus L MuyagaEnvironmental Health and Ecological Sciences Department, Ifakara Health Institute, P. O. Box 53, Ifakara, Tanzania.
Dickson MsakyEnvironmental Health and Ecological Sciences Department, Ifakara Health Institute, P. O. Box 53, Ifakara, Tanzania.
Abdallah R KipekepekeEnvironmental Health and Ecological Sciences Department, Ifakara Health Institute, P. O. Box 53, Ifakara, Tanzania.
Fredros O OkumuEnvironmental Health and Ecological Sciences Department, Ifakara Health Institute, P. O. Box 53, Ifakara, Tanzania.
Emmanuel W Kaindoa *Environmental Health and Ecological Sciences Department, Ifakara Health Institute, P. O. Box 53, Ifakara, Tanzania.
Francesco Baldini *Environmental Health and Ecological Sciences Department, Ifakara Health Institute, P. O. Box 53, Ifakara, Tanzania.

Funding

Academy Medical Science Springboard Award SBF007\100094Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation INV-043574
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundEvidence of natural infection with Wolbachia and its negative correlation with Plasmodium falciparum among wild malaria vectors has opened new avenues for utilization of Wolbachia in malaria vector control. However, the interaction between Wolbachia and Plasmodium parasites in mosquitoes tends to be species-specific and may show ecological variations. Among the primary malaria vectors in Tanzania, natural Wolbachia infection has only been observed in Anopheles arabiensis, while there is still limited information on Wolbachia natural infection in Anopheles funestus sensu lato, and its interaction with P. falciparum in the mosquito species. Therefore, this study investigated the prevalence of natural infection and co-infection of Wolbachia and P. falciparum in the An. funestus s.l. in southeastern Tanzania, and characterized the Wolbachia strains detected.

methodsThe study was conducted in five villages in southeastern Tanzania between March and June 2024. Mosquitoes were collected from 52 households using Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) light traps and Prokopack aspirators, followed by morphological identification. Detection of An. funestus sibling species and Wolbachia was performed using conventional polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and nested PCR (Wolbachia only). Sanger sequencing was performed as a confirmatory test followed by phylogenetic analysis of the detected Wolbachia strains. P. falciparum sporozoites were detected using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).

resultsWolbachia was detected in almost half of all wild An. funestus s.l. tested using the primary PCR (prevalence = 46.5%, N = 400); and more than half when nested PCR approach was used (prevalence = 70.8%, N = 400). Only three mosquitoes carried P. falciparum sporozoites (prevalence = 0.8%, N = 400) and only one showed co-infection with Wolbachia (prevalence = 0.3%, n = 400). Sequencing and phylogenetic analysis involving both the 16S rDNA, coxA, and wsp Wolbachia genes showed that the detected strains clustered with Wolbachia supergroup B, specific for Dipterans.

conclusionsUnlike findings from the previous study, this study demonstrates that An. funestus s.l. in southeastern Tanzania are infected with Wolbachia, at a surprisingly high prevalence. This study also provides the first report on Wolbachia-P. falciparum co-infection status in An. funestus s.l. in Tanzania. Further studies with larger sample sizes are needed to confirm the association between native Wolbachia and P. falciparum in wild An. funestus s.l. in southeastern Tanzania.

Indexed as

AnophelesMalaria, FalciparumMosquito VectorsPlasmodium falciparumWolbachiaAnimalsCoinfectionFemalePhylogenyTanzaniaAnopheles funestusIfakara Health institutePlasmodium falciparumPolymerase chain reactionSoutheastern TanzaniaWolbachia

Identifiers

PMID41845520
PMCPMC13107732

What Socratic holds

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.