Background: Alternative transmission routes have been described for Zika virus (ZIKV). Here, we assessed for the first time the venereal transmission of ZIKV between Aedes aegypti under laboratory conditions.
Results: Orally-infected mosquito females were able to transmit the virus to males venereally, and males inoculated intrathoracically were capable of infecting females during mating. The genome of venereally-transmitted virus recovered from males was identical to that of ZIKV ingested by mated females.
Conclusion: We conclude that venereal transmission between Aedes mosquitoes might contribute to Zika virus maintenance in nature.
Keywords: Aedes aegypti; Venereal transmission; Zika virus.