Interference between mosquito densonucleosis virus and certain arboviruses

Abstract

The active ingredient of the preparation Viroden, developed in Ukraine, is the mosquito densovirus. This virus has a wide tissue tropism and affects all phases of ontogenesis. It reproduces itself in the mosquito’s salivary gland cells, but unlike arboviruses, it is harmless for humans and vertebrates. It is well established that simultaneous infection of an insect with different viruses is often accompanied by the phenomenon of interference, whereby the reproduction of one or both viruses is suppressed in the insect’s body. Consequently, it was reasonable to investigate the results of concurrent infection with an arbovirus and a mosquito densovirus. Laboratory experiments demonstrated that mosquito densovirus suppressed the reproduction of West Nile, Sindbis, and Batai viruses in the mosquito’s body, resulting in a significant decrease in their infective titers as well as a reduction in the transmission factor during blood-feeding. The relevance of this research is determined by the increasing levels of biological threats posed by zoonotic transmissible viral infections common to humans and animals. According to the predictions of experts, in light of the processes of globalization and climate change, this may result in the emergence of new pandemics and panzootics