Invasive brown algae (Sargassum spp.) as a potential source of biocontrol against Aedes aegypti.

Influxes of sargassos are responsible for economic and environmental disasters in areas where they bloom, especially in regions whose main income relies on tourism and with limited capacity for sanitation and public health response. A promising way of valorization would be to convert this incredible biomass into tools to fight the deadly vector mosquito Aedes aegypti. In the present study, we generated hydrolates and aqueous extracts from three main Sargassum morphotypes identified in Guadeloupe (French West Indies): Sargassum natans VIII, Sargassum natans I and Sargassum fluitans.

Ingestion of amoxicillin-clavulanic acid at therapeutic concentration during blood meal impacts Aedes aegypti microbiota and dengue virus transmission.

Dengue virus (DENV), mainly transmitted by Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, is the most prevalent arbovirus worldwide, representing a public health problem in tropical and subtropical countries. In these areas, antibiotic consumption rises which may impact both mosquito microbiota and dengue transmission. Here, we assessed how the ingestion by Ae.

Extensive variation and strain-specificity in dengue virus susceptibility among African Aedes aegypti populations.

African populations of the mosquito Aedes aegypti are usually considered less susceptible to infection by human-pathogenic flaviviruses than globally invasive populations found outside Africa. Although this contrast has been well documented for Zika virus (ZIKV), it is unclear to what extent it is true for dengue virus (DENV), the most prevalent flavivirus of humans. Addressing this question is complicated by substantial genetic diversity among DENV strains, most notably in the form of four genetic types (DENV1 to DENV4), that can lead to genetically specific interactions with mosquito populations.

Evaluating vector competence for Yellow fever in the Caribbean.

The mosquito-borne disease, Yellow fever (YF), has been largely controlled via mass delivery of an effective vaccine and mosquito control interventions. However, there are warning signs that YF is re-emerging in both Sub-Saharan Africa and South America. Imported from Africa in slave ships, YF was responsible for devastating outbreaks in the Caribbean.

Extensive variation and strain-specificity in dengue virus susceptibility among African populations.

African populations of the mosquito are usually considered less susceptible to infection by human-pathogenic flaviviruses than globally invasive populations found outside Africa. Although this contrast has been well documented for Zika virus (ZIKV), it is unclear to what extent it is true for dengue virus (DENV), the most prevalent flavivirus of humans. Addressing this question is complicated by substantial genetic diversity among DENV strains, most notably in the form of four genetic types (DENV1 to DENV4), that can lead to genetically specific interactions with mosquito populations.

Phylogenetic Investigations of Dengue 2019-2021 Outbreak in Guadeloupe and Martinique Caribbean Islands.

Dengue fever has been a public health problem in the Caribbean region since 1981, when it first reappeared in Cuba. In 1989, it was reported in Martinique and Guadeloupe (two French islands 200 km apart); since then, DENV has caused several epidemics locally. In 2019-2021, DENV-1, DENV-2, and DENV-3 were detected.

Chikungunya Virus Infection and Gonotrophic Cycle Shape Oviposition Behavior and Preferences.

Targeting gravid females through chemical lures is a promising strategy in vector control; however, it requires the understanding of the factors susceptible to alter female oviposition behavior. Here, we evaluated the effect of infection with chikungunya virus (CHIKV) and the number of gonotrophic cycles (GCs) on oviposition activity in . Dual choice oviposition assays were performed, where dodecanoic acid, pentadecanoic acid, -heneicosane and a (Børgesen) Børgesen extract were tested in uninfected females and females infected with CHIKV, at the 1st and 2nd GC.

First report of natural Wolbachia infections in mosquitoes from Cuba.

Mosquitoes are extensively responsible for the transmission of pathogens. Novel strategies using Wolbachia could transform that scenario, since these bacteria manipulate mosquito reproduction, and can confer a pathogen transmission-blocking phenotype in culicids. Here, we screened the Wolbachia surface protein region by PCR in eight Cuban mosquito species.

Bidirectional Interactions between Arboviruses and the Bacterial and Viral Microbiota in Aedes aegypti and Culex quinquefasciatus.

Mosquitoes are important vectors for many arboviruses. It is becoming increasingly clear that various symbiotic microorganisms (including bacteria and insect-specific viruses; ISVs) in mosquitoes have the potential to modulate the ability of mosquitoes to transmit arboviruses. In this study, we compared the bacteriome and virome (both eukaryotic viruses and bacteriophages) of female adult Aedes aegypti and Culex quinquefasciatus mosquitoes fed with sucrose/water, blood, or blood spiked with Zika virus (ZIKV) or West Nile virus (WNV), respectively.

Zika vector competence data reveals risks of outbreaks: the contribution of the European ZIKAlliance project.

First identified in 1947, Zika virus took roughly 70 years to cause a pandemic unusually associated with virus-induced brain damage in newborns. Zika virus is transmitted by mosquitoes, mainly Aedes aegypti, and secondarily, Aedes albopictus, both colonizing a large strip encompassing tropical and temperate regions. As part of the international project ZIKAlliance initiated in 2016, 50 mosquito populations from six species collected in 12 countries were experimentally infected with different Zika viruses.

Semiochemical oviposition cues to control Aedes aegypti gravid females: state of the art and proposed framework for their validation.

