[Study on the vertical transmission of the dengue virus in the South Pacific]

In the course of a dengue outbreak, 765 larvae and 20 pupae were collected in Noumea and in Wallis island around patients premises, to investigate a possible natural infection. On 15 pools made of 335 Aedes aegypti larvae and pupae, 3 appeared to be infected. Dengue virus type 1 was the only serotype identified. Minimum infection rate reached 1: 112. In New Caledonia, the local strains of Aedes aegypti can insure the survival of dengue 1 virus between outbreaks, due to a vertical infection of their progeny.