Embryonic development and egg viability of wMel-infected Aedes aegypti.

Our data revealed that the wMel strain of Wolbachia slightly delays embryogenesis and also affects egg quality, both through reduced viability and desiccation resistance. These findings suggest that, although embryonic fitness is somehow compromised by wMel infection, an efficient host reproductive manipulation through cytoplasmic incompatibility seems sufficient to overcome these effects in nature and promote bacterial invasion, as shown by successful ongoing field implementation.