Wolbachia Blocks Currently Circulating Zika Virus Isolates in Brazilian Aedes aegypti Mosquitoes.

Cell Host Microbe

Mosquitos Vetores: Endossimbiontes e Interação Patógeno-Vetor, Centro de Pesquisas René Rachou-Fiocruz, Belo Horizonte, MG, 30190-002, Brazil. Electronic address:

Published: June 2016

AI Article Synopsis

  • Researchers found that Aedes aegypti mosquitoes infected with Wolbachia pipientis bacteria show strong resistance to the Zika virus, specifically from recent Brazilian outbreaks.
  • Those mosquitoes had lower rates of viral infection and did not spread the virus through their saliva, indicating effective transmission blockage.
  • This study suggests that using Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes could be a valuable strategy for controlling Zika virus spread.

Article Abstract

The recent association of Zika virus with cases of microcephaly has sparked a global health crisis and highlighted the need for mechanisms to combat the Zika vector, Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. Wolbachia pipientis, a bacterial endosymbiont of insect, has recently garnered attention as a mechanism for arbovirus control. Here we report that Aedes aegypti harboring Wolbachia are highly resistant to infection with two currently circulating Zika virus isolates from the recent Brazilian epidemic. Wolbachia-harboring mosquitoes displayed lower viral prevalence and intensity and decreased disseminated infection and, critically, did not carry infectious virus in the saliva, suggesting that viral transmission was blocked. Our data indicate that the use of Wolbachia-harboring mosquitoes could represent an effective mechanism to reduce Zika virus transmission and should be included as part of Zika control strategies.

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Source
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4906366PMC
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.chom.2016.04.021DOI Listing

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