Evaluation of Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae) Life Table Attributes Upon Chikungunya Virus Replication Reveals Impact on Egg-Laying Pathways

Arthropod-borne virus disease cycles constitute interactions among three primary players—the host, the vector, and the virus—in which the virus needs to interact with the host and the vector to establish its survival. While in the host, some arboviruses replicate aggressively, resulting in host path...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of medical entomology 2018-10, Vol.55 (6), p.1580-1587
Main Authors: Sirisena, Pdnn, Kumar, Ankit, Sunil, Sujatha
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aedes aegypti
Aquatic insects
Chikungunya virus
Culicidae
Diptera
Egg laying
Eggs
Fecundity
Fitness
Gonotrophic cycles
Life span
life table attribute
Mortality
mosquito egg-laying pathway
Mosquitoes
Pathogenicity
Pathogens
Physiology
Replication
Survival
Vector-borne diseases
VECTOR/PATHOGEN/HOST INTERACTION, TRANSMISSION
Vectors
Viruses
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Summary:Arthropod-borne virus disease cycles constitute interactions among three primary players—the host, the vector, and the virus—in which the virus needs to interact with the host and the vector to establish its survival. While in the host, some arboviruses replicate aggressively, resulting in host pathogenicity, and manifest as a disease condition. These viruses more often utilize the vectors as reservoirs before they are transmitted to the host and therefore do not amplify to as large titers as they do in the hosts. In spite of this, the vector undergoes stress and activates several of its defense systems, resulting in alterations in its physiology. The present study was undertaken to evaluate the physiological changes that the mosquito vector Aedes aegypti (L.) (Diptera: Culicidae) undergoes during the replication of an arbovirus, Chikungunya virus (CHIKV). After the mosquitoes were infected with CHIKV, dissemination of the virus into various tissues and physiological parameters such as fecundity, vector mortality, egg laying, survival rate, overall fitness were monitored throughout the lifespan of the mosquitoes. Our study reveals that there is a fitness cost to the mosquitoes due to the infection of CHIKV. This fitness cost is manifested as higher mortality and low survival rate of the CHIKV-infected mosquitoes. Further evaluation revealed that the egg-laying pathway was affected, resulting in lower number of eggs. Expression analysis of six transcripts in the egg-laying pathway revealed that these transcripts were downregulated during the gonotrophic cycles in CHIKV-infected mosquitoes as compared to normal blood-fed mosquitoes.
ISSN:0022-2585
1938-2928
DOI:10.1093/jme/tjy097