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

Zhuanzhuan Liu,Jiabao Xu,Tengfei Zhou,Guofa Zhou,Xiaohong Zhou,Zhenhong Zhang,Guiyun Yan,Xiao-Guang Chen,Zhirong Jia,Jinbao Gu,Tricia Williams,Zetian Lai,Lifeng Lin

doi:10.3201/eid2307.161528

Abstract

In China, the prevention and control of Zika virus disease has been a public health threat since the first imported case was reported in February 2016. To determine the vector competence of potential vector mosquito species, we experimentally infected Aedes aegypti, Ae. albopictus, and Culex quinquefasciatus mosquitoes and determined infection rates, dissemination rates, and transmission rates. We found the highest vector competence for the imported Zika virus in Ae. aegypti mosquitoes, some susceptibility of Ae. albopictus mosquitoes, but no transmission ability for Cx. quinquefasciatus mosquitoes. Considering that, in China, Ae. albopictus mosquitoes are widely distributed but Ae. aegypti mosquito distribution is limited, Ae. albopictus mosquitoes are a potential primary vector for Zika virus and should be targeted in vector control strategies.

Highlights

In China, the prevention and control of Zika virus disease has been a public health threat since the first imported case was reported in February 2016
Identification of the mosquito species that could transmit Zika virus and determination of the extrinsic incubation period of Zika virus will provide a guide for vector control
We demonstrated experimentally that Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus mosquitoes in China possess the ability to transmit Zika virus, whereas Cx. quinquefasciatus mosquitoes were not able to transmit the virus under our laboratory conditions

Summary

Introduction

In China, the prevention and control of Zika virus disease has been a public health threat since the first imported case was reported in February 2016. To determine the vector competence of potential vector mosquito species, we experimentally infected Aedes aegypti, Ae. albopictus, and Culex quinquefasciatus mosquitoes and determined infection rates, dissemination rates, and transmission rates. We found the highest vector competence for the imported Zika virus in Ae. aegypti mosquitoes, some susceptibility of Ae. albopictus mosquitoes, but no transmission ability for Cx. quinquefasciatus mosquitoes. In February 2016, China recorded its first case of Zika virus infection in Jiangxi Province; the case was confirmed to have been caused by virus imported from Venezuela [20]. Because cases of Zika virus disease caused by imported virus have been reported in China, we investigated the potential vectors

Methods

Results

Conclusion