Many insect cell lines are often infected with insect-specific viruses (ISV) that go unnoticed, raising concerns about their impact on research.
The study focuses on Culex Y virus (CYV), using methods like small RNA sequencing, electron microscopy, and PCR to detect the virus in mosquito cell lines Aag2, U4.4, and C7-10.
The presence and varying levels of CYV-specific small RNAs suggest that ISV infections could affect arbovirus co-infections, which is important for understanding their behavior in mosquito cells related to public health issues.