More mosquito species than previously thought may be capable of spreading the Zika virus, according to a new study published in eLife.
While the Aedes aegypti mosquito is known as the primary vector responsible for the dissemination of the Zika virus, researchers at the University of Georgia in Athens created a machine learning model to identify additional mosquito species that may be capable of spreading the virus.
To develop the model, researchers used data on flaviviruses — the viral family that includes Zika, yellow fever and dengue — and the mosquitoes known to carry them. The model identified 26 additional mosquito species that may have the potential to spread Zika. Seven of the mosquito species are native to the continental United States.
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"I want to stress that all of these are just predictions that need to be validated by empirical work," said Michelle V. Evans, a doctoral student in ecology and conservation at UGA and the lead author of the study. "We are suggesting that people who are doing that work should focus on these species first."
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