Horizontal and vertical transmission of West Nile virus genotype NY99 by Culex salinarius and genotypes NY99 and WN02 by Culex tarsalis.
Culex tarsalis is a superior horizontal and vertical vector of West Nile virus (WNV) compared with Culex salinarius. Culex salinarius transmitted WNV genotype NY99 (CT 2741-99 strain) horizontally to suckling mice at significantly lower rates than Cx. tarsalis on Days 8, 9, 10, and 12 post-infection, and Cx. salinarius transmitted WNV genotype NY99 to offspring at a lower vertical transmission infection rate than Cx. tarsalis. Culex tarsalis transmitted WNV genotypes NY99 and WN02 (CT S0084-08 strain) with equal efficiency. Daily percent horizontal transmission of genotype NY99 by Cx. tarsalis-infected per os and by intra-thoracic infection was not significantly different from daily transmission of genotype WN02 from Days 5-23 and Days 2-9 post-infection, respectively. Our findings do not support the previously published hypothesis that genotype NY99 was replaced in the New World by WN02 because of a shorter extrinsic incubation of WN02.
Department of Entomology and Center for Vector Biology and Zoonotic Diseases, The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, New Haven, Connecticut, USA. john.f.anderson@ct.gov
John F
JF
Anderson
Andy J
AJ
Main
Gong
G
Cheng
Francis J
FJ
Ferrandino
Erol
E
Fikrig
D000818:Animals; D000833:Animals, Suckling; D002522:Chlorocebus aethiops; D003465:Culex / Q000145:classification / Q000821:virology*; D018562:Disease Transmission, Infectious; D005260:Female; D005838:Genotype; D018445:Infectious Disease Transmission, Vertical; D007303:Insect Vectors / Q000821:virology*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D014709:Vero Cells; D014901:West Nile Fever / Q000635:transmission* / Q000821:virology; D014902:West Nile virus / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification