Modeling cellular co-infection and reassortment of bluetongue virus in Culicoides midges.

ABSTRACT: When related segmented RNA viruses co-infect a single cell, viral reassortment can occur, potentially leading to new strains with pandemic potential. One virus capable of reassortment is bluetongue virus (BTV), which causes substantial health impacts in ruminants and is transmitted via Culicoides midges. Because midges can become co-infected by feeding on multiple different host species and remain infected for their entire life span, there is a high potential for reassortment to occur. Once a midge is co-infected, additional barriers must be crossed for a reassortant virus to emerge, such as cellular co-infection and dissemination of reassortant viruses to the salivary glands. We developed three mathematical models of within-midge BTV dynamics of increasing complexity, allowing us t

SUBMITTER: Cavany SM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9662319 | biostudies-literature | 2022

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature