Limited risk of Zika virus transmission by five Aedes albopictus populations from Spain

Background: Aedes albopictus, the Asian tiger mosquito, is an exotic invasive species in Europe. It has substantial public health relevance due to its potential role in transmitting several human pathogens. Out of the European coun‑ tries, Spain has one of the highest risk levels of autochthonous arbovirus transmission due to both the high density of Ae. albopictus and the extensive tourist infux from vector-endemic areas. This study aims to investigate the suscep‑ tibility of fve Ae. albopictus populations from mainland Spain and the Balearic Islands to a Brazilian Zika virus (ZIKV) strain. Methods: The F1 generation of each Ae. albopictus population was orally challenged with a ZIKV-infected blood meal (1.8×106 PFU/ml). At 7 and 14 days post-infection (dpi), mosquito bodies (thorax and abdomen) and heads were individually analysed through RT-qPCR to determine the infection rate (IR) and dissemination rate (DR), respectively. The saliva of infected mosquitoes was inoculated in Vero cells and the transmission rate was assessed by plaque assay or RT-qPCR on ~33 individuals per population. Results: The IR and DR ranged between 12–88%, and 0–60%, respectively, suggesting that ZIKV is capable of cross‑ ing the midgut barrier. Remarkably, no infectious viral particle was found in saliva samples, indicating a low ability of ZIKV to overcome the salivary gland barrier. A subsequent assay revealed that a second non-infective blood meal 48 h after ZIKV exposure did not infuence Ae. albopictus vector competence. Conclusions: The oral experimental ZIKV infections performed here indicate that Ae. albopictus from Spain become infected and disseminate the virus through the body but has a limited ability to transmit the Brazilian ZIKV strain through biting. Therefore, the results suggest a limited risk of autochthonous ZIKV transmission in Spain by Ae. albopictusinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Zika vector competence data reveals risks of outbreaks: the contribution of the European ZIKAlliance project

First identified in 1947, Zika virus took roughly 70 years to cause a pandemic unusually associated with virus-induced brain damage in newborns. Zika virus is transmitted by mosquitoes, mainly Aedes aegypti, and secondarily, Aedes albopictus, both colonizing a large strip encompassing tropical and temperate regions. As part of the international project ZIKAlliance initiated in 2016, 50 mosquito populations from six species collected in 12 countries were experimentally infected with different Zika viruses. Here, we show that Ae. aegypti is mainly responsible for Zika virus transmission having the highest susceptibility to viral infections. Other species play a secondary role in transmission while Culex mosquitoes are largely non-susceptible. Zika strain is expected to significantly modulate transmission efficiency with African strains being more likely to cause an outbreak. As the distribution of Ae. aegypti will doubtless expand with climate change and without new marketed vaccines, all the ingredients are in place to relive a new pandemic of Zika

Zika vector competence data reveals risks of outbreaks: the contribution of the European ZIKAlliance project

First identified in 1947, Zika virus took roughly 70 years to cause a pandemic unusually associated with virus-induced brain damage in newborns. Zika virus is transmitted by mosquitoes, mainly Aedes aegypti, and secondarily, Aedes albopictus, both colonizing a large strip encompassing tropical and temperate regions. As part of the international project ZIKAlliance initiated in 2016, 50 mosquito populations from six species collected in 12 countries were experimentally infected with different Zika viruses. Here, we show that Ae. aegypti is mainly responsible for Zika virus transmission having the highest susceptibility to viral infections. Other species play a secondary role in transmission while Culex mosquitoes are largely non-susceptible. Zika strain is expected to significantly modulate transmission efficiency with African strains being more likely to cause an outbreak. As the distribution of Ae. aegypti will doubtless expand with climate change and without new marketed vaccines, all the ingredients are in place to relive a new pandemic of Zika.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Culex quinquefasciatus from areas with the highest incidence of microcephaly associated with Zika virus infections in the Northeast Region of Brazil are refractory to the virus

