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

Fernandes, Rosilainy Surubi; Campos, Stéphanie Silva; Ferreira-de-Brito, Anielly; Miranda, Rafaella Moraes de; Silva, Keli Antunes Barbosa da; Castro, Márcia Gonçalves de; Raphael, Lidiane Menezes Souza; Brasil, Patrícia; Failloux, Anna‐Bella; Bonaldo, Myrna C.; Lourenço‐de‐Oliveira, Ricardo

doi:10.1371/journal.pntd.0004993

Cited by 109 publications

(124 citation statements)

References 45 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

116

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…quinquefasciatus or Cx . pipiens indicate that many geographically distinct populations are refractory to virus transmission [46,47,51–54]. These results are similar to our findings in both SPONV strains, where infection and dissemination was not detected in Cx .…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

Genetic Characterization of Spondweni and Zika Viruses and Susceptibility of Geographically Distinct Strains of Aedes aegypti, Aedes albopictus and Culex quinquefasciatus (Diptera: Culicidae) to Spondweni Virus

et al. 2016

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

BackgroundZika virus (ZIKV) has extended its known geographic distribution to the New World and is now responsible for severe clinical complications in a subset of patients. While substantial genetic and vector susceptibility data exist for ZIKV, less is known for the closest related flavivirus, Spondweni virus (SPONV). Both ZIKV and SPONV have been known to circulate in Africa since the mid-1900s, but neither has been genetically characterized by gene and compared in parallel. Furthermore, the susceptibility of peridomestic mosquito species incriminated or suspected in the transmission of ZIKV to SPONV was unknown.Methodology/Principal FindingsIn this study, two geographically distinct strains of SPONV were genetically characterized and compared to nine genetically and geographically distinct ZIKV strains. Additionally, the susceptibility of both SPONV strains was determined in three mosquito species. The open reading frame (ORF) of the SPONV 1952 Nigerian Chuku strain, exhibited a nucleotide and amino acid identity of 97.8% and 99.2%, respectively, when compared to the SPONV 1954 prototype South African SA Ar 94 strain. The ORF of the SPONV Chuku strain exhibited a nucleotide and amino acid identity that ranged from 68.3% to 69.0% and 74.6% to 75.0%, respectively, when compared to nine geographically and genetically distinct strains of ZIKV. The ORF of the nine African and Asian lineage ZIKV strains exhibited limited nucleotide divergence. Aedes aegypti, Ae. albopictus and Culex quinquefasciatus susceptibility and dissemination was low or non-existent following artificial infectious blood feeding of moderate doses of both SPONV strains.Conclusions/SignificanceSPONV and ZIKV nucleotide and amino acid divergence coupled with differences in geographic distribution, ecology and vector species support previous reports that these viruses are separate species. Furthermore, the low degree of SPONV infection or dissemination in Ae. albopictus, Ae. aegypti and Cx. quinquefasciatus following exposure to two geographically and genetically distinct virus strains suggest a low potential for these species to serve as vectors.

show abstract

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

Genetic Characterization of Spondweni and Zika Viruses and Susceptibility of Geographically Distinct Strains of Aedes aegypti, Aedes albopictus and Culex quinquefasciatus (Diptera: Culicidae) to Spondweni Virus

et al. 2016

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…africanus in parts of Africa). There is also a debate about the capacity of the geographically widespread Culex quinquefasciatus vector to transmit ZIKV (45)(46)(47). However, most recent studies are showing poor or no competence of this species to transmit ZIKV.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Global risk model for vector-borne transmission of Zika virus reveals the role of El Niño 2015

Caminade

Turner

Metelmann

et al. 2016

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

155

149

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Zika, a mosquito-borne viral disease that emerged in South America in 2015, was declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern by the WHO in February of 2016. We developed a climate-driven R0 mathematical model for the transmission risk of Zika virus (ZIKV) that explicitly includes two key mosquito vector species: Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus. The model was parameterized and calibrated using the most up to date information from the available literature. It was then driven by observed gridded temperature and rainfall datasets for the period 1950–2015. We find that the transmission risk in South America in 2015 was the highest since 1950. This maximum is related to favoring temperature conditions that caused the simulated biting rates to be largest and mosquito mortality rates and extrinsic incubation periods to be smallest in 2015. This event followed the suspected introduction of ZIKV in Brazil in 2013. The ZIKV outbreak in Latin America has very likely been fueled by the 2015–2016 El Niño climate phenomenon affecting the region. The highest transmission risk globally is in South America and tropical countries where Ae. aegypti is abundant. Transmission risk is strongly seasonal in temperate regions where Ae. albopictus is present, with significant risk of ZIKV transmission in the southeastern states of the United States, in southern China, and to a lesser extent, over southern Europe during the boreal summer season.

