Laboratory of Vector Control Research, Institut Pasteur of Guadeloupe-Lieu-dit Morne Jolivière, 97139 Les Abymes, Guadeloupe, France.
Dermatology and Clinical Immunology Unit, Guadeloupe University Hospital, 97159 Pointe-à-Pitre Cedex, Guadeloupe, France.
Viruses. 2019 Jul 31;11(8):695. doi: 10.3390/v11080695.
The pandemic emergence of several mosquito-borne viruses highlights the need to understand the different ways in which they can be transmitted by vectors to human hosts. In this study, we evaluated the propensity of to transmit mechanically Zika virus (ZIKV) using an experimental design. Mosquitoes were allowed to feed on ZIKV-infected blood and were then rapidly transferred to feed on ZIKV-free blood until they finished their meal. The uninfected blood meals, the mosquito abdomens, as well as the mouthparts dissected from fully and partially engorged mosquitoes were analyzed using RT-qPCR and/or virus titration. All the fully engorged mosquito abdomens were ZIKV-infected, whereas their mouthparts were all ZIKV-negative. Nonetheless, one of the partially engorged mosquitoes carried infectious particles on mouthparts. No infectious virus was found in the receiver blood meals, while viral RNA was detected in 9% of the samples (2/22). Thus, mechanical transmission of ZIKV may sporadically occur via bite. However, as the number of virions detected on mouthparts (2 particles) is not sufficient to induce infection in a naïve host, our results indicate that mechanical transmission does not impact ZIKV epidemiology.
几种蚊媒病毒在大流行期间的出现，凸显了需要了解它们通过媒介传播给人类宿主的不同方式。在这项研究中，我们使用实验设计评估了 传播寨卡病毒 (ZIKV) 的倾向。让蚊子吸食感染了 ZIKV 的血液，然后迅速转移到吸食无 ZIKV 血液，直到它们完成进食。使用 RT-qPCR 和/或病毒滴定法分析未感染的血餐、蚊子腹部以及完全和部分饱血的蚊子的口器。所有完全饱血的蚊子腹部都感染了 ZIKV，而它们的口器均为 ZIKV 阴性。尽管如此，其中一只部分饱血的蚊子的口器上带有传染性颗粒。在接受者的血餐中未发现感染性病毒，而在 22 个样本中的 9%（2/22）检测到了病毒 RNA。因此，ZIKV 可能会通过 叮咬偶然发生机械传播。然而，由于在口器上检测到的病毒粒子数量（2 个颗粒）不足以在易感宿主中引起感染，我们的结果表明机械传播不会影响 ZIKV 的流行病学。
