Abstract
BackgroundLa Crosse virus (LACV) infection has been shown to manipulate the blood-feeding behaviors of its main vector, Aedes triseriatus. Here, we investigated the effects of virus infection on serotonin and dopamine and their potential roles in host-seeking. In mosquitoes, serotonin depletion has been shown to interfere with blood-feeding but not host-seeking. Dopamine depletion does not affect either blood-feeding or host-seeking; elevations of dopamine, however, has been shown to inhibit host-seeking. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of LACV infection on the host-seeking behavior of and neurotransmitter levels in Ae. triseriatus.MethodsHost-seeking behavior was evaluated using a uni-port olfactometer and a membrane feeder assay. Levels of serotonin and dopamine in infected and control mosquito heads were measured using HPLC-ED.ResultsInfection with LACV significantly inhibited the activation and attraction of Ae. triseriatus females to a host. A higher proportion of uninfected Ae. triseriatus females were activated by the presence of a host compared to infected mosquitoes and more uninfected mosquitoes were full responders (95.7%) compared to infected ones (91.1%). However, infection with LACV did not significantly affect the landing, probing, or blood-feeding rates of female mosquitoes. LACV-infected mosquitoes had lower serotonin levels than controls (104.5 vs 138.3 pg/head) while the dopamine levels were not affected by infection status (282.3 vs 237 pg/head).ConclusionsOur work suggests that virus-induced reduction of serotonin is related to previously reported blood-feeding alterations in LACV-infected mosquitoes and could lead to enhanced transmission and increased vectorial capacity. In addition, some aspects of host-seeking were inhibited by virus infection.
Highlights
La Crosse virus (LACV) infection has been shown to manipulate the blood-feeding behaviors of its main vector, Aedes triseriatus
Effect of virus status on activation and attraction LACV infection had an inhibitory effect on the host-seeking behavior of female Ae. triseriatus
During the 15-min test period, 65% of infected mosquitoes landed on the membrane surface vs 58% of the uninfected individuals (P = 0.12, OR: 1.57, 95% CI: 0.93–2.60), 64% of the infected mosquitoes probed the membrane compared to 56% of the uninfected ones (P = 0.07, OR: 1.64, 95% CI: 1.000–2.767), and 52% the infected group took a visible blood meal vs 51% of the uninfected individuals (P = 0.91, OR: 1.06, 95% CI: 0.67–1.66)
Summary
La Crosse virus (LACV) infection has been shown to manipulate the blood-feeding behaviors of its main vector, Aedes triseriatus. Serotonin depletion has been shown to interfere with blood-feeding but not host-seeking. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of LACV infection on the host-seeking behavior of and neurotransmitter levels in Ae. triseriatus. Elevation of dopamine levels can inhibit the host-seeking behavior of Ae. albopictus [10] while depletion of serotonin inhibited feeding by Ae. triseriatus [11]. It is reasonable to hypothesize that virus-induced modulation of neurochemical levels may be a mechanism for altering blood feeding and/or host-seeking behaviors of infected mosquitoes. The purpose of this study was to determine if LACV infection affects host-seeking behavior of and neurotransmitter levels in Ae. triseriatus
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