Genetic strategies that reduce or block pathogen transmission by mosquitoes have been proposed as a means of
augmenting current control measures to reduce the growing burden of vector-borne diseases. The endosymbiotic
bacteriumWolbachiahas long been promoted as a potential vehicle for introducing disease-resistance genes into
mosquitoes, thereby making them refractory to the human pathogens they transmit. Given the large overlap in tissue
distribution and intracellular localization betweenWolbachiaand dengue virus in mosquitoes, we conducted experiments
to characterize their interactions. Our results show thatWolbachiainhibits viral replication and dissemination in the main
dengue vector,Aedes aegypti. Moreover, the virus transmission potential of Wolbachia-infectedAe. aegyptiwas significantly
diminished when compared to wild-type mosquitoes that did not harborWolbachia. At 14 days post-infection, Wolbachia
completely blocked dengue transmission in at least 37.5% ofAe. aegyptimosquitoes. We also observed that this Wolbachiamediated viral interference was associated with an elevated basal immunity and increased longevity in the mosquitoes.
These results underscore the potential usefulness ofWolbachia-based control strategies for population replacement.