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THE RELATION OF MOSQUITOES AND FLIES TO THE EPIDEMIOLOGY OF ACUTE POLIOMYELITIS

H Noguchi1, R Kudo

  • 1Laboratories of The Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research.

The Journal of Experimental Medicine
|October 30, 2009
PubMed

Insights

Mosquitoes like Culex pipiens cannot transmit poliomyelitis virus to monkeys, even when infected or fed on diseased animals. The virus is not passed to offspring or found in other fly species, indicating no insect-borne transmission.

Area of Science:

  • Virology
  • Entomology
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Poliomyelitis virus transmission routes are crucial for understanding and controlling outbreaks.
  • The role of insects, particularly mosquitoes, as potential vectors for poliomyelitis has been a subject of investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the potential of Culex pipiens mosquitoes to transmit poliomyelitis virus.
  • To determine if poliomyelitis virus can be transmitted transovarially (hereditarily) in mosquitoes.
  • To assess the infectivity of other fly species (housefly, bluebottle fly) exposed to poliomyelitis virus.

Main Methods:

  • Culex pipiens larvae were reared in water contaminated with poliomyelitis virus.
  • Culex pipiens were fed on poliomyelitis-infected monkeys.
  • Mosquitoes were allowed to bite normal Macacus monkeys.
  • Offspring of exposed mosquitoes were tested for infectivity.
  • Common houseflies and bluebottle flies were reared on poliomyelitis-infected material.
  • Filtrates from these flies were injected into normal monkeys.

Main Results:

  • Culex pipiens, whether reared in contaminated water or fed on infected monkeys, did not transmit poliomyelitis to Macacus monkeys.
  • No poliomyelitis transmission occurred even when monkey meninges were pre-sensitized.
  • No hereditary transmission of the virus was observed in mosquito offspring.
  • No poliomyelitis virus was detected in adult houseflies or bluebottle flies exposed to infected brain material, and their filtrates did not infect monkeys.

Conclusions:

  • Culex pipiens mosquitoes are not capable of transmitting poliomyelitis virus.
  • Poliomyelitis virus is not transmitted hereditarily through mosquitoes.
  • Common houseflies and bluebottle flies do not appear to be mechanical vectors for poliomyelitis virus under these experimental conditions.

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