Co-Infection of <i>Culex tarsalis</i> Mosquitoes with Rift Valley Fever Phlebovirus Strains Results in Efficient Viral Reassortment.

ABSTRACT: Rift Valley fever phlebovirus (RVFV) is a zoonotic mosquito-borne pathogen endemic to sub-Saharan Africa and the Arabian Peninsula which causes Rift Valley fever in ruminant livestock and humans. Co-infection with divergent viral strains can produce reassortment among the L, S, and M segments of the RVFV genome. Reassortment events can produce novel genotypes with altered virulence, transmission dynamics, and/or mosquito host range. This can have severe implications in areas where RVFV is endemic and convolutes our ability to anticipate transmission and circulation in novel geographic regions. Previously, we evaluated the frequency of RVFV reassortment in a susceptible ruminant host and observed low rates of reassortment (0-1.7%). Here, we tested the hypothesis that reassortment occurs pre

SUBMITTER: Harris EK 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11768849 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature