Abstract
BackgroundZika virus (ZIKV; genus Flavivirus, family Flaviviridae) is maintained in a zoonotic cycle between arboreal Aedes spp. mosquitoes and nonhuman primates in African and Asian forests. Spillover into humans has been documented in both regions and the virus is currently responsible for a large outbreak in French Polynesia. ZIKV amplifications are frequent in southeastern Senegal but little is known about their seasonal and spatial dynamics. The aim of this paper is to describe the spatio-temporal patterns of the 2011 ZIKV amplification in southeastern Senegal.Methodology/FindingsMosquitoes were collected monthly from April to December 2011 except during July. Each evening from 18∶00 to 21∶00 hrs landing collections were performed by teams of 3 persons working simultaneously in forest (canopy and ground), savannah, agriculture, village (indoor and outdoor) and barren land cover sites. Mosquitoes were tested for virus infection by virus isolation and RT-PCR. ZIKV was detected in 31 of the 1,700 mosquito pools (11,247 mosquitoes) tested: Ae. furcifer (5), Ae. luteocephalus (5), Ae. africanus (5), Ae. vittatus (3), Ae. taylori, Ae. dalzieli, Ae. hirsutus and Ae. metallicus (2 each) and Ae. aegypti, Ae. unilinaetus, Ma. uniformis, Cx. perfuscus and An. coustani (1 pool each) collected in June (3), September (10), October (11), November (6) and December (1). ZIKV was detected from mosquitoes collected in all land cover classes except indoor locations within villages. The virus was detected in only one of the ten villages investigated.Conclusions/SignificanceThis ZIKV amplification was widespread in the Kédougou area, involved several mosquito species as probable vectors, and encompassed all investigated land cover classes except indoor locations within villages. Aedes furcifer males and Aedes vittatus were found infected within a village, thus these species are probably involved in the transmission of Zika virus to humans in this environment.
Highlights
Zika virus (ZIKV; genus Flavivirus, family Flaviviridae) is transmitted in a zoonotic cycle between arboreal Aedes spp. mosquitoes and nonhuman primates in African and Asian forests [1,2]
We recently reported the distribution and abundance of adult mosquitoes potentially involved in the sylvatic cycle of chikungunya virus (CHIKV), as well as rates of CHIKV infection in these mosquitoes, in the five most abundant land cover classes occurring in an area of 1,650 km2 around the town of Kedougou [21]
University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) complies with all applicable regulatory provisions of the U.S Department of Agriculture (USDA)-Animal Welfare Act; the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare-Public Health Service (PHS) Policy on Humane Care and Use of Laboratory Animals; the U.S Government Principles for the Utilization and Care of Vertebrate Animals Used in Research, Teaching, and Testing developed by the Interagency Research Animal Committee (IRAC), and other federal statutes and state regulations relating to animal research
Summary
Zika virus (ZIKV; genus Flavivirus, family Flaviviridae) is transmitted in a zoonotic cycle between arboreal Aedes spp. mosquitoes and nonhuman primates in African and Asian forests [1,2]. Human infections were first described in 1964 by a medical entomologist who was infected by ZIKV during fieldwork in Uganda, and are mainly characterized by mild headaches, maculopapular rash, fever, malaise, conjunctivitis, and arthralgia [4,17] These observations strongly suggested the occurrence of urban ZIKV transmission, but the first epidemic was not documented until 2007 on Yap Island within the Federated State of Micronesia [4]. Zika virus (ZIKV; genus Flavivirus, family Flaviviridae) is maintained in a zoonotic cycle between arboreal Aedes spp. mosquitoes and nonhuman primates in African and Asian forests. The aim of this paper is to describe the spatio-temporal patterns of the 2011 ZIKV amplification in southeastern Senegal
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