Journal
JOURNAL OF MEDICAL ENTOMOLOGY
Volume 56, Issue 6, Pages 1739-1744Publisher
OXFORD UNIV PRESS INC
DOI: 10.1093/jme/tjz110
Keywords
Zika virus; vertical transmission; Aedes aegypti; fitness cost
Categories
Funding
- Brazilian agency: Foundation of the Institute Oswaldo Cruz (FIOCRUZ)
- Brazilian agency: Strategic Program for Supporting Health Research (PAPES VI)
- Brazilian agency: Brazilian Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq/MS/CAPES/DECIT)
- Brazilian agency: Program Science without Borders
- Brazilian agency: INCT-Instituto Nacional de Ciencia e Tecnologia - Entomologia Molecular
- Brazilian agency: Minas Gerais State Research Support Foundation (FAPEMIG)
- Brazilian agency: Amazonas State Research Support Foundation (FAPEAM)
- CNPq
- CAPES
- FAPEAM
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Zika virus (ZIKV) has emerged as a globally important arbovirus and has been reported from all states of Brazil. The virus is primarily transmitted to humans through the bite of an infective Aedes aegypti (Linnaeus, 1762) or Aedes albopictus (Skuse, 1895). However, it is important to know if ZIKV transmission also occurs from Ae. aegypti through infected eggs to her offspring. Therefore, a ZIKV and dengue virus (DENV) free colony was established from eggs collected in Manaus and maintained until the third-fourth generation in order to conduct ZIKV vertical transmission (VT) experiments which used an infectious bloodmeal as the route of virus exposure. The eggs from ZIKV-infected females were allowed to hatch. The resulting F1 progeny (larvae, pupae, and adults) were quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) assayed for ZIKV. The viability of ZIKV vertically transmitted to F1 progeny was evaluated by cultivation in C6/36 cells. The effects of ZIKV on immature development of Ae. aegypti was assessed and compared with noninfected mosquitoes. Amazonian Ae. aegypti were highly susceptible to ZIKV infection (96.7%), and viable virus passed to their progeny via VT. Moreover, eggs from the ZIKV-infected mosquitoes had a significantly lower hatch rate and the slowest hatching. In addition, the larval development period was slower when compared to noninfected, control mosquitoes. This is the first study to illustrate VT initiated by oral infection of the parental population by using mosquitoes, which originated from the field and a ZIKV strain that is naturally circulating in-country. Additionally, this study suggests that ZIKV present in the Ae. aegypti can modify the mosquito life cycle. The data reported here suggest that VT of ZIKV to progeny from naturally infected females may have a critical epidemiological role in the dissemination and maintenance of the virus circulating in the vector.
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