Hamel Rodolphe, Narpon Quentin, Serrato-Pomar Idalba, Gauliard Camille, Berthomieu Arnaud, Wichit Sineewanlaya, Missé Dorothée, Sofonea Mircea T, Pompon Julien
MIVEGEC, University Montpellier, IRD, CNRS, 34394 Montpellier, France.
Department of Clinical Microbiology and Applied Technology, Faculty of Medical Technology, Mahidol University, Bangkok 10700, Thailand.
iScience. 2024 Oct 4;27(11):111099. doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2024.111099. eCollection 2024 Nov 15.
Understanding the transmission routes of arboviruses is key to determining their epidemiology. Here, we tested whether West Nile viruses (WNVs) are transmitted through mosquito excreta. First, we observed a high concentration of infectious units per excreta, although viruses were short lived. Second, we showed that virion excretion starts early after oral infection and remains constant for a long period, regardless of mosquito infection level. These results highlight the infectiousness of excreta from infected mosquitoes. Third, we found that both larvae and pupae were susceptible to infection, while pupae were highly permissive. Fourth, we established the proof-of-concept that immature mosquitoes can be infected by infectious excreta, demonstrating an excreta-mediated mode of transmission. Finally, by mathematically modeling excreta-mediated transmission in the field, we demonstrated that WNV can be transmitted within mosquito populations. Our study uncovers a route of transmission for mosquito-borne arboviruses, unveiling mechanisms of viral maintenance in mosquito reservoirs.
了解虫媒病毒的传播途径是确定其流行病学特征的关键。在此，我们测试了西尼罗河病毒（WNV）是否通过蚊子排泄物传播。首先，我们观察到每个排泄物中有高浓度的感染单位，尽管病毒存活时间较短。其次，我们表明病毒粒子排泄在经口感染后早期开始，并且长期保持恒定，与蚊子的感染水平无关。这些结果突出了受感染蚊子排泄物的传染性。第三，我们发现幼虫和蛹都易受感染，而蛹的易感性很高。第四，我们建立了概念验证，即未成熟蚊子可被感染性排泄物感染，证明了一种排泄物介导的传播方式。最后，通过对野外排泄物介导的传播进行数学建模，我们证明了WNV可在蚊子种群中传播。我们的研究揭示了蚊媒虫媒病毒的一种传播途径，揭示了病毒在蚊子宿主中维持的机制。
