Vector competence of Aedes japonicus for chikungunya and dengue viruses

摘要

The Asian bush mosquito Aedes japonicus japonicus (Theobald, 1901) [=Ochlerotatus japonicus (sensu Reinertet al., 2004) =Hulecoeteomyia japonica (sensu Reinert et al., 2006)], has invaded large parts of North Americaand has recently started to spread in Central-Western Europe. The species is suspected to act as a bridge vectorof West Nile virus but nothing or very little is known about its vector competence for Chikungunya and Dengueviruses. Here, we report on experiments of laboratory infections of Ae. japonicus with CHIKV and DENV,demonstrating that the species has a vector potential for both viruses. Considering the high abundance of thespecies in urban environments and its ability to feed on human, these results plead to include this species whenprocessing risk assessments for mosquito-borne diseases.