Abstract

Since the epidemic in 2007, studies on vector competence for Zika virus (ZIKV) have intensified, showing that the transmission efficiency varies depending on the vector population, ZIKV strain, and dose of the infectious blood meal. In this study, we aimed to investigate the replication of African and Asian ZIKV strains in vitro and in vivo in order to reveal their phenotypic differences. In addition, we investigated the vector competence of Cambodian Aedes aegypti (Ae. aegypti) mosquitoes (urban and rural) for these ZIKV strains. We observed a significantly higher pathogenicity of the African ZIKV strain in vitro (in mosquito and mammalian cells), and in vivo in both Ae. aegypti and mice. Both mosquito populations were competent to transmit ZIKV as early as 7 days p.i., depending on the population and the ZIKV strain. Ae. aegypti from rural habitats showed significant higher transmission and survival rates than those from urban. We observed the highest transmission efficiency for the African ZIKV isolate (93.3% 14 days p.i.) and for the Cambodian ZIKV isolate (80% 14 days p.i.). Overall, our results highlight the phenotypic differences of the ZIKV lineages and the potential risk of ZIKV transmission by Ae. aegypti mosquitoes. Further investigations of Cambodian mosquito species and ZIKV specific surveillance in humans is necessary in order to improve the local risk assessment.

Highlights

  • Zika virus (ZIKV) is a flavivirus mainly transmitted by Aedes mosquito species, representing an example of the emergence of a new arboviral disease

  • We investigated the replication of different ZIKV lineages in vitro and in vivo and observed significant differences between the African lineage strain HD78788 and the Asian lineage strains NC-2014-5132 and FSS13025

  • We showed that Cambodian Ae. aegypti mosquitoes are competent to transmit different ZIKV strains in particular rural mosquitoes, which is of interest for public health, as these mosquitoes are distributed widely across the country

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Summary

Introduction

Zika virus (ZIKV) is a flavivirus mainly transmitted by Aedes mosquito species, representing an example of the emergence of a new arboviral disease. It was first isolated in Uganda in 1947 [1], and for 60 years, infections with this virus were rarely reported. In Asia, ZIKV was first isolated in 1966 in Malaysia from Aedes (Ae.) aegypti mosquitoes [2], and the first human infections were reported in 1977 in Central Java, Indonesia [3]. The virus spread further over the Pacific islands and in 2015, a massive epidemic of ZIKV hit the Americas and became

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