title: Insect-specific viruses detected in laboratory mosquito colonies and their potential implications for experiments evaluating arbovirus vector competence.
abstract: Recently, there has been a dramatic increase in the detection and characterization of insect-specific viruses in field-collected mosquitoes. Evidence suggests that these viruses are ubiquitous in nature and that many are maintained by vertical transmission in mosquito populations. Some studies suggest that the presence of insect-specific viruses may inhibit replication of a super-infecting arbovirus, thus altering vector competence of the mosquito host. Accordingly, we screened our laboratory mosquito colonies for insect-specific viruses. Pools of colony mosquitoes were homogenized and inoculated into cultures of Aedes albopictus (C6/36) cells. The infected cells were examined by electron microscopy and deep sequencing was performed on RNA extracts. Electron micrograph images indicated the presence of three different viruses in three of our laboratory mosquito colonies. Potential implications of these findings for vector competence studies are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas Bethany.Bolling@dshs.state.tx.us.
authors.forename: Bethany G
authors.initials: BG
authors.lastname: Bolling
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas.
authors.forename: Nikos
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Vasilakis
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas.
authors.forename: Hilda
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Guzman
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas.
authors.forename: Steven G
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Widen
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas.
authors.forename: Thomas G
authors.initials: TG
authors.lastname: Wood
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas.
authors.forename: Vsevolod L
authors.initials: VL
authors.lastname: Popov
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas.
authors.forename: Saravanan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Thangamani
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas.
authors.forename: Robert B
authors.initials: RB
authors.lastname: Tesh
mesh_terms: D000330:Aedes / Q000648:ultrastructure / Q000821:virology*; D000818:Animals; D001102:Arbovirus Infections / Q000635:transmission* / Q000821:virology; D001103:Arboviruses / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D002460:Cell Line; D005260:Female; D007303:Insect Vectors / Q000821:virology*; D008297:Male; D046529:Microscopy, Electron, Transmission; D010802:Phylogeny