Mosquitoes may transmit West Nile virus to one another via feces

West Nile virus—the most common mosquito-transmitted disease in the United States—infects thousands of people every year, killing more than 2750 since it first appeared in the United States in 1999. It’s also becoming more of a concern in Europe and other parts of the world. Now, scientists say they’ve found a new way the virus can be transmitted, which may help explain why the pathogen is so persistent. In a study published on the preprint server bioRxiv, researchers report that mosquitoes may transmit West Nile to one another via feces . Knowing more about this “diagonal transmission,” as the team calls it—a previously unknown mode of transfer for the virus—could help epidemiologists better predict West Nile’s behavior and spread. The study, which has not been peer reviewed, is “really well done,” says Rebecca Christofferson, an expert in emerging zoonotic and vector borne viruses at Louisiana State University who was not involved in the work. “Here’s a virus we’ve been studying for years and years, and it still can surprise us.” Virologist Rodolphe Hamel and molecular entomologist Julien Pompon made the discovery while trying to figure out whether they could use mosquito excrement to track West Nile in nature to improve monitoring. The duo, both at the French National Research Institute for Sustainable Development, fed Culex quinquefasciatus mosquitoes—one of the primary transmitters of West Nile—blood...
Source: ScienceNOW - Category: Science Source Type: news