Evidence of Zika virus horizontal and vertical transmission in Aedes albopictus from Spain but not infectious virus in saliva of the progeny

Abstract

Aedes albopictus mosquitoes have been experimentally demonstrated to be a competent vector for Zika virus (ZIKV) in different countries, but there are still some gaps related to the importance of Ae. albopictus in ZIKV transmission. Recent studies on Spanish Ae. albopictus populations showed controversial results for ZIKV transmission and no studies have been performed yet to detect infectious ZIKV in saliva of progeny of infected female mosquitoes. Herein, the horizontal transmission (HT) and vertical transmission (VT) of ZIKV in field-collected Ae. albopictus mosquitoes from Spain were evaluated for ZIKV strains (African I and Asian lineages) to better estimate the risk of ZIKV transmission by Ae. albopictus. The two field-collected Ae. albopictus populations assayed were infected by all tested ZIKV strains, however differences in terms of vector competence were detected depending on strain-population combination. Moreover, a higher susceptibility to the African I lineage strain than to the Asian lineage strain was observed in both mosquito populations. On the other hand, VT was demonstrated for both ZIKV lineages, detecting the virus in both males and females of the progeny of infected females, although importantly ZIKV dissemination and transmission were not detected in the infected females from the offspring. The results of the present study demonstrate that Spanish Ae. albopictus populations could sustain virus transmission in case of ZIKV introduction, but VT would play a poor role in the ZIKV epidemiology. Overall, our results provide helpful information to health authorities to establish efficient surveillance and vector control programmes for ZIKV.

Experimental infections with Zika virus strains reveal high vector competence of Aedes albopictus and Aedes aegypti populations from Gabon (Central Africa) for the African virus lineage

“…We observed significant VC differences (DE at 7 and 21 dpi, and TE at 21 dpi) between Ae. albopictus- LBV and -FCV after experimental infection with the African ZIKV strain, in agreement with the variations observed at the population level at different local geographical scales [ 33 , 44 , 45 ]. Nevertheless, our results clearly indicated that Ae.…”

“…aegypti [ 37 , 41 , 42 ] and Ae. albopictus [ 43–46 ] populations from the Americas, Europe and Pacific Ocean Islands [ 37 , 44–46 ]. Although DAK84 strong infectiousness and transmissibility are a general trend that does not depend on the vector species ( Ae.…”

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

“…European Ae. albopictus are presumably a genetic mixture of populations from United States and La Reunion 43 , sharing similar profiles of ZIKV transmission with mosquitoes from La Reunion 16 , 44 , 45 . American ZIKV predominant during the 2015–2016 epidemic, was efficiently transmitted by Ae.…”

Wolbachia w Pip Blocks Zika Virus Transovarial Transmission in Aedes albopictus

“…ZIKV has become a threat to public health because it has been demonstrated to cause microcephaly in neonates and has rapidly spread in many countries ( 42 , 43 ). Most experiments have focused on ZIKV transmission in Ae.…”