Vector competence of < i > Aedes aegypti < /i > , < i > Aedes albopictus < /i > , and < i > Culex quinquefasciatus < /i > mosquitoes for Mayaro virus

by Thiago Nunes Pereira, Fabiano Duarte Carvalho, Silvana Faria De Mendon ça, Marcele Neves Rocha, Luciano Andrade Moreira Newly emerging or re-emerging arthropod-borne viruses (arboviruses) are important causes of human morbidity and mortality worldwide. Arboviruses such as Dengue (DENV), Zika (ZIKV), Chikungunya (CHIKV), and West Nile virus (WNV) have undergone extensive geographic expansion in the tropical and sub- tropical regions of the world. In the Americas the main vectors of DENV, ZIKV, and CHIKV are mosquito species adapted to urban environments, namelyAedes aegypti andAedes albopictus, whereas the main vector of WNV isCulex quinquefasciatus. Given the widespread distribution in the Americas and high permissiveness to arbovirus infection, these mosquito species may play a key role in the epidemiology of other arboviruses normally associated with sylvatic vectors. Here, we test this hypothesis by determining the vector competence ofAe.aegypti,Ae.albopictus, andCx.quinquefasciatus to Mayaro (MAYV) virus, a sylvatic arbovirus transmitted mainly byHaemagogus janthinomys that has been causing an increasing number of outbreaks in South America, namely in Brazil. Using field mosquitoes from Brazil, female mosquitoes were experimentally infected, and their competence for infection and transmission rates of MAYV was evaluated. We found consistent infection rate for MAYV inAe.aegypti (57.5%) andAe.albopictus (61.6%), whereas very low rates were obtained forCx.quinquefasciat...
Source: PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases - Category: Tropical Medicine Authors: Source Type: research