Intrinsic variation in the vertically transmitted core virome of the mosquito Aedes aegypti

Abstract

Virome studies among metazoans have revealed the ubiquity of RNA viruses in animals, contributing to a fundamental rethinking of the relationships between organisms and their microbiota. Mosquito viromes, often scrutinized due to their public health relevance, may also provide insight into broadly applicable concepts, such as a "core virome," a set of viruses consistently associated with a host species or population that may fundamentally impact its basic biology. A subset of mosquito-associated viruses (MAVs) could comprise such a core, and MAVs can be categorized as (i) arboviruses, which alternate between mosquito and vertebrate hosts, (ii) insect-specific viruses, which cannot replicate in vertebrate cells, and (iii) viruses with unknown specificity. MAVs have been widely characterized in the disease vector Aedes aegypti, and the occurrence of a core virome in this species has been proposed but remains un-

Aedes aegypti and Ae. albopictus microbiome/virome: new strategies for controlling arboviral transmission?

“…Accordingly, studies by Coatsworth et al . [ 132 ] confirmed the vertical transfer of ISVs in Ae. aegypti by metagenomic studies conducted over several generations.…”

“…aegypti and Ae. albopictus likely plays a role in mosquito homeostasis and may also have implications in vector competition for arbovirus transmission [ 39 , 118 , 132 ]. Future studies are needed to fully understand these complex interactions.…”

“…In particular, the family Totiviridae has been mainly associated with fungi and plants [ 136 ]. However, its prevalence has increased among arthropods, possibly due to horizontal virus transfer mechanisms [ 132 ]. According to Shi et al .…”

“…This is probably associated with the variable geographical and environmental conditions found in nature versus the standardized conditions of water and resources available in the laboratory [ 37 , 129 , 130 ]. The evident contrast between the scenarios in which field and laboratory mosquitoes are exposed could reflect the viral diversity of their respective environments [ 132 ]. Thus, future investigations could identify the impact of different biological and environmental variables on ISVs.…”

Characterisation of the RNA Virome of Nine Ochlerotatus Species in Finland

“…GenBank records show that totiviruses have been found in arthropods, plants, mammals and fish, thus indicate that these viruses might have a wider host range than is currently recognised by the ICTV (https://ictv.global/taxonomy/ (accessed on 20 May 2022)). Another factor to potentially explain the high prevalence of totiviruses could be that they are part of the core virome of Ochlerotatus species [88]. Either way, this study highlights the need for an expert group to subject Totiviridae to a critical review, since at present only 28 species belonging to five genera are currently officially recognised by the ICTV (https://ictv.global/taxonomy/ (accessed on 20 May 2022)), but in this study alone, 52 novel viruses were proposed.…”