Dengue-2 Vaccine: Oral Infection, Transmission, and Lack of Evidence for Reversion in the Mosquito, Aedes aegypti

Barry R. Miller Yale Arbovirus Research Unit, Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Yale School of Medicine, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, 60 College Street, Box 3333, New Haven, Connecticut 06510

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Barry J. Beaty Yale Arbovirus Research Unit, Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Yale School of Medicine, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, 60 College Street, Box 3333, New Haven, Connecticut 06510

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Thomas H. G. Atiken Yale Arbovirus Research Unit, Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Yale School of Medicine, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, 60 College Street, Box 3333, New Haven, Connecticut 06510

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Kenneth H. Eckels Yale Arbovirus Research Unit, Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Yale School of Medicine, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, 60 College Street, Box 3333, New Haven, Connecticut 06510

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Philip K. Russell Yale Arbovirus Research Unit, Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Yale School of Medicine, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, 60 College Street, Box 3333, New Haven, Connecticut 06510

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Abstract. The dengue-2 vaccine virus (S-1), and its parent virus (PR-159), were compared for their ability to infect orally, to replicate in, and subsequently to be transmitted by Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. The vaccine virus was markedly less efficient in its ability to infect mosquitoes orally. After ingesting infectious bloodmeals containing 3.7 to 8.2 log10MID50/ml of the respective viruses, 56% (220/396) of the mosquitoes became orally infected with the parent virus contrasted with 16% (66/397) for the vaccine virus. None of the 16 infected mosquitoes transmitted the vaccine virus, while 14% (3/22) of the mosquitoes transmitted the parent virus. The vaccine virus remained temperature-sensitive (restrictive temperature 39°C) after orally infecting and replicating in Ae. aegypti mosquitoes.

Author Notes

Present address: 320 Morrill Hall, Department of Entomology, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois 61801.

Present address: Department of Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado 80523.

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