show abstract

“…aegypti and Ae. albopictus mosquitoes, which are associated with a risk of local transmission [15] as well other aedine species were heterogeneously and weakly competent for transmission [16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25]. Therefore, the potential role of other anthropophilic mosquitoes in the ZIKV outbreak raised a question which took time to be addressed [26].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Culex quinquefasciatus mosquitoes do not support replication of Zika virus

Lourenço‐de‐Oliveira

Marques

Sreenu

et al. 2018

Journal of General Virology

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The rapid spread of Zika virus (ZIKV) in the Americas raised many questions about the role of Culex quinquefasciatus mosquitoes in transmission, in addition to the key role played by the vector Aedes aegypti. Here we analysed the competence of Cx. quinquefasciatus (with or without Wolbachia endosymbionts) for a ZIKV isolate. We also examined the induction of RNA interference pathways after viral challenge and the production of small virus-derived RNAs. We did not observe any infection nor such small virus-derived RNAs, regardless of the presence or absence of Wolbachia. Thus, Cx. quinquefasciatus does not support ZIKV replication and Wolbachia is not involved in producing this phenotype. In short, these mosquitoes are very unlikely to play a role in transmission of ZIKV. Micronesia and then in French Polynesia in 2013-2014, and after affecting most of the South Pacific islands, the virus was eventually detected in the Americas in 2015 [1][2][3][4]. The increased number of infections in humans included cases with unusually severe symptoms such as Guillain-Barr e syndrome and developmental abnormalities in newborns that are now described as congenital Zika syndrome [5][6][7][8]. As there are currently no licensed vaccines or specific therapies, the only way to interrupt ZIKV transmission is by controlling mosquito populations [9]. An enzootic cycle limited to Africa and Asia with occasional spillover events has been described [10,11]. In the current outbreak in the Americas, ZIKV is believed to be mainly transmitted by the human-biting mosquito Aedes aegypti [12,13]. Whether a similar enzootic cycle in the Americas can be established is not known and it has been suggested that such a process would make eradication efforts 'practically impossible' [14]. Experimental infections with the epidemic ZIKV genotypes demonstrated that populations of Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus mosquitoes, which are associated with a risk of local transmission [15] as well other aedine species were heterogeneously and weakly competent for transmission [16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25]. Therefore, the potential role of other anthropophilic mosquitoes in the ZIKV outbreak raised a question which took time to be addressed [26]. Culex quinquefasciatus Say is an opportunistic blood feeder predominant in urban settings throughout the tropics where it is frequently the most annoying biting pest to humans [27]. This night-active mosquito is also the vector of many pathogens including arboviruses such as West Nile and St. Louis encephalitis viruses [28], which belong to the genus Flavivirus of the family Flaviviridae and are related to ZIKV. Both Cx. quinquefasciatus and Culex pipiens (from temperate regions) mosquitoes of the Cx. pipiens complex were not able to experimentally transmit ZIKV and no viral particles were detected in mosquito saliva up to 21 days after exposure to an infectious blood meal [17-20, 25, 29-36], though different results were recorded with other Cx. quinquefasciatus strains [37,38]. Even after injection o...

show abstract

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

Cited by 109 publications

References 45 publications

Genetic Characterization of Spondweni and Zika Viruses and Susceptibility of Geographically Distinct Strains of Aedes aegypti, Aedes albopictus and Culex quinquefasciatus (Diptera: Culicidae) to Spondweni Virus

Genetic Characterization of Spondweni and Zika Viruses and Susceptibility of Geographically Distinct Strains of Aedes aegypti, Aedes albopictus and Culex quinquefasciatus (Diptera: Culicidae) to Spondweni Virus

Global risk model for vector-borne transmission of Zika virus reveals the role of El Niño 2015

Culex quinquefasciatus mosquitoes do not support replication of Zika virus

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About