In the fight against mosquito-borne diseases, odour-based lures targeting gravid females represent a promising alternative to conventional tools for both reducing mosquito populations and monitoring pathogen transmission. To be sustainable and effective, they are expected to use semiochemicals that act specifically against the targeted vector species. In control programmes directed against Aedes aegypti, several candidates of different origins (conspecifics, plants) have already been identified as potential oviposition attractants or repellents in laboratory experiments.

Shifting From Sectoral to Integrated Surveillance by Changing Collaborative Practices: Application to West Nile Virus Surveillance in a Small Island State of the Caribbean.

After spreading in the Americas, West Nile virus was detected in Guadeloupe (French West Indies) for the first time in 2002. Ever since, several organizations have conducted research, serological surveys, and surveillance activities to detect the virus in horses, birds, mosquitoes, and humans. Organizations often carried them out independently, leading to knowledge gaps within the current virus' situation.

Behavioural and antennal responses of Aedes aegypti (l.) (Diptera: Culicidae) gravid females to chemical cues from conspecific larvae.

Mass trapping of gravid females represents one promising strategy for the development of sustainable tools against Aedes aegypti. However, this technique requires the development of effective odorant lures that can compete with natural breeding sites. The presence of conspecific larvae has been shown to stimulate oviposition.

Vector competence of Aedes aegypti from Havana, Cuba, for dengue virus type 1, chikungunya, and Zika viruses.

Background: Like many countries from the Americas, Cuba is threatened by Aedes aegypti-associated arboviruses such as dengue (DENV), Zika (ZIKV), and chikungunya (CHIKV) viruses. Curiously, when CHIKV was actively circulating in the region in 2013-2014, no autochthonous transmission of this virus was detected in Havana, Cuba, despite the importation of chikungunya cases into this city. To investigate if the transmission ability of local mosquito populations could explain this epidemiological scenario, we evaluated for the first time the vector competence of two Ae.

Natural Variation in Physicochemical Profiles and Bacterial Communities Associated with Aedes aegypti Breeding Sites and Larvae on Guadeloupe and French Guiana.

Aedes aegypti develop in aquatic habitats in which mosquito larvae are exposed to physicochemical elements and microorganisms that may influence their life cycle and their ability to transmit arboviruses. Little is known about the natural bacterial communities associated with A. aegypti or their relation to the biotic and abiotic characteristics of their aquatic habitats.

Vector competence of Aedes albopictus populations for chikungunya virus is shaped by their demographic history.

The mosquito Aedes albopictus is one of the most dangerous invasive species. Its worldwide spread has created health concerns as it is a major vector of arboviruses of public health significance such as chikungunya (CHIKV). Dynamics of different genetic backgrounds and admixture events may have impacted competence for CHIKV in adventive populations.

A New High-Throughput Tool to Screen Mosquito-Borne Viruses in Zika Virus Endemic/Epidemic Areas.

Mosquitoes are vectors of arboviruses affecting animal and human health. Arboviruses circulate primarily within an enzootic cycle and recurrent spillovers contribute to the emergence of human-adapted viruses able to initiate an urban cycle involving anthropophilic mosquitoes. The increasing volume of travel and trade offers multiple opportunities for arbovirus introduction in new regions.

Stable distinct core eukaryotic viromes in different mosquito species from Guadeloupe, using single mosquito viral metagenomics.

Background: Mosquitoes are the most important invertebrate viral vectors in humans and harbor a high diversity of understudied viruses, which has been shown in many mosquito virome studies in recent years. These studies generally performed metagenomics sequencing on pools of mosquitoes, without assessment of the viral diversity in individual mosquitoes. To address this issue, we applied our optimized viral metagenomics protocol (NetoVIR) to compare the virome of single and pooled Aedes aegypti and Culex quinquefasciatus mosquitoes collected from different locations in Guadeloupe, in 2016 and 2017.

Experimental Assessment of Zika Virus Mechanical Transmission by .

The pandemic emergence of several mosquito-borne viruses highlights the need to understand the different ways in which they can be transmitted by vectors to human hosts. In this study, we evaluated the propensity of to transmit mechanically Zika virus (ZIKV) using an experimental design. Mosquitoes were allowed to feed on ZIKV-infected blood and were then rapidly transferred to feed on ZIKV-free blood until they finished their meal.

Transmission potential of African, Asian and American Zika virus strains by Aedes aegypti and Culex quinquefasciatus from Guadeloupe (French West Indies).

Zika virus (ZIKV) is an arbovirus that has dramatically spread in South America and the Caribbean regions since 2015. The majority of vector incrimination studies available for ZIKV showed that Aedes aegypti mosquitoes are important vectors for this virus. However, several reports suggest that Culex quinquefasciatus mosquitoes may be implicated in ZIKV transmission in certain urban settings.

Vector-borne transmission and evolution of Zika virus.

Zika virus (ZIKV), discovered in the Zika Forest of Uganda in 1947, is a mosquito-borne flavivirus related to yellow fever, dengue and West Nile viruses. From its discovery until 2007, only sporadic ZIKV cases were reported, with mild clinical manifestations in patients. Therefore, little attention was given to this virus before epidemics in the South Pacific and the Americas that began in 2013.