Venereal Transmission of Chikungunya Virus by Aedes aegypti Mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae)

Mangala Mavale National Institute of Virology, Pune, India

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Deepti Parashar National Institute of Virology, Pune, India

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Anakkathil Sudeep National Institute of Virology, Pune, India

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Mangesh Gokhale National Institute of Virology, Pune, India

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Youwaraj Ghodke National Institute of Virology, Pune, India

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Geevarghese Geevarghese National Institute of Virology, Pune, India

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Vidya Arankalle National Institute of Virology, Pune, India

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Akhilesh Chandra Mishra National Institute of Virology, Pune, India

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Experiments were conducted to demonstrate the role of male Aedes aegypti mosquitoes in the maintenance and transmission of chikungunya virus (CHIKV) to female mosquitoes. We demonstrated that infected male mosquitoes are capable of infecting females during mating. The infection rate in female mosquitoes was 11% when virgin female mosquitoes were allowed to coinhabit with infected males. The body suspension of venereally infected female mosquitoes induced illness in infant Swiss albino mice, which demonstrated the infectivity of the venereally transmitted virus. The presence of CHIKV in the brains of the ill mice was confirmed by a reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction specific for partial sequences of nonstructural protein 4 and envelope 1 genes. In the light of the recent report of transovarial transmission of CHIKV in mosquitoes, although at a lower level, this finding has significance because it may help in transmission of the virus to females venereally to start a new infection cycle.

Author Notes

*Address correspondence to Anakkathil Sudeep, National Institute of Virology, (Indian Council of Medical Research), Dr. Ambedkar Road, Pune 411001, India. E-mails: sudeepmcc@yahoo.co.in or sudeepab@icmr.org.in

Authors' address: Mangala Mavale, Deepti Parashar, Anakkathil Sudeep, Mangesh Gokhale, Youwaraj Ghodke, Geevarghese Geevarghese, Vidya Arankalle, and Akhilesh Chandra Mishra, National Institute of Virology, (Indian Council of Medical Research), 20-A, Dr Ambedkar Road, Pune 411001, India, E-mails: niv@yahoo.co.in, deeptiparashar@scientist.com, sudeepmcc@yahoo.co.in, gokhal40@gmail.com, niv@yahoo.co.in, niv@yahoo.co.in, varankalle@yahoo.com, and acm1750@rediffmail.com.

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