KENYATTA UNIVERSITY
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
GENETIC DIFFERENTIATION, VECTOR COMPETENCE TO DENGUE 2 VIRUSES AND HOST
PREFERENCE OF COASTAL AND INLAND AEDES AEGYPTI POPULATIONS FROM KENYA
BURUGU MARION WARIGIA (Ph.D) Biochemistry & Biotechnology
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The mosquito, Aedes aegypti is the main vector of dengue viruses responsible for millions of dengue fever
and hundred of thousands of dengue hemorrhagic fever cases annually in tropical regions of the world. At
the Kenyan coast, dengue incidences continue to be reported while inland, the disease is not documented.
Since Aedes aegypti is widely distributed in Kenya, characterization of patterns of gene flow and genetic
differentiation between Ae. Aegypti populations from these regions wa necessary. Additionally, the vector
competence of these populations and their bloodmeal host preferences, which influence disease
epidemiology need to be established before implementation of any control strategy. A hierarchical
population genetic study was conducted among 30 Aedes aegypti populations from coast and inland parts of
Kenya. Single-strand conformation polymorphism analysis was used to examine genetic variation in a 389
– base pair region of the NADH dehydrogenase subunit 4 mitochondrial DNA gene (ND4). Vector
competence to dengue 2 viruses was examined using immunofluorescence procedure and host-feeding
preference determined using enzyme linked immunoabsorbent assay technique. Fourteen haplotypes were
identified from a total of 1005 individual Ae. aegypti. Phylogenetic analysis of these haplotypes indicated
two maternal lineages. Gene flow estimates demonstrated that coastal populations were relatively panmictic
implying that dispersal in search for oviposition sites and human activities are factors that shaped the genetic
structure in this area. Inland populations exhibited relatively restricted gene flow especially between seasons
(Nm <1), reflecting possible bottleneck effects between seasons. There was no barrier to gene flow and
human movement may be contributing significantly to the observed levels of gene flow. Aedes aegypti from
coast region were more susceptible to dengue 2 viruses (19.05 – 77.7 % infection rates) than those of inland
region (10.26 – 46.2 %), however, this difference in infection rates was not statistically significant (X2 =
1.3659, p>0.05). Restricted gene flow and low infection rates of the inland collections may explain why
there has been no documented outbreak or incidence of dengue viruses circulating at the inland region. A
total of 147 individual mosquitoes were positive for different antisera, 65.3 % of which had fed on human as
a single host. Mixed feeding was recorded in 19.04 % of the individuals, (89.28 %) with both humans and
baboon blood. Overall, human blood index was 84.82 %. This shows that Ae. aegypti has high preference
for human blood more than other hosts even in the presence of other hosts indicating the anthropophilic
nature of this species. Overall low genetic diversity in ND4 gene in coastal and inland Kenya Aedes aegypti
populations was demonstrated suggesting that these populations could be more ancestral in nature and have
not undergone a major evolution over the years.
Supervisors:
Dr. Eucharia Kenya
Dr. Rosemary Sang
Dr. Luna Kamau
........................................................................
School of Graduate Studies. Kenyatta University. P.O Box: 43844-00100 Nairobi, KENYA
Tel: +254 20 810901 Ext: 57530 Direct: +254 20 812086. Fax: +254 20 811575
Email: dean-graduate@ku.ac.ke