title: Chikungunya virus and Aedes mosquitoes: saliva is infectious as soon as two days after oral infection.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus are potential vectors of chikungunya virus (CHIKV). The recent CHIKV outbreaks were caused by a new variant characterized by a mutation in the E1 glycoprotein gene (E1-226V) which has favored a better transmissibility by Ae. albopictus. As Ae. albopictus tends to replace Ae. aegypti in many regions, one question remained: is Ae. albopictus as efficient as Ae. aegypti to transmit the variant E1-226V of CHIKV?
  
  
  RESULTS
  We infected orally both species with the variant E1-226V and estimated the infection, the viral dissemination, and the transmission rate by real time RT-PCR. Additionally, we used an in vitro assay to determine the amount of virus delivered by mosquitoes in their saliva. We found that Ae. aegypti as well as Ae. albopictus ensured a high replication of the virus which underwent an efficient dissemination as detectable in the salivary glands at day 2 post-infection (pi). Infectious CHIKV particles were delivered by salivary glands from day 2 with a maximum at day 6 pi for Ae. albopictus (10(3.3) PFU) and day 7 pi for Ae. aegypti (10(2.5) PFU).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Ae. albopictus is slightly more efficient than Ae. aegypti to transmit the variant E1-226V of CHIKV. These results will help to design an efficient vector control to limit transmission as soon as the first human cases are diagnosed.
authors.affiliation: Institut Pasteur, Génétique moléculaire des Bunyavirus, Paris, France.
authors.forename: Mathieu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dubrulle
authors.forename: Laurence
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Mousson
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Moutailler
authors.forename: Marie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vazeille
authors.forename: Anna-Bella
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Failloux
mesh_terms: D000330:Aedes / Q000235:genetics* / Q000821:virology*; D018354:Alphavirus Infections / Q000635:transmission / Q000821:virology*; D000818:Animals; D002646:Chikungunya virus / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D016679:Genome, Viral; D005838:Genotype; D006023:Glycoproteins / Q000235:genetics; D007303:Insect Vectors / Q000235:genetics; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence / Q000379:methods; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012463:Saliva / Q000821:virology; D012469:Salivary Glands / Q000821:virology
chemical_list: D006023:Glycoproteins