Low humidity enhances Zika virus infection and dissemination in Aedes aegypti mosquitoes.

ABSTRACT: As climate change alters Earth's biomes, it is expected the transmission dynamics of mosquito-borne viruses will change. While the effects of temperature changes on mosquito-virus interactions and the spread of the pathogens have been elucidated over the last decade, the impact of relative humidity changes is still relatively unknown. To overcome this knowledge gap, we exposed Aedes aegypti females to various humidity conditions. We measured different components of vectorial capacity such as survival, blood-feeding rates, and changes in infection and dissemination of Zika virus. Survival decreased as the humidity level decreased, while infection rates increased as the humidity level decreased. Alternatively, blood feeding rates and disseminated infection rates peaked at the intermed

SUBMITTER: Abu AEI 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11351097 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature