2023-06-06 08:14:57
Researchers from the Institut Pasteur have shown that the tiger mosquito, already a vector of diseases such as dengue or chikungunya, has become capable of transmitting the West Nile and Usutu viruses. A surprising emergence, but it is already possible to fight.
The tiger mosquito Aedes albopictus is known to be the vector of many pathogenic viruses for humans. In mainland France, it was the source of the first transmissions of dengue fever, chikungunya and Zika. However, little information is available regarding the transmission of two viruses, named West Nile and Usutu. These viruses, transmitted by the mosquito Culex pipiens and infecting humans and birds in particular, are however on the rise in the territory: the West Nile virus was reported in the Camargue in the 1960s, while the Usutu virus was reported in 2015 in eastern France.
It is within the framework of mosquito surveillance in the Grand Est, that researchers from the Pasteur Institute, the University of Reims Champagne-Ardenne and the Institute of Parasitology and Tropical Pathology in Strasbourg, have undertaken to measure the ability of five species of mosquitoes to transmit West Nile and Usutu viruses. ” Many of our results were predictable except for the tiger mosquito. Aedes albopictus. Indeed, it proved capable of transmitting both viruses. » reports Anna-Bella Failloux, head of the unit Arboviruses and Insect Vectors from the Institut Pasteur and coordinator of the study.
Migratory birds as intermediaries
In the spring, millions of birds make a long migration to reach their breeding grounds. The Great East of France, in particular, is a place of passage for birds capable of carrying the West Nile and Usutu viruses. By biting humans and birds for food, the tiger mosquito can potentially act as an intermediary vector to transmit the virus from bird to human. But the researcher relativizes: “ With our knowledge of the territorial distribution of the tiger mosquito, we can already draw a map of the areas where the two viruses are at risk of being transmitted to humans. In particular, it is possible to strengthen the surveillance of mosquitoes and birds near urban areas, where the tiger mosquito is already established. »
This study falls within the framework of the emerging infectious diseases priority scientific axis of the 2019-2023 strategic plan of the Institut Pasteur.
Source
Assessing vector competence of mosquitoes from northeastern France to West Nile virus and Usutu virus,
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AR-SA”>PLoS Neglected Tropical DiseasesJune 5, 2023
Jean-Philippe Martinet, Chloé Bohers, Marie Vazeille, Hubert Ferté, Laurence Mousson, Bruno Mathieu, Jérôme Depaquit, Anna-Bella Failloux
1686040276
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