Zika Virus Potential Vectors among Aedes Mosquitoes from Hokkaido, Northern Japan: Implications for Potential Emergence of Zika Disease.

Leo Uchida,Yasukazu Muramatsu,Katsuro Hagiwara,Ronald Enrique Morales-Vargas,Miki Shibuya

doi:10.3390/pathogens10080938

Leo Uchida, Yasukazu Muramatsu + Show 3 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens10080938

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Abstract

The Zika virus (ZIKV) is a rapidly expanding mosquito-borne virus that causes febrile illness in humans. Aedes aegypti and Ae. albopictus are the primary ZIKV vectors; however, the potential vector competence of other Aedes mosquitoes distributed in northern Japan (Palearctic ecozone) are not yet known. In this study, the susceptibility to Zika virus infection of three Aedes mosquitoes distributed in the main city of the northern Japan and their capacities as vectors for ZIKV were evaluated. Field-collected mosquitoes were fed ad libitum an infectious blood meal containing the ZIKV PRVABC59. The Zika virus was detected in the abdomen of Ae. galloisi and Ae. japonicus at 2–10 days post infection (PI), and from the thorax and head of Ae. galloisi at 10 days PI, resulting in 17.6% and 5.9% infection rates, respectively. The Zika virus was not detected from Ae. punctor at any time. Some northern Japanese Aedes could be suspected as vectors of ZIKV but the risk may be low when compared with major ZIKV vectors.

Highlights

There are more than 3500 species of mosquito classified in 112 genera [1]; mosquitoes are one of the most important vectors of arboviruses such as Dengue virus (DENV), Zika virus (ZIKV) and Chikungunya virus (CHIKV)
According to Kamimura’s categorization, all seven species belong to northern mosquitoes that distribute in the Palearctic ecozone in Japan [2]
All 715 mosquitoes were orally challenged with an infectious blood meal (IBM) containing FFU/mL or FFU/mL of the ZIKV strain PRVABC59, and 158 mosquitoes ingested an IBM (Table 1)

Summary

Introduction

There are more than 3500 species of mosquito classified in 112 genera [1]; mosquitoes are one of the most important vectors of arboviruses such as Dengue virus (DENV), Zika virus (ZIKV) and Chikungunya virus (CHIKV). In the field of arbovirus research, most infectious experiments that use live mosquitoes have been based on the use of two of southern mosquitoes, Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus, because of their importance as major vectors of several arboviruses. Laboratory colonies of both species have been well established and the easy handling of these laboratory specimens has contributed to useful arbovirus research. Especially northern mosquitoes whose colonies are not well established, have rarely been used for research because of the difficulty of the experiments. Little is known about the arbovirus vector competence (VC) of northern Aedes mosquitoes and their importance in the transmission cycle

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