Enhanced Zika virus susceptibility of globally invasive Aedes aegypti populations
Abstract
Why hasn't Zika virus (ZIKV) disease caused as much devastation in Africa, its continent of origin, as it has in the Americas? Outside of Africa, this flavivirus is transmitted by a ubiquitous mosquito subspecies, Aedes aegypti aegypti , which emerged from the African forerunner subspecies A. aegypti formosus and acquired a preference for human blood and a peridomestic lifestyle. Now, this subspecies colonizes many intertropical cities, aided by climate change and human trash. Aubry et al. tested 14 laboratory mosquito colonies for their relative susceptibility to ZIKV. Quantitative trait locus mapping showed differences on chromosome 2 between mosquitoes from Gabon and Guadeloupe. Mouse infection experiments revealed that African mosquitoes transmitted a smaller virus inoculum than the South American insects. Increased susceptibility coupled with the ability of A. aegypti aegypti to breed in any discarded object containing water has amplified the problematic nature of this virus as it has circumnavigated the world.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Pub Defense Publication
- Publication Date
- Nov 20, 2020
- Source ID
- 10.1126/science.abd3663
Entities
People
- Alain Kohl
- Alongkot Ponlawat
- Amadou A. Sall
- Anna B Crist
- Anubis Vega-Rúa
- Artem Baidaliuk
- Caroline Manet
- Carolyn S. Mcbride
- Cheikh Tidiane Diagne
- Christophe Paupy
- Claudia M E Romero
- Daria Martynow
- Davy Jiolle
- Elliott F Miot
- Fabien Aubry
- Gordana Rašić
- Igor Filipović
- Isabelle Dusfour
- Jewelna Osei-Poku
- Joel Lutomiah
- John-Paul Mutebi
- Julius J Lutwama
- Laura B. Dickson
- Louis Lambrechts
- Martin N Mayanja
- Massamba Sylla
- Noah H Rose
- Oumar Faye
- Ousmane Faye
- Richard G Jarman
- Rosemary Sang
- Sampson Otoo
- Sarah Hélène Merkling
- Stéphanie Dabo
- Van-Mai Cao-Lormeau
- Veasna Duong
- Victor O Anyango
- Xavier Montagutelli
Organizations
- Armed Forces Research Institute of Medical Sciences
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- Institut Louis-Malardé
- MRC-University of Glasgow Centre For Virus Research
- Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research
- Pasteur Institute
- Princeton University
- QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute
- Sorbonne University
- University of Montpellier
- Université Cheikh Anta Diop
- Walter Reed Army Institute of Research
- institut Pasteur de la Guyane