title: Transmission potential of two chimeric Chikungunya vaccine candidates in the urban mosquito vectors, Aedes aegypti and Ae. albopictus.
abstract: Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is an emerging, mosquito-borne alphavirus that has caused major epidemics in Africa and Asia. We developed chimeric vaccine candidates using the non-structural protein genes of either Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (VEEV) attenuated vaccine strain TC-83 or a naturally attenuated strain of eastern equine encephalitis virus (EEEV) and the structural genes of CHIKV. Because the transmission of genetically modified live vaccine strains is undesirable because of the potentially unpredictable evolution of these viruses as well as the potential for reversion, we evaluated the ability of these vaccines to infect the urban CHIKV vectors, Aedes aegypti and Ae. albopictus. Both vaccine candidates exhibited significantly lower infection and dissemination rates compared with the parent alphaviruses. Intrathoracic inoculations indicated that reduced infectivity was mediated by midgut infection barriers in both species. These results indicate a low potential for transmission of these vaccine strains in the event that a vaccinee became viremic.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Human Infections and Immunity, Sealy Center for Vaccine Development, Center for Tropical Diseases, and Department of Pathology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, USA. jrdarwin@UTMB.EDU
authors.forename: Justin R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Darwin
authors.forename: Joan L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Kenney
authors.forename: Scott C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Weaver
mesh_terms: D000330:Aedes / Q000821:virology*; D018354:Alphavirus Infections / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000635:transmission; D000818:Animals; D065632:Chikungunya Fever; D002646:Chikungunya virus / Q000276:immunology / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D004666:Encephalitis Virus, Venezuelan Equine / Q000276:immunology; D058872:Epidemics; D005814:Genes, Viral; D005818:Genetic Engineering; D006801:Humans; D007303:Insect Vectors / Q000821:virology*; D014613:Vaccines, Attenuated / Q000276:immunology; D014765:Viral Vaccines / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D014613:Vaccines, Attenuated; D014765:Viral Vaccines