RAPID: Determining the extrinsic incubation period and transovarial transmission potential of Zika virus in Aedes aegypti mosquitoes

University Of Arizona, Tucson AZ

Investigators

Abstract

This RAPID project will determine how temperature affects the time it takes from when a mosquito takes up Zika virus from one person until it can transmit the virus to another person. It will also test for potential transmission of the virus from mosquito mothers to their offspring. This information is necessary to accurately predict the timing and geographic spread of the disease in South, Central and North America. Zika virus threatens the safety of people in the United States, and around the globe. Key information generated by this study will help construct accurate predictive models and will identify areas of high risk in need of public health prioritization. Results from this project will be relevant to the Zika public health emergency, and the researchers have set in place mechanisms to share quality-assured interim and final data as rapidly and widely as possible, including with public health and research communities. Two critical gaps of knowledge concerning Zika virus and its interactions with Aedes aegypti are its extrinsic incubation period (EIP) and the virus potential to be transmitted from a mosquito to its offspring (transovarial or vertical transmission potential). The EIP is the length of time from when a mosquito is first exposed to the virus, to when the virus has migrated to the salivary gland and the mosquito is capable of spreading it at its next feeding. The EIP and potential for vertical transmission of Zika virus in mosquito vectors is critical to accurately modeling the spread of the virus across the continent. The team will expose the mosquitos to a range of viral concentrations at difference temperatures, and will utilize genetic tools to quantify the virus and characterize the timing of spread within the mosquito. Furthermore the research team will explore how these variables are affected by co-infection with dengue virus.