A scientific research team has discovered Zika RNA in a species of mosquito not typically associated with the virus, according to new research published in the Journal of Medical Entomology.
While the Aedes albopictus was never discounted as a potential carrier of the Zika virus, the Aedes aegypti mosquito has long been known to be the virus' primary vector. Researchers identified Zika RNA in A. albopictus mosquitoes in Brazil, where more than 200,000 people have been infected with the virus since 2016. The research team collected 49 A. albopictus mosquito eggs, raised them to adults and tested the insects for Zika RNA. Five tested positive for the virus.
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"These results are important because they are the first to show that A. albopictus can be infected with Zika virus RNA," said Chelsea Smartt, PhD, the study's lead author and a microbiologist at the University of Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Medical Entomology Laboratory in Vero Beach. "Also, this study found Zika virus RNA in male mosquitoes, which we can infer also means the Zika virus RNA came from the mother. We need to determine if live Zika virus can also be transmitted in A. albopictus."
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