Phylogeny of Aedes Mosquitoes, Dengue and Chikungunya Viruses Along the Coastline of Kenya

ABSTRACT

Background and Objective: There are arthropod-borne disease outbreaks as a result of pathogen influx including arboviruses which are transmitted by strains of Aedes species that occur periodically in varying spots on the globe. This study aimed to determine the phylogenetic relationship of Aedes mosquitoes, Dengue and Chikungunya viruses along the Coastline of Kenya. Materials and Methods: This was necessitated by the paucity of documented information on phylogeny of the viruses and their vectors. A sampling of adult Aedes mosquitoes was done by the Bio-gent Sentinel trap and aspiration. Mosquitoes were identified and sorted based on their morphological features and molecular techniques. RNA was extracted using Trizole. Identification of Aedes species, Dengue and Chikungunya was done by a real-time polymerase chain reaction. Phylogeny trees were plotted by using the interactive tree of life. Results: Aedes aegypti was identified for the first time in this study along the Coastline of Kenya. Four serotypes of Dengue were identified, with Dengue-4 identified for the first time in this region. Only the East/Central/South African genotype of the Chikungunya virus was identified. Aedes mosquitoes, Dengue and Chikungunya had a close evolutionary relationship among themselves and to those from Africa, Asia and America. Conclusions: Aedes aegypti and Dengue virus serotype 4 were present along the Kenyan Coastline. There was a close evolutionary relationship among the identified haplotypes and to those from Africa, Asia and the American continent. Identification of new haplotypes indicates possible continuous evolution of the Aedes mosquito vectors and the viruses.