title: Variation in Aedes aegypti Mosquito Competence for Zika Virus Transmission.
abstract: To test whether Zika virus has adapted for more efficient transmission by Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, leading to recent urban outbreaks, we fed mosquitoes from Brazil, the Dominican Republic, and the United States artificial blood meals containing 1 of 3 Zika virus strains (Senegal, Cambodia, Mexico) and monitored infection, dissemination, and virus in saliva. Contrary to our hypothesis, Cambodia and Mexica strains were less infectious than the Senegal strain. Only mosquitoes from the Dominican Republic transmitted the Cambodia and Mexica strains. However, blood meals from viremic mice were more infectious than artificial blood meals of comparable doses; the Cambodia strain was not transmitted by mosquitoes from Brazil after artificial blood meals, whereas 61% transmission occurred after a murine blood meal (saliva titers up to 4 log10infectious units/collection). Although regional origins of vector populations and virus strain influence transmission efficiency, Ae. aegypti mosquitoes appear to be competent vectors of Zika virus in several regions of the Americas.
authors.forename: Christopher M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Roundy
authors.forename: Sasha R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Azar
authors.forename: Shannan L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Rossi
authors.forename: Jing H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Grace
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Leal
authors.forename: Ruimei
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Yun
authors.forename: Ildefonso
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Fernandez-Salas
authors.forename: Christopher J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Vitek
authors.forename: Igor A D
authors.initials: IA
authors.lastname: Paploski
authors.forename: Uriel
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Kitron
authors.forename: Guilherme S
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Ribeiro
authors.forename: Kathryn A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Hanley
authors.forename: Scott C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Weaver
authors.forename: Nikos
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Vasilakis
mesh_terms: D000330:Aedes / Q000821:virology*; D063147:Animal Distribution; D000818:Animals; D054884:Host-Pathogen Interactions; D007303:Insect Vectors / Q000821:virology*; D051379:Mice; D000071244:Zika Virus / Q000502:physiology*; D000071243:Zika Virus Infection / Q000635:transmission* / Q000821:virology*
keywords: Aedes aegypti; Zika; Zika virus; arbovirus; flaviviruses; mosquitoes; transmission; vector competence; vector-borne infections; viruses