title: Invasiveness of Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus and Vectorial Capacity for Chikungunya Virus.
abstract: In this review, we highlight biological characteristics of Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus, 2 invasive mosquito species and primary vectors of chikungunya virus (CHIKV), that set the tone of these species' invasiveness, vector competence, and vectorial capacity (VC). The invasiveness of both species, as well as their public health threats as vectors, is enhanced by preference for human blood. Vector competence, characterized by the efficiency of an ingested arbovirus to replicate and become infectious in the mosquito, depends largely on vector and virus genetics, and most A. aegypti and A. albopictus populations thus far tested confer vector competence for CHIKV. VC, an entomological analog of the pathogen's basic reproductive rate (R0), is epidemiologically more important than vector competence but less frequently measured, owing to challenges in obtaining valid estimates of parameters such as vector survivorship and host feeding rates. Understanding the complexities of these factors will be pivotal in curbing CHIKV transmission.
authors.affiliation: Florida Medical Entomology Laboratory, University of Florida, Vero Beach.
authors.forename: Leon Philip
authors.initials: LP
authors.lastname: Lounibos
authors.affiliation: Arbovirus Laboratories, Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health.|Department of Biomedical Sciences, School of Public Health, State University of New York, Albany.
authors.forename: Laura D
authors.initials: LD
authors.lastname: Kramer
mesh_terms: D000330:Aedes / Q000145:classification / Q000502:physiology* / Q000821:virology*; D000818:Animals; D065632:Chikungunya Fever / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000635:transmission* / Q000821:virology; D002646:Chikungunya virus / Q000235:genetics / Q000472:pathogenicity / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D000072138:Mosquito Vectors / Q000502:physiology* / Q000821:virology*; D011634:Public Health; D014779:Virus Replication
keywords: Aedes aegypti; Aedes albopictus; chikungunya; competitive displacement; invasiveness; satyrization; vector competence; vectorial capacity