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Susceptibility of Florida Mosquitoes to Infection with Chikungunya Virus

Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) has caused recent, large epidemics on islands in the Indian Ocean, raising the possibility of more widespread CHIKV epidemics. Historically, CHIKV has been vectored by Aedes aegypti, but these outbreaks likely also involved Ae. albopictus. To examine the potential for an outbreak of CHIKV in Florida, we determined the susceptibility to CHIKV of F₁ Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus from Florida. In addition, we also evaluated two well-characterized laboratory strains (Rockefeller and Lake Charles) of these species. We determined infection and dissemination rates as well as total body titer of mosquitoes 7 days post-exposure (pe) (Ae. albopictus) and 3, 7, and 10 days pe (Ae. aegypti). All mosquito strains were susceptible to both infection and dissemination, with some variation between strains. Our results suggest Florida would be vulnerable to transmission of CHIKV in urban and rural areas where the two vector species occur.

Received June 18, 2007. Accepted for publication December 4, 2007.

Acknowledgments: We thank Stephanie Richards, Bridget Farrell, Heather Robinson, and Krystle van Sickler for assistance with maintaining cells and mosquitoes and processing samples. We also thank Phil Lounibos and Stephanie Richards for reading earlier versions of this manuscript and three anonymous reviewers. The isolate of CHIKV used in this study was graciously provided by Robert Tesh (World Reference Center for Emerging Viruses and Arboviruses, through the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, Texas).

Financial support: Michael H. Reiskind and Catherine J. Westbrook were supported by National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant AI-044793 (Invasion Biology of Aedes albopictus) to L. Phil Lounibos, and Kendra Pesko was supported by a University of Florida Alumni Fellowship, and NIH grant AI-042164.

^* Address correspondence to Christopher N. Mores, Department of Pathobiological Sciences, Louisiana State University, School of Veterinary Medicine, Skip Bertman Drive, Baton Rouge, LA 70803. E-mail: cmores{at}gmail.com

Authors’ address: Michael H. Reiskind, Kendra Pesko, Catherine J. Westbrook, and Christopher N. Mores, Florida Medical Entomology Laboratory, University of Florida, 200 9th Street, Vero Beach, FL 32960.

Reprint requests: Christopher N. Mores, Department of Pathobiological Sciences, Louisiana State University, School of Veterinary Medicine, Skip Bertman Drive, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, Telephone: 772-5387858, Fax: 225-578-9701, E-mail: cmores{at}gmail.com.