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Chikungunya virus and its mosquito vectors
Stephen Higgs1, Dana Vanlandingham
11 Biosecurity Research Institute, Kansas State University , Manhattan, Kansas.
Abstract:
Chikungunya virus (CHIKV), a mosquito-borne alphavirus of increasing public health significance, has caused large epidemics in Africa and the Indian Ocean basin; now it is spreading throughout the Americas. The primary vectors of CHIKV are Aedes (Ae.) aegypti and, after the introduction of a mutation in the E1 envelope protein gene, the highly anthropophilic and geographically widespread Ae. albopictus mosquito. We review here research efforts to characterize the viral genetic basis of mosquito-vector interactions, the use of RNA interference and other strategies for the control of CHIKV in mosquitoes, and the potentiation of CHIKV infection by mosquito saliva. Over the past decade, CHIKV has emerged on a truly global scale. Since 2013, CHIKV transmission has been reported throughout the Caribbean region, in North America, and in Central and South American countries, including Brazil, Columbia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Guyana, Nicaragua, Panama, Suriname, and Venezuela. Closing the gaps in our knowledge of driving factors behind the rapid geographic expansion of CHIKV should be considered a research priority. The abundance of multiple primate species in many of these countries, together with species of mosquito that have never been exposed to CHIKV, may provide opportunities for this highly adaptable virus to establish sylvatic cycles that to date have not been seen outside of Africa. The short-term and long-term ecological consequences of such transmission cycles, including the impact on wildlife and people living in these areas, are completely unknown.
Insights
Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is spreading globally, posing a significant public health threat. Research is needed to understand its expansion and potential for new transmission cycles in the Americas.
Area of Science:
- * Virology and Public Health
- * Arbovirology and Disease Ecology
Background:
- * Chikungunya virus (CHIKV), an alphavirus transmitted by mosquitoes, has caused major epidemics and is now spreading across the Americas.
- * Primary vectors include Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes, the latter becoming more significant due to genetic mutations.
- * CHIKV's global emergence and expansion highlight its adaptability and increasing public health importance.
Purpose of the Study:
- * To review research on the genetic factors influencing CHIKV-mosquito interactions.
- * To examine strategies for controlling CHIKV in mosquito populations, including RNA interference.
- * To understand the potentiation of CHIKV infection by mosquito saliva and the virus's rapid geographic expansion.
Main Methods:
- * Review of existing scientific literature on CHIKV genetics, vector interactions, and control strategies.
- * Analysis of CHIKV transmission patterns and geographic spread in Africa, the Indian Ocean basin, and the Americas.
- * Assessment of potential for novel sylvatic transmission cycles in regions with naive mosquito and primate populations.
Main Results:
- * CHIKV has demonstrated significant global expansion, with widespread transmission reported in the Caribbean, North America, and Central and South America since 2013.
- * Research is ongoing to characterize the genetic basis of vector competence and the role of viral mutations.
- * Mosquito saliva can potentiate CHIKV infection, and novel control strategies are being explored.
Conclusions:
- * Urgent research is required to identify factors driving CHIKV's rapid geographic spread.
- * The potential establishment of sylvatic CHIKV cycles in the Americas poses an unknown risk to wildlife and human populations.
- * Understanding these ecological dynamics is critical for predicting and mitigating future CHIKV outbreaks.
