Genetic characterization of field populations of Culex pipiens Linnaeus, 1758 (Diptera: Culicidae) sampled from the Aegean region of Turkey

Abstract

Mosquitoes are one of the organisms subjected to frequent insecticide application due to their status as vectors that carry a wide range of life-threatening diseases. Turkey has climatic and other ecological features required for the breeding and living of 50 species from 8 genera. The members of the Culex pipiens complex are the dominant mosquitoes among them. In order to design more sustainable insecticide resistance management strategies, it is important to investigate the genetic structure of mosquito populations using molecular techniques. The aim of this study was the genetic characterization of field populations of C. pipiens sampled from 25 different sublocations belonging to 6 provinces in the Aegean region of Turkey by using random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers. Eighty 10-mer RAPD primers were screened on a subset of DNAs. Among them, 20 reproducible and clear band-producing polymorphic primers were selected and applied to all study material. A low level of genetic differentiation and a high level of gene flow were detected between the populations.