TY - JOUR AU - Ciota, Alexander AU - Bialosuknia, Sean AU - Zink, Steven AU - Brecher, Matthew AU - Ehrbar, Dylan AU - Morrissette, Madeline AU - Kramer, Laura T1 - Effects of Zika Virus Strain and Aedes Mosquito Species on Vector Competence T2 - Emerging Infectious Disease journal PY - 2017 VL - 23 IS - 7 SP - 1110 SN - 1080-6059 AB - In the Western Hemisphere, Zika virus is thought to be transmitted primarily by Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. To determine the extent to which Ae. albopictus mosquitoes from the United States are capable of transmitting Zika virus and the influence of virus dose, virus strain, and mosquito species on vector competence, we evaluated multiple doses of representative Zika virus strains in Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus mosquitoes. Virus preparation (fresh vs. frozen) significantly affected virus infectivity in mosquitoes. We calculated 50% infectious doses to be 6.1–7.5 log10 PFU/mL; minimum infective dose was 4.2 log10 PFU/mL. Ae. albopictus mosquitoes were more susceptible to infection than Ae. aegypti mosquitoes, but transmission efficiency was higher for Ae. aegypti mosquitoes, indicating a transmission barrier in Ae. albopictus mosquitoes. Results suggest that, although Zika virus transmission is relatively inefficient overall and dependent on virus strain and mosquito species, Ae. albopictus mosquitoes could become major vectors in the Americas. KW - Zika virus KW - vector competence KW - Aedes albopictus KW - Aedes aegypti KW - mosquitoes KW - vector-borne infections KW - viruses DO - 10.3201/eid2307.161633 UR - https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/23/7/16-1633_article ER - End of Reference