Abstract
BackgroundInfection of mosquitoes is an essential step for the transmission of mosquito-borne arboviruses in nature. Engorgement of infectious blood meals from viremic infected vertebrate hosts allows the entry of viruses and initiates infection of midgut epithelial cells. Historically, the infection process of arboviruses in mosquitoes has been studied through the engorgement of mosquitoes from viremic laboratory animals or from artificial feeders containing blood mixed with viruses harvested from cell cultures. The latter approach using so-called artificial blood meals is more frequently used since it is readily optimized to maximize viral titer, negates the use of animals and can be used with viruses for which there are no small animal models. Use of artificial blood meals has enabled numerous studies on mosquito infections with a wide variety of viruses; however, as described here, with suitable modification it can also be used to study the interplay between infection, specific blood components, and physiological consequences associated with blood engorgement. For hematophagous female mosquitoes, blood is the primary nutritional source supporting all physiological process including egg development, and also influences neurological processes and behaviors such as host-seeking. Interactions between these blood-driven vector biological processes and arbovirus infection that is mediated via blood engorgement have not yet been specifically studied. This is in part because presentation of virus in whole blood inevitably induces enzymatic digestion processes, hormone driven oogenesis, and other biological changes. In this study, the infection process of Zika virus (ZIKV) in Aedes aegypti was characterized by oral exposure via viral suspension meals within minimally bovine serum albumin complemented medium or within whole blood. The use of bovine serum albumin in infectious meals provides an opportunity to evaluate the role of serum albumin during the process of flavivirus infection in mosquitoes.MethodsInfectious whole blood meals and infectious bovine serum albumin meals containing ZIKV were orally presented to two different groups of Ae. aegypti through membrane feeding. At 7 and 14 days post infection, infectious viruses were detected and viral dissemination from gut to other mosquito tissues was analyzed in orally challenged mosquitoes with 50% tissue culture infectious dose method on Vero76 cells.Results/ConclusionsZika virus infection was significantly impaired among mosquitoes orally challenged with infectious protein meals as compared to infectious whole blood meals. These results indicate the importance of the blood meal in the infection process of arboviruses in mosquitoes. It provides the basis for future studies to identify critical components in the blood of vertebrate hosts that facilitate arbovirus infection in mosquitoes.
Highlights
Hematophagy emerged multiple times during the evolution process of arthropod species [1]
To evaluate the importance of different components in the blood of vertebrate hosts in the infection process of arboviruses, infectious whole blood meals (WBMs) and bovine serum albumin meals (BSAMs) containing Zika virus (ZIKV) were used to determine if the ingestion of infectious blood meals and infectious cell-free BSAMs can lead to the difference in the efficiency in the establishment of infection
Our study demonstrates the differential outcomes in the per os challenge of ZIKV between infectious blood meals and infectious protein meals, which have been shown to support the completion of gonotrophic cycles in mosquitoes
Summary
Hematophagy emerged multiple times during the evolution process of arthropod species [1]. In addition to the infection established through the engorgement of infectious viruses, numerous physiological responses can be induced by the ingestion of blood meals from the vertebrate hosts These responses facilitate the digestion of blood and enable the detoxification of metabolic byproducts in mosquitoes and the production of neuroendocrines required for vitellogenesis and the completion of gonotrophic cycles [12,13,14]. Blood is the primary nutritional source supporting all physiological process including egg development, and influences neurological processes and behaviors such as host-seeking Interactions between these blood-driven vector biological processes and arbovirus infection that is mediated via blood engorgement have not yet been studied. The use of bovine serum albumin in infectious meals provides an opportunity to evaluate the role of serum albumin during the process of flavivirus infection in mosquitoes
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