WITHDRAWN: Reduced fitness of the mosquito Culex pipiens (Diptera: Culicidae) after feeding on a blood meal with hepatitis C virus

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Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a blood-borne virus. Given that mosquitoes can take blood meals from healthy individuals as wells as HCV patients, we proved in a previous study that Culex pipiens can transmit HCV to human blood samples. In the present study, we aimed to test whether HCV in the blood meal can induce alterations in the biology of Cx. pipiens. To address this aim, Cx. pipiens females were fed HCV-positive fresh blood samples harvested from viremic HCV patients. The control mosquitoes were fed fresh HCV-free blood samples. Fragments of the HCV RNA negative strand were extracted from the mosquito bodies after 7 days of feeding, and RT-PCR sequenced to confirm the virus replication. In addition, several parameters that measure the fitness of the mosquitoes were observed. HCV acquired by the mosquitoes was able to replicate. Virus acquisition was associated with alterations in the architecture of the gut microvilli and the immune response, indicated by an increase in phenoloxidase activity. Interestingly, the mosquitoes that were fed the HCV-positive blood meal showed shorter median longevity (8 days) and laid fewer eggs than the control mosquitoes. Furthermore, the offspring of females fed the HCV-positive blood meal demonstrated a lower emergence rate than the controls. In sum, our results indicate that feeding on HCV by Cx. pipiens decreases fitness, which may, in turn, affect potential as a vector.