Evaluation of Simultaneous Transmission of Chikungunya Virus and Dengue Virus Type 2 in Infected Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus (Diptera: Culicidae)

J Med Entomol. 2015 May;52(3):447-51. doi: 10.1093/jme/tjv017. Epub 2015 Mar 15.

Abstract

The simultaneous transmission of chikungunya virus (CHIKV) and dengue viruses (DENV) has been a major public health concern because of their sympatric distribution and shared mosquito vectors. Groups of Aedes aegypti (L.) and Aedes albopictus (Skuse) were orally infected with 1.5 × 10(5) PFU/ml of CHIKV and 3.2 × 10(6) FFU/ml of DENV-2 simultaneously or separately in inverse orders and evaluated for dissemination and transmission by qRT-PCR. Simultaneous dissemination of both viruses was detected for all groups in Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus while cotransmission of CHIKV and DENV-2 only occurred at low rates after sequential but not simultaneous infection.

Keywords: Aedes aegypti; Aedes albopictus; chikungunya; dengue; transmission.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Aedes / virology*
  • Animals
  • Chikungunya Fever / transmission*
  • Chikungunya Fever / virology
  • Chikungunya virus / physiology*
  • Cricetinae
  • Dengue / transmission*
  • Dengue / virology
  • Dengue Virus / physiology*
  • Female
  • Insect Vectors / virology*