The recently introduced < i > Aedes albopictus < /i > in Tunisia has the potential to transmit chikungunya, dengue and Zika viruses

by Chlo é Bohers, Laurence Mousson, Yoann Madec, Marie Vazeille, Adel Rhim, Youmna M’ghirbi, Ali Bouattour, Anna-Bella Failloux The mosquitoAedes albopictus was detected for the first time in Tunisia in 2018. With its establishment in the capital city of Tunis, local health authorities fear the introduction of new human arboviral diseases, like what happened in Europe with unexpected local cases of chikungunya, dengue and Zika. Even though this mosquito is competent to transmit the arboviruses mentioned above, the transmission level will vary depending on the couple, mosquito population and virus genotype. Here, we assessed the vector competence ofAe.albopictus Tunisia by experimental infections with chikungunya (CHIKV), dengue (DENV), and Zika (ZIKV) viruses. We found thatAe.albopictus Tunisia was highly competent for CHIKV (transmission efficiency of 25% at 21 post-infection) and to a lesser extent, for ZIKV (8.7%) and DENV (8.3%). Virus was detected in mosquito saliva at day 3 (CHIKV), day 10 (ZIKV) and day 21 (DENV) post-infection. These results suggest that the risk of emergence of chikungunya is the highest imposing a more sustained surveillance to limitAe.albopictus populations in densely populated urban dwellings and at the entry points of travelers returning from CHIKV-endemic regions.
Source: PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases - Category: Tropical Medicine Authors: Source Type: research