Abstract
Palm Creek virus (PCV) is an insect-specific flavivirus that can interfere with the replication of mosquito-borne flaviviruses in Culex mosquitoes, thereby potentially reducing disease transmission. We examined whether PCV could interfere with arbovirus replication in Aedes (Ae.) aegypti and Ae. albopictus mosquitoes, major vectors for many prominent mosquito-borne viral diseases. We infected laboratory colonies of Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus with PCV to evaluate infection dynamics. PCV infection was found to persist to at least 21 days post-infection and could be detected in the midguts and ovaries. We then assayed for PCV–arbovirus interference by orally challenging PCV-infected mosquitoes with Zika and chikungunya viruses. For both arboviruses, PCV infection had no effect on infection and transmission rates, indicating limited potential as a method of intervention for Aedes-transmitted arboviruses. We also explored the hypothesis that PCV–arbovirus interference is mediated by the small interfering RNA pathway in silico. Our findings indicate that RNA interference is unlikely to underlie the mechanism of arbovirus inhibition and emphasise the need for empirical examination of individual pairs of insect-specific viruses and arboviruses to fully understand their impact on arbovirus transmission.
Highlights
We were interested to know whether Palm Creek virus (PCV) infection could reach the mosquito midgut and ovaries due to potential implications this may have on arbovirus interference and vertical transmission
Our results show that PCV infects Ae. albopictus and Ae. aegypti, which suggests a potential for horizontal transmission of this virus among mosquito species that share the same habitat
Our results indicate that insect-specific viruses (ISVs)–arbovirus interference is highly context-specific
Summary
Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. Mosquitoes are common vectors of arthropod-borne viruses (arboviruses) that are responsible for many diseases of significant public health burden. The Aedes aegypti and Ae. albopictus mosquitoes contribute heavily to the emergence and transmission of the major arboviruses affecting human populations in tropical and subtropical regions. Studies using molecular tools or generation sequencing on wild mosquitoes have revealed that they are ubiquitously infected with other viruses belonging to the same families as most arboviruses, namely Flaviviridae, Togaviridae, and Phenuiviridae [1,2,3,4,5,6]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