Submitted by Sandra Infurna ([email protected]) on 2017-10-10T13:28:28Z No. of bitstreams: 1 ROSILAYNY_FERNANDES_ETAL_IOC_2017.PDF: 205188 bytes, checksum: b457ccde6d4eb3d26a1c6b78eb7bef9c (MD5)Approved for entry into archive by Sandra Infurna ([email protected]) on 2017-10-10T13:34:53Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 ROSILAYNY_FERNANDES_ETAL_IOC_2017.PDF: 205188 bytes, checksum: b457ccde6d4eb3d26a1c6b78eb7bef9c (MD5)Made available in DSpace on 2017-10-10T13:34:53Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 ROSILAYNY_FERNANDES_ETAL_IOC_2017.PDF: 205188 bytes, checksum: b457ccde6d4eb3d26a1c6b78eb7bef9c (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto Oswaldo Cruz. Laboratório de Mosquitos Transmissores de Hematozoários. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto Oswaldo Cruz. Laboratório de Mosquitos Transmissores de Hematozoários. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto Oswaldo Cruz. Laboratório de Mosquitos Transmissores de Hematozoários. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto Oswaldo Cruz. Laboratório de Biologia Molecular de Flavivírus. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto Oswaldo Cruz. Laboratório de Biologia Molecular de Flavivírus. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto Oswaldo Cruz. Laboratório de Mosquitos Transmissores de Hematozoários. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.Zika virus (ZIKV) is widely distributed in Brazil and the Northeast Region (NE) is the most affected zone, showing the highest incidence of microcephaly associated with ZIKV congenital infections worldwide. We report attempts to infect three populations of Culex quinquefasciatus from severely affected sites in the NE and Southeast Region (SE) of Brazil with three strains of ZIKV isolated from these localities. An Aedes aegypti population from the SE was used as a positive control. All tested Cx. quinquefasciatus populations were refractory to the ZIKV isolates. For these reasons, we believe Cx. quinquefasciatus should not be considered a potential vector of ZIKV in Brazil

Limited risk of Zika virus transmission by five Aedes albopictus populations from Spain

Submitted by Sandra Infurna ([email protected]) on 2019-09-05T15:11:53Z No. of bitstreams: 1 RafaelFreitas_MarianaDavid_etal_IOC_2019.pdf: 1366827 bytes, checksum: b8cc8d308222a6391e081f1f0e1f8bb8 (MD5)Approved for entry into archive by Sandra Infurna ([email protected]) on 2019-09-05T15:23:14Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 RafaelFreitas_MarianaDavid_etal_IOC_2019.pdf: 1366827 bytes, checksum: b8cc8d308222a6391e081f1f0e1f8bb8 (MD5)Made available in DSpace on 2019-09-05T15:23:14Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 RafaelFreitas_MarianaDavid_etal_IOC_2019.pdf: 1366827 bytes, checksum: b8cc8d308222a6391e081f1f0e1f8bb8 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2019NEIKER-Instituto Vasco de Investigación y Desarrollo Agrario. Derio, Bizkaia, Spain / Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto Oswaldo Cruz. Laboratório de Mosquitos Transmissores de Hematozoários. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto Oswaldo Cruz. Laboratório de Mosquitos Transmissores de Hematozoários. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto Oswaldo Cruz. Laboratório de Mosquitos Transmissores de Hematozoários. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. IRTA, Centre de Recerca en Sanitat Animal (CReSA, IRTA-UAB), Bellaterra, Spain.Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto Oswaldo Cruz. Laboratório de Mosquitos Transmissores de Hematozoários. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto Oswaldo Cruz. Laboratório de Mosquitos Transmissores de Hematozoários. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil / Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro. Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia em Entomologia Molecular. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.NEIKER-Instituto Vasco de Investigación y Desarrollo Agrario. Derio, Bizkaia, Spain.Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto Oswaldo Cruz. Laboratório de Mosquitos Transmissores de Hematozoários. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil / Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro. Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia em Entomologia Molecular. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.Aedes albopictus, the Asian tiger mosquito, is an exotic invasive species in Europe. It has substantial public health relevance due to its potential role in transmitting several human pathogens. Out of the European countries, Spain has one of the highest risk levels of autochthonous arbovirus transmission due to both the high density of Ae. albopictus and the extensive tourist influx from vector-endemic areas. This study aims to investigate the susceptibility of five Ae. albopictus populations from mainland Spain and the Balearic Islands to a Brazilian Zika virus (ZIKV) strain. Methods: The F1 generation of each Ae. albopictus population was orally challenged with a ZIKV-infected blood meal (1.8×106 PFU/ml). At 7 and 14 days post-infection (dpi), mosquito bodies (thorax and abdomen) and heads were individually analysed through RT-qPCR to determine the infection rate (IR) and dissemination rate (DR), respectively. The saliva of infected mosquitoes was inoculated in Vero cells and the transmission rate was assessed by plaque assay or RT-qPCR on ~33 individuals per population. Results: The IR and DR ranged between 12–88%, and 0–60%, respectively, suggesting that ZIKV is capable of crossing the midgut barrier. Remarkably, no infectious viral particle was found in saliva samples, indicating a low ability of ZIKV to overcome the salivary gland barrier. A subsequent assay revealed that a second non-infective blood meal 48 h after ZIKV exposure did not infuence Ae. albopictus vector competence. Conclusions: The oral experimental ZIKV infections performed here indicate that Ae. albopictus from Spain become infected and disseminate the virus through the body but has a limited ability to transmit the Brazilian ZIKV strain through biting. Therefore, the results suggest a limited risk of autochthonous ZIKV transmission in Spain by Ae. albopictus

