Abstract
The global spread of invasive mosquito species increases arbovirus infections. In addition to the invasive species Aedes albopictus and Aedes japonicus, Aedes koreicus has spread within Central Europe. Extensive information on its vector competence is missing. Ae. koreicus from Germany were investigated for their vector competence for chikungunya virus (CHIKV), Zika virus (ZIKV) and West Nile virus (WNV). Experiments were performed under different climate conditions (27 ± 5 °C; 24 ± 5 °C) for fourteen days. Ae. koreicus had the potential to transmit CHIKV and ZIKV but not WNV. Transmission was exclusively observed at the higher temperature, and transmission efficiency was rather low, at 4.6% (CHIKV) or 4.7% (ZIKV). Using a whole virome analysis, a novel mosquito-associated virus, designated Wiesbaden virus (WBDV), was identified in Ae. koreicus. Linking the WBDV infection status of single specimens to their transmission capability for the arboviruses revealed no influence on ZIKV transmission. In contrast, a coinfection of WBDV and CHIKV likely has a boost effect on CHIKV transmission. Due to its current distribution, the risk of arbovirus transmission by Ae. koreicus in Europe is rather low but might gain importance, especially in regions with higher temperatures. The impact of WBDV on arbovirus transmission should be analyzed in more detail.
Highlights
The transmission of viruses by mosquitoes, represent a threat for global health, with increasing numbers of infections reported in the last few decades [1]
Aedes koreicus specimens collected in southwest Germany were able to transmit chikungunya virus (CHIKV)
Transmission was observed at 27 ± 5 ◦ C, with an infection rate (IR) of 68% and a transmission rate (TR) of 7%, indicating a transmission efficiency (TE) of 5%
Summary
The transmission of viruses by mosquitoes (arthropod-borne viruses), represent a threat for global health, with increasing numbers of infections reported in the last few decades [1]. Indigenous mosquito populations can be infected and, thereby, transmit arboviruses to immunologically naïve amplification hosts, which may cause autochthonous epizootics or epidemics. The importation of Zika virus (ZIKV) from Asia to the Americas led to an epidemic with hundreds of thousands of human cases in 2015/2016 [2]. Another example is the global spread of chikungunya virus (CHIKV) in the last two decades. It initially only caused epidemics in Africa and parts of Asia, but afterward spread to India, the Indian Ocean islands and the Americas, causing millions of human infections [3]. A single introduction of West Nile virus (WNV) to the US in 1999, commonly distributed in Africa, Europe, the Middle East, West Asia and Australia, was followed by a rapid spread over the whole
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