Nucleic Acid Based Detection and Prevalence of Yellow Fever Viral RNA Among Mosquitoes in Bayelsa State, Nigeria: An Environmental Epithet of Emerging Water‐Inhabiting Insects

Background Yellow fever (YF) viral transmission, spread, and prevalence has recently become a global concern and there is a need to screen for YF among inter‐country travellers. This has been exacerbated by reports on the proliferation of aqua/water‐breeding and inhabiting‐insects (mosquitoes) and the potential viral transmission route. This study molecularly detected YF virus and its prevalence among mosquitoes in Bayelsa State, Nigeria, which is an environmental epithet of emerging water‐inhabiting insects. Methods An hour exposure of empty rooms to white‐sheet and clean‐water‐spray technique was applied to collect adult mosquitoes in 100 empty rooms/houses that were located within the bushy/water‐log study environment. This technique was applied to estimate the density of virus‐harbouring mosquitoes and harvest structurally‐intact mosquitoes for entomological identification by viral RNA extraction/detection from mosquito tissue using a Qiagen min‐spin kit and reverse‐transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT‐PCR). A total of 400 adult male and female mosquitoes were harvested and entomologically described from the study region (Bayelsa State) between January 2021 and December 2022. Results Recovered mosquitoes included Anopheles gambiae , An . nilli , Aedes aegypti , Ae . africanus , Ae . luteocephalus , and Ae . vittatus . RT‐PCR showed 27 positive complementary DNA amplicons at an expected size of 253 bp, which were detected by agarose gel electrophoresis at a prevalence rate of 6.75%. Conclusions This result indicates that mosquitoes, which are water‐inhabiting‐insects, are a potential vector/carrier of YF viral RNA, which may be responsible for the transmission and distribution of the YF virus. These results also indicated the need for adequate research‐based surveillance/monitoring of the study area, a mosquito eradication programme, appropriate drainage systems, and proper waste disposal.