Vector Competence of Mosquitoes for Arboviruses
Abstract
The extreme peroral refractoriness of Aedes aegypti to dengue 2 (New Guinea C) viral infection can be mollified by using freshly grown virus. Infection rates were increased if mosquitoes were allowed to feed to engorgement on a mixture of concentrated infected cells and infectious supernatant. The infectious supernatants were concentrated approximately 10-fold in CENTRICON filters and this proved to further enhance peroral infection rates. The dose required to infect 50% of the Rockefeller strain of Ae. aegypti, following feeding on a pledget, has now been more accurately estimated to be 10 to the 8th power PFU/ml ingested. Two monoclonal antibodies to mosquito, Culex tarsalis, mesenteronal brush border proteins have been further characterized. Antibody 13A5.8 has been used in minicolumns to isolate specific antigens from both western equine encephalomyelitis virus susceptible (WS) and refractory (WR) mesenteronal brush border fragments (BBF). These related antigens are termed R2 (refractory) and S2 (susceptible). Another antibody (32G8) has revealed a relationship between R2 and S2 that suggests posttranslational modification of a nascent (R2) protein. 32G8 reacts against the R2 antigen and a small protein fragment, 50-70 kDal, in susceptible mesenterons. Cell culture studies with three strains of Aedes albopictus cells, have revealed that U4.4 and Singh cells are both capable of modulating alphaviral titers.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jul 30, 1989
- Accession Number
- ADA220738
Entities
People
- Edward J. Houk
- James L. Hardy
Organizations
- University of California, Berkeley