Ser Suk Lan, Ware-Gilmore Fhallon, Dennington Nina L, Miller Adam, McNulty Brianna P, Harris Makael L, Jones Matthew J, Hall Matthew D, Sgrò Carla M, Shea Katriona, McGraw Elizabeth A
Department of Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA.
The Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, Australia.
mSphere. 2025 Sep 15:e0012925. doi: 10.1128/msphere.00129-25.
Climate change is increasing the frequency and intensity of heatwaves, affecting the thermal tolerance of mosquitoes and potentially influencing the efficacy of the biological control agent, . This study investigates the impact of repeated thermal stress on mosquitoes co-infected with and dengue virus (DENV). We exposed infected mosquitoes (singly and in co-infection) to varying intensities, frequencies, and durations of thermal stress to assess their thermal sensitivity via a "knockdown assay" compared to uninfected controls. Our results demonstrate that co-infection with and DENV significantly increases thermal sensitivity, with mosquitoes exhibiting a twofold faster median knockdown time than either singly infected or uninfected controls in most cases. A comparison of mosquitoes with no prior heat exposure to those given a single exposure revealed some evidence of heat hardening, or a slight lengthening of time to knockdown. Additional exposures provided no substantial benefit, however. Extended thermal stress (60 mins) also significantly reduced DENV loads, while loads remained stable, indicating that prolonged heat may disrupt viral replication without affecting bacterial symbiosis. These findings suggest that heatwaves could lower vector competence and disproportionately affect DENV-infected mosquitoes in -release areas, with implications for biocontrol strategies. Field studies should explore how infection affects mosquitoes' ability to modulate thermal exposure behaviorally, providing insights for optimizing -based control efforts.
Dengue virus (DENV), spread by the mosquito , is a major global health threat affecting millions of people. This study examines how repeated exposures to heat stress affect the thermal tolerance of mosquitoes infected with DENV and/or , a bacterium used for biological control. These repeated exposures mimic the experience of mosquitoes in the wild experiencing heatwaves of increasing frequency under climate change. Our research shows that co-infected with and DENV is more susceptible to thermal stress than singly infected or uninfected mosquitoes. We also demonstrate that multiple independent thermal stress exposures do not exacerbate the effect of infection. Understanding these interactions is essential for predicting how climate change may affect dengue transmission and the resilience of -based interventions.
气候变化正在增加热浪的频率和强度，影响蚊子的耐热性，并可能影响生物防治剂的效力。本研究调查了反复热应激对同时感染[细菌名称未给出]和登革病毒（DENV）的蚊子的影响。我们将受感染的蚊子（单独感染和共同感染）暴露于不同强度、频率和持续时间的热应激下，通过“击倒试验”评估其热敏感性，并与未感染的对照组进行比较。我们的结果表明，同时感染[细菌名称未给出]和DENV会显著提高热敏感性，在大多数情况下，与单独感染或未感染的对照组相比，蚊子的中位击倒时间快两倍。将未预先暴露于热环境的蚊子与单次暴露的蚊子进行比较，发现了一些热适应的证据，即击倒时间略有延长。然而，额外的暴露并没有带来实质性的益处。延长热应激（60分钟）也显著降低了DENV载量，而[细菌名称未给出]载量保持稳定，这表明长时间的热应激可能会破坏病毒复制而不影响细菌共生。这些发现表明，热浪可能会降低病媒能力，并对释放[细菌名称未给出]地区的DENV感染蚊子产生不成比例的影响，这对生物防治策略具有重要意义。实地研究应探讨感染如何影响蚊子通过行为调节热暴露的能力，为优化基于[细菌名称未给出]的控制措施提供见解。
由蚊子[蚊子名称未给出]传播的登革病毒（DENV）是对全球健康的重大威胁，影响着数百万人。本研究考察了反复暴露于热应激如何影响感染DENV和/或[细菌名称未给出]（一种用于生物防治的细菌）的蚊子的耐热性。这些反复暴露模拟了在气候变化下野外蚊子经历频率不断增加的热浪的情况。我们的研究表明，同时感染[细菌名称未给出]和DENV的蚊子比单独感染或未感染的蚊子更容易受到热应激的影响。我们还证明，多次独立的热应激暴露不会加剧感染的影响。了解这些相互作用对于预测气候变化如何影响登革热传播以及基于[细菌名称未给出]的干预措施的恢复力至关重要。
