A UF/IFAS research team collected 20 female and 19
male Aedes albopictus mosquitoes as eggs, raised them to
adults and tested the adults for the Zika virus RNA
UF/IFAS scientists, led
by entomology associate professor Chelsea Smartt, have found Zika virus RNA in
Aedes albopictus, also known as the Asian Tiger Mosquito, seen above. Aedes
agypti has received the most media attention since the Zika virus broke out. But
scientists never discounted Aedes albopictus as a possible transmitter of the
dangerous virus.
PHOTO CREDIT: UF/IFASGAINESVILLE, Fla. — A University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences molecular biologist has found Zika RNA in a type
of mosquito not often associated with the virus.
UF/IFAS entomology associate professor Chelsea Smartt
led a research team that found Zika RNA in Aedes albopictus. That’s
not the species—known as Aedes aegypti—most often associated with
Zika. But scientists have never discounted Aedes albopictus as
another possible carrier of the potentially deadly virus.
Brazil has the highest number of reported Zika virus
cases worldwide, with more than 200,000 as of December 2016. So, Smartt set her
sights on tracking down Zika-infected mosquitoes in Camacari, Brazil, near the
Atlantic coast.
Smartt and her research team collected 20 female and
19 male Aedes albopictus mosquitoes as eggs, raised them to
adults and tested the adults for the Zika virus RNA. They found five of them
positive for Zika RNA, Smartt said.
“These results are important because they are the
first to show that Aedes albopictus can be infected with Zika
virus RNA,” said Smartt, a faculty member at the UF/IFAS Florida Medical Entomology Laboratory in Vero Beach, Florida. “Also, this study found
Zika virus RNA in male mosquitoes, which we can infer also means the Zika virus
RNA came from the mother. We need to determine if live Zika virus can also be
transmitted in Aedes albopictus.”
The findings show that mosquitoes, like Aedes
albopictus, in an area with a high density of Zika virus, can contain
Zika virus RNA and then these mosquitoes must also be tested for live Zika
virus before transporting them to a laboratory for further experimentation to
ensure they are not able to transmit live Zika virus.
Since researchers and the media started seriously
chronicling the Zika virus in the U.S. in 2015, Aedes agypti mosquitoes
have received a lot of attention. Scientists have found that Aedes aegypti is
the main type of mosquito that spreads Zika, dengue, chikungunya, and other
viruses, while Aedes albopictus is less likely to spread Zika
and other similar viruses.
Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes
abound in Florida, throughout most of the Southeast and in all the states along
the southern border of the U.S., according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The range of Aedes albopictus expands
into the Midwest. Its role in being able to transmit Zika virus is largely
unknown.
Currently there is no vaccine available for Zika
virus. To try to avoid mosquito bites, scientists and public health
professionals urge people to stay indoors or wear long-sleeve shirts and pants if
they’re outdoors, especially during the day, when mosquitoes that might
transmit the Zika virus are more likely to bite. They also urge people to apply
mosquito repellent containing DEET and remove mosquito-breeding habitats by
removing water from containers because that’s where mosquitoes lay their eggs
and the immature stages develop.
0 comentários:
Postar um comentário