MOLECULAR DNA BARCODING OF MOSQUITOES COLLECTED FROM CHATTOGRAM MEDICAL COLLEGE AREA

Abstract

Mosquitoes are important vectors for a wide variety of diseases. For effective control of various mosquito borne diseases, identification of different species of mosquitoes is crucial. In this study DNA barcoding method was attempted to employ a complementary method alongside classical microscopy to identify species of mosquito. About 300 mosquito samples were collected from the surroundings of Chattogram Medical College Area and were included in this study. Different morphological features of head, clypeus, vertex, antenna, maxillary palp, thorax, wings, leg and abdomen of the mosquitoes were observed under the microscope. For DNA barcoding experiment, genomic DNA was extracted from the samples using commercial kits and specific primers were used for amplification of partial cytochrome oxidase (COI) genes. While morphological investigation was useful in identifying different species including Culex quinquefasciatus (170), Aedes albopictus (53), Toxorhynchites spp. (45) and Aedes aegypti (27), molecular technique was also informative. Further sequence analyses revealed successful identification of several genera of mosquitoes including Aedes and Culex. In total 163 males and 137 females mosquitoes were identified. Further study about the origin and vector potential of these mosquitoes will increase the research understanding to improve existing vector surveillance and control program. Key