Potential of Aedes albopictus to cause the emergence of arboviruses in Morocco

• Published in: PLoS neglected tropical diseases Vol. 13; no. 2; p. e0006997
• Main Authors: Amraoui, Fadila, Ben Ayed, Wiem, Madec, Yoann, Faraj, Chafika, Himmi, Oumnia, Btissam, Ameur, Sarih, Mhammed, Failloux, Anna-Bella
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Public Library of Science 01-02-2019; Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subjects: Aedes albopictus; Aquatic insects; Arbovirus diseases; Asian tiger mosquito; Biology and life sciences; Chikungunya virus; Control; Dengue; Dengue fever; Disease transmission; Emergence; Epidemics; Epidemiology; Genotypes; Guillain-Barre syndrome; Health aspects; Human diseases; Humidity; Infection; Infections; Introduced species; Invasive species; Laboratory animals; Life Sciences; Medical tests; Medicine and Health Sciences; Microbiological strains; Microbiology and Parasitology; Mosquitoes; People and Places; Risk assessment; Risk factors; Saliva; Strain; Transmission; Tropical diseases; Vector-borne diseases; Viral diseases; Virology; Viruses; West Nile virus; Yellow fever; Zika virus; Morocco; Brazil; Indian Ocean; France; Europe; Africa; Mosquitoes; Viral transmission and infection; Morocco; Chikungunya virus; Chikungunya infection; Arboviruses; Dengue virus; Saliva
• ISSN: 1935-2735; 1935-2727; 1935-2735
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0006997

In 2015, the mosquito Aedes albopictus was detected in Rabat, Morocco. This invasive species can be involved in the transmission of more than 25 arboviruses. It is known that each combination of mosquito population and virus genotype leads to a specific interaction that can shape the outcome of infection. Testing the vector competence of local mosquitoes is therefore a prerequisite to assess the risks of emergence. A field-collected strain of Ae. albopictus from Morocco was experimentally infected with dengue (DENV), chikungunya (CHIKV), zika (ZIKV) and yellow fever (YFV) viruses. We found that this species can highly transmit CHIKV and to a lesser extent, DENV, ZIKV and YFV. Viruses can be detected in mosquito saliva at day 3 (CHIKV), day 14 (DENV and YFV), and day 21 (ZIKV) post-infection. These results suggest that the local transmission of these four arboviruses by Ae. albopictus newly introduced in Morocco is a likely scenario. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov APAFIS#6573-201606l412077987v2.