D3016: Effects of persistent infection with cell-fusing agent virus on the transmission potential of Zika virus in Aedes aegypti

Zika virus (ZIKV) is an arthropod-borne virus (arbovirus) transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes and is associated with severe disease, notably microcephaly in newborns. Some insect-specific viruses (ISV’s) are able to limit the replication of medically relevant arboviruses within the arthropod host. For this reason, as well as their inability to infect vertebrate hosts, they show potential for the biocontrol of arboviruses. Aedes mosquitoes are the hosts of cell-fusing agent virus (CFAV) which has been shown reduce ZIKV replication in superinfected Ae. aegypti. The objective of this research is to assess if CFAV can potentially reduce ZIKV transmission via mosquito population control and/or interference with vectorial capacity. To simulate natural coinfections of these viruses, Ae. aegypti were infected with and reared until the population was chronically infected. Females were allowed to mate before the presentation of ZIKV-infectious bloodmeals, and blood-fed females were isolated for analysis. Individuals were collected for 14 days post infection and viral RNA amounts of both viruses was assessed with reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). Titers of ZIKV were assessed via plaque assays. To determine how mosquito populations would be affected by viral infections, the lifespan, fecundity, and hatch rate of blood-fed females was monitored. Understanding how these viruses interact and affect the life history of the mosquitos will give insight on vector control methods. These findings will be discussed along with our future directions.