Vertical transmission of Zika virus in Culex quinquefasciatus Say and Aedes aegypti (L.) mosquitoes

AbstractSpondweni virus (SPONV) is the most closely related known flavivirus to Zika virus (ZIKV). Its pathogenic potential and vector specificity have not been well defined. SPONV has been found predominantly in Africa, but was recently detected in a pool of Culex quinquefasciatus mosquitoes in Haiti. Here we show that SPONV can cause significant fetal harm, including demise, comparable to ZIKV, in a mouse model of vertical transmission. Following maternal inoculation, we detected infectious SPONV in placentas and fetuses, along with significant fetal and placental histopathology, together indicating vertical transmission. To test vector competence, we exposed Aedes aegypti and Culex quinquefasciatus mosquitoes to SPONV-infected bloodmeals. Aedes aegypti could efficiently transmit SPONV, whereas Culex quinquefasciatus could not. Our results suggest that SPONV has the same features that made ZIKV a public health risk.

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Global spatial assessment of Aedes aegypti and Culex quinquefasciatus: a scenario of Zika virus exposure

Epidemiology and Infection ◽

10.1017/s0950268818003102 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 147 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Alberto J. Alaniz ◽

Mario A. Carvajal ◽

Antonella Bacigalupo ◽

Pedro E. Cattan

Keyword(s):

Aedes Aegypti ◽

Culex Quinquefasciatus ◽

Zika Virus ◽

Mosquito Control ◽

Health Planning ◽

Risk Level ◽

Spatially Explicit ◽

World Population ◽

Potential Vector ◽

Risk Zones

AbstractZika virus (ZIKV) is an arbovirus transmitted mainly by Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. Recent scientific evidence on Culex quinquefasciatus has suggested its potential as a vector for ZIKV, which may change the current risk zones. We aimed to quantify the world population potentially exposed to ZIKV in a spatially explicit way, considering the primary vector (A. aegypti) and the potential vector (C. quinquefasciatus). Our model combined species distribution modelling of mosquito species with spatially explicit human population data to estimate ZIKV exposure risk. We estimated the potential global distribution of C. quinquefasciatus and estimated its potential interaction zones with A. aegypti. Then we evaluated the risk zones for ZIKV considering both vectors. Finally, we quantified and compared the people under risk associated with each vector by risk level, country and continent. We found that C. quinquefasciatus had a more temperate distribution until 42° in both hemispheres, while the risk involving A. aegypti is concentrated mainly in tropical latitudes until 35° in both hemispheres. Globally, 4.2 billion people are under risk associated with ZIKV. Around 2.6 billon people are under very high risk associated with C. quinquefasciatus and 1 billion people associated with A. aegypti. Several countries could be exposed to ZIKV, which emphasises the need to clarify the competence of C. quinquefasciatus as a potential vector as soon as possible. The models presented here represent a tool for risk management, public health planning, mosquito control and preventive actions, especially to focus efforts on the most affected areas.

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Zika mosquito vectors: the jury is still out

F1000Research ◽

10.12688/f1000research.9839.1 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 5 ◽

pp. 2546 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Walter S. Leal

Keyword(s):

Aedes Aegypti ◽

Yellow Fever ◽

Culex Quinquefasciatus ◽

Zika Virus ◽

Field Data ◽

Vector Competence ◽

Sexual Transmission ◽

Mosquito Vectors ◽

Yellow Fever Mosquito ◽

The Common

After a 40-year hiatus, the International Congress of Entomology (ICE 2016) convened in Orlando, Florida (September 25-30, 2016). One of the symposia at ICE 2016, the Zika Symposium, covered multiple aspects of the Zika epidemic, including epidemiology, sexual transmission, genetic tools for reducing transmission, and particularly vector competence. While there was a consensus among participants that the yellow fever mosquito, Aedes aegypti, is a vector of the Zika virus, there is growing evidence indicating that the range of mosquito vectors might be wider than anticipated. In particular, three independent groups from Canada, China, and Brazil presented and discussed laboratory and field data strongly suggesting that the southern house mosquito, Culex quinquefasciatus, also known as the common mosquito, is highly likely to be a vector in certain environments.

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Contrasted transmission efficiency of Zika virus strains by mosquito species Aedes aegypti, Aedes albopictus and Culex quinquefasciatus from Reunion Island

Parasites & Vectors ◽

10.1186/s13071-020-04267-z ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 13 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Yann Gomard ◽

Cyrille Lebon ◽

Patrick Mavingui ◽

Célestine M. Atyame

Keyword(s):

Aedes Aegypti ◽

Aedes Albopictus ◽

Culex Quinquefasciatus ◽

Zika Virus ◽

Mosquito Species ◽

Transmission Efficiency ◽

Reunion Island ◽

Réunion Island ◽

Virus Strains

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Natural Vertical Transmission of Zika Virus in Larval Aedes aegypti Populations, Morelos, Mexico

Emerging Infectious Diseases ◽

10.3201/eid2508.181533 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 25 (8) ◽

pp. 1477-1484 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Mónica Izquierdo-Suzán ◽

Selene Zárate ◽

Jesús Torres-Flores ◽

Fabián Correa-Morales ◽

Cassandra González-Acosta ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Aedes Aegypti ◽

