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A Protocol for Collecting and Staining Hemocytes from the Yellow Fever Mosquito Aedes aegypti
Published on: May 16, 2011
THE TITRATION OF YELLOW FEVER VIRUS IN STEGOMYIA MOSQUITOES
N C Davis1, M Frobisher, W Lloyd
1Yellow Fever Laboratory of the International Health Division of the Rockefeller Foundation at Bahia, Brazil.
The Journal of Experimental Medicine
|October 30, 2009
Summary
Yellow fever virus titrations in mosquitoes show initial high viral loads decrease significantly within two weeks. Later increases in titratable virus likely represent extracellular forms, not replication.
Area of Science:
- Virology
- Entomology
- Infectious Diseases
Background:
- Yellow fever virus is a significant public health concern.
- Mosquitoes, particularly Aedes aegypti (Stegomyia), are vectors for yellow fever virus.
- Understanding virus dynamics within mosquito vectors is crucial for disease control.
Purpose of the Study:
- To quantify yellow fever virus titers in Stegomyia mosquitoes after feeding on infectious blood.
- To track changes in virus titer within mosquitoes over time.
- To investigate potential viral replication versus extracellular virus accumulation.
Main Methods:
- Titration of yellow fever virus in Stegomyia mosquitoes.
- Use of rhesus monkeys as test animals for infectivity.
- Quantification of virus lethal doses per mosquito and per cubic centimeter of blood.
Main Results:
- Immediately after feeding, mosquitoes contained 1-2 million lethal doses of yellow fever virus.
- Virus titer in freshly ingested blood reached up to 1 billion lethal doses/cm³.
- Within two weeks, titratable virus reduced to ≤1% of initial levels.
- Later increases in titer were observed, but did not reach initial levels, suggesting extracellular virus increase rather than replication.
Conclusions:
- Mosquitoes initially harbor high titers of yellow fever virus.
- A significant reduction in titratable virus occurs within the first two weeks post-infection.
- Observed later titer increases are likely due to extracellular virus, not viral multiplication within the mosquito.
