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Assessing natural infection with Zika virus in the southern house mosquito, Culex quinquefasciatus, during 2016 in Puerto Rico
Citation:
Yee, D., R. DeJesus-Crespo, F. Hunter, AND F. Bai. Assessing natural infection with Zika virus in the southern house mosquito, Culex quinquefasciatus, during 2016 in Puerto Rico. Medical and Veterinary Entomology. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, NJ, 32(2):255-258, (2018). https://doi.org/10.1111/mve.12289
Impact/Purpose:
The epidemic of Zika in the Western hemisphere has led to intense investigation of all species important in its transmission cycle, including the putative mosquito vectors. A recent report suggests that non-Aedes may be involved in transmission, most notably Culex quinquefasciatus. Field data from wild caught Cx. quinquefasciatus in June 2016 suggests no natural infection with ZIKV in locations around San Juan, Puerto Rico, during a time when Aedes aegypti infection rates were high. This field study adds to a weight of evidence from laboratory studies that the role of Culex in Zika transmission may be limited.
Description:
The epidemic of Zika in the Western hemisphere has led to intense investigations of all species important in the transmission of Zika virus (ZikV), including putative mosquito vectors. Although evidence points to Stegomyia (= Aedes) (Diptera: Culicidae) mosquitoes as the primary vectors in nature among humans, there remains the possibility that other common mosquito species may be implicated in the rapid spread of the virus. Herein, field‐caught Culex quinquefasciatus (Diptera: Culicidae) collected during June 2016 in different neighbourhoods in San Juan, Puerto Rico were examined for the presence of natural infection with ZikV. Stegomyia aegypti (= Aedes aegypti) from the same locations were also analysed. None of the Cx. quinquefasciatus tested showed natural infection for ZikV, whereas S. aegypti tested positive at seven sites. The present results suggest that Cx. quinquefasciatus was not involved in the transmission of ZikV in San Juan, Puerto Rico in 2016.
URLs/Downloads:
DOI: Assessing natural infection with Zika virus in the southern house mosquito, Culex quinquefasciatus, during 2016 in Puerto Rico