Vertical Transmission ◽

Zika Virus

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Vertical Transmission of Zika Virus (Flaviviridae, Flavivirus) in Amazonian Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae) Delays Egg Hatching and Larval Development of Progeny

Journal of Medical Entomology ◽

10.1093/jme/tjz110 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 56 (6) ◽

pp. 1739-1744 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Barbara Aparecida Chaves ◽

Ademir Bentes Vieira Junior ◽

Karine Renata Dias Silveira ◽

Andreia da Costa Paz ◽

Evelyn Beatriz da Costa Vaz ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Aedes Aegypti ◽

Larval Development ◽

Vertical Transmission ◽

Zika Virus ◽

Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction ◽

Fourth Generation ◽

Egg Hatching ◽

Immature Development ◽

F1 Progeny ◽

Virus Exposure

Abstract Zika virus (ZIKV) has emerged as a globally important arbovirus and has been reported from all states of Brazil. The virus is primarily transmitted to humans through the bite of an infective Aedes aegypti (Linnaeus, 1762) or Aedes albopictus (Skuse, 1895). However, it is important to know if ZIKV transmission also occurs from Ae. aegypti through infected eggs to her offspring. Therefore, a ZIKV and dengue virus (DENV) free colony was established from eggs collected in Manaus and maintained until the third–fourth generation in order to conduct ZIKV vertical transmission (VT) experiments which used an infectious bloodmeal as the route of virus exposure. The eggs from ZIKV-infected females were allowed to hatch. The resulting F1 progeny (larvae, pupae, and adults) were quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) assayed for ZIKV. The viability of ZIKV vertically transmitted to F1 progeny was evaluated by cultivation in C6/36 cells. The effects of ZIKV on immature development of Ae. aegypti was assessed and compared with noninfected mosquitoes. AmazonianAe. aegypti were highly susceptible to ZIKV infection (96.7%), and viable virus passed to their progeny via VT. Moreover, eggs from the ZIKV-infected mosquitoes had a significantly lower hatch rate and the slowest hatching. In addition, the larval development period was slower when compared to noninfected, control mosquitoes. This is the first study to illustrate VT initiated by oral infection of the parental population by using mosquitoes, which originated from the field and a ZIKV strain that is naturally circulating in-country. Additionally, this study suggests that ZIKV present in the Ae. aegypti can modify the mosquito life cycle. The data reported here suggest that VT of ZIKV to progeny from naturally infected females may have a critical epidemiological role in the dissemination and maintenance of the virus circulating in the vector.

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Vertical Transmission of Zika Virus by Jiegao and Mengding Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae) Strains in Yunnan Province in China

Vector-Borne and Zoonotic Diseases ◽

10.1089/vbz.2019.2581 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 20 (9) ◽

pp. 664-669

Author(s):

Chunling Zhu ◽

Yuting Jiang ◽

Qianghui Zhang ◽

Jian Gao ◽

Zhenyu Gu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Aedes Aegypti ◽

Vertical Transmission ◽

Zika Virus ◽

Yunnan Province

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Competence of Aedes aegypti, Ae. albopictus, and Culex quinquefasciatus Mosquitoes as Zika Virus Vectors, China

Emerging Infectious Diseases ◽

10.3201/eid2307.161528 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 23 (7) ◽

pp. 1085-1091 ◽

Cited By ~ 60

Author(s):

Zhuanzhuan Liu ◽

Tengfei Zhou ◽

Zetian Lai ◽

Zhenhong Zhang ◽

Zhirong Jia ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Aedes Aegypti ◽

Culex Quinquefasciatus ◽

Zika Virus ◽

Virus Vectors

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Highly Efficient Vertical Transmission for Zika Virus in Aedes aegypti after Long Extrinsic Incubation Time

Pathogens ◽

10.3390/pathogens9050366 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 9 (5) ◽

pp. 366 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Menchie Manuel ◽

Dorothée Missé ◽

Julien Pompon

Keyword(s):

Viral Load ◽

Aedes Aegypti ◽

Vertical Transmission ◽

Incubation Time ◽

Zika Virus ◽

Horizontal Transmission ◽

Oral Infection ◽

Gonotrophic Cycle ◽

Pooled Samples ◽

Shed Light

While the Zika virus (ZIKV) 2014–2017 pandemic has subsided, there remains active transmission. Apart from horizontal transmission to humans, the main vector Aedes aegypti can transmit the virus vertically from mother to offspring. Large variation in vertical transmission (VT) efficiency between studies indicates the influence of parameters, which remain to be characterized. To determine the roles of extrinsic incubation time and gonotrophic cycle, we deployed an experimental design that quantifies ZIKV in individual progeny and larvae. We observed an early infection of ovaries that exponentially progressed. We quantified VT rate, filial infection rate, and viral load per infected larvae at 10 days post oral infection (d.p.i.) on the second gonotrophic cycle and at 17 d.p.i. on the second and third gonotrophic cycle. As compared to previous reports that studied pooled samples, we detected a relatively high VT efficiency from 1.79% at 10 d.p.i. and second gonotrophic cycle to 66% at 17 d.p.i. and second gonotrophic cycle. At 17 d.p.i., viral load largely varied and averaged around 800 genomic RNA (gRNA) copies. Longer incubation time and fewer gonotrophic cycles promoted VT. These results shed light on the mechanism of VT, how environmental conditions favor VT, and whether VT can maintain ZIKV circulation.

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