Author Correction: Low vector competence in sylvatic mosquitoes limits Zika virus to initiate an enzootic cycle in South America

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper

Culex quinquefasciatus from Rio de Janeiro Is Not Competent to Transmit the Local Zika Virus

Submitted by Sandra Infurna ([email protected]) on 2016-12-08T10:33:48Z No. of bitstreams: 1 rosilainy_fernandes_etal_IOC_2016.pdf: 1300696 bytes, checksum: 7bdcafb340cc7201513817a1482be530 (MD5)Approved for entry into archive by Sandra Infurna ([email protected]) on 2016-12-08T10:47:31Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 rosilainy_fernandes_etal_IOC_2016.pdf: 1300696 bytes, checksum: 7bdcafb340cc7201513817a1482be530 (MD5)Made available in DSpace on 2016-12-08T10:47:31Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 rosilainy_fernandes_etal_IOC_2016.pdf: 1300696 bytes, checksum: 7bdcafb340cc7201513817a1482be530 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto Oswaldo Cruz. Laboratório de Mosquitos Transmissores de Hematozoários. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto Oswaldo Cruz. Laboratório de Mosquitos Transmissores de Hematozoários. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto Oswaldo Cruz. Laboratório de Mosquitos Transmissores de Hematozoários. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto Oswaldo Cruz. Laboratório de Mosquitos Transmissores de Hematozoários. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto Oswaldo Cruz. Laboratório de Mosquitos Transmissores de Hematozoários. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto Oswaldo Cruz. Laboratório de Mosquitos Transmissores de Hematozoários. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto Oswaldo Cruz. Laboratório de Biologia Molecular de Flavivírus. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto Nacional de Infectologia Evandro Chagas. Laboratório de Pesquisa Clínica em Doenças Febris Agudas. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.Institut Pasteur. Arboviruses and Insect Vectors. Paris, France.Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto Oswaldo Cruz. Laboratório de Biologia Molecular de Flavivírus. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto Oswaldo Cruz. Laboratório de Mosquitos Transmissores de Hematozoários. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.The Americas have suffered a dramatic epidemic of Zika since May in 2015, when Zika virus (ZIKV) was first detected in Brazil. Mosquitoes belonging to subgenus Stegomyia of Aedes, particularly Aedes aegypti, are considered the primary vectors of ZIKV. However, the rapid spread of the virus across the continent raised several concerns about the transmission dynamics, especially about potential mosquito vectors. The purpose of this work was to assess the vector competence of the house mosquito Culex quinquefasciatus from an epidemic Zika area, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, for local circulating ZIKV isolates

ZIKV load in saliva of <i>Ae</i>. <i>aegypti</i> from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 14 and 21 days after challenge with two locally circulating ZIKV isolates (Rio-U1 and Rio-S1) provided at a titer of 10⁶ PFU/mL.

<p>Virus was detected plaque forming unit (PFU) assays on Vero cells. </p