Molecular detection of human-derived Jingmenvirus in multiple mosquito species from Yaoundé, Cameroon

Tick-borne Jingmenviruses are becoming an increasing arbovirus concern due to the rising number of reported infections in humans and animals, as well as their wide geographic distribution. The involvement of other hematophagous arthropods as vectors of Jingmenviruses is still unknown.

Mosquitoes were sampled in two different biotopes in Cameroon (Yaoundé and Garoua) during the rainy and dry seasons in 2022 and 2023. Metatranscriptomics Next Generation Sequencing was conducted using Illumina technology. Viral sequences detection revealed the presence of several contigs with high sequence identity to a human-derived Jingmenvirus (HdJV) previously discovered in plasma from an individual from Yaoundé, Cameroon. A draft viral genome was constituted for each Jingmenvirus-positive sample. Maximum likelihood phylogenetic reconstructions were used to position mosquito-associated viruses within the diversity of Jingmenviruses. Statistical analyses were conducted to estimate the prevalence of infected mosquitoes and the effect of different variables (region, season, year, mosquito species) on Jingmenvirus detection.

HdJV was identified during the dry and the rainy seasons in four species of mosquitoes: Aedes albopictus, Culex quinquefasciatus, and Culex wansoni from Yaoundé, and Anopheles gambiae s.l. from Garoua. The overall prevalence of HdJV-infected mosquitoes was estimated to be 0.9% [0.4-1.7], and the unique variable significantly associated with HdJV detection was the sampling area: Yaoundé showed the highest prevalence (2.3% [0.9-4.7]) compared with Garoua (0.2% [0.01-0.8]). Mosquito-associated Jingmenviruses shared a high nucleotide identity (between 98.6 and 100% according to the segment) and clustered in the same clade in the phylogenetic analysis, indicating that they belong to the same viral species circulating in different mosquito species. The viral genome shared between 96.4 and 98.9% nucleotide identity with a HdJV detected in the plasma of a patient suffering from febrile illness originating from the same area, suggesting the possible involvement of mosquitoes as vectors of arboviral Jingmenviruses in human infections.

This finding provides new insights into the ecology and transmission dynamics of Jingmenviruses, highlighting mosquitoes as potential vectors, alongside ticks, in the zoonotic transmission of this virus group.