Isolation of Eastern Equine Encephalitis Virus from Aedes albopictus in Florida

• Published in: Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) 1992-07, Vol.257 (5069), p.526-527
• Main Authors: Mitchell, C. J., Niebylski, M. L., Smith, G. C., Karabatsos, N., Martin, D., J.-P. Mutebi, Craig, G. B., Mahler, M. J.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aedes; Aedes - microbiology; Aedes albopictus; Animals; Arboviruses; Biological and medical sciences; Blood; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S.); Culicidae; Diptera; Disease transmission; eastern equine encephalitis virus; Eastern equine encephalomyelitis; Encephalitis Virus, Eastern Equine - isolation & purification; Equine encephalomyelitis; Florida; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Health aspects; Horses; Infectious diseases; Insect carriers of disease; Insects as carriers of disease; Mathematical vectors; Mice; Microbiology; Mosquitoes; Mosquitoes as carriers of disease; Mosquitos; Public health; Replicative cycle, interference, host-virus relations, pathogenicity, miscellaneous strains; Specimens; United States; Vero Cells; Virology; Viruses
• ISSN: 0036-8075; 1095-9203
• DOI: 10.1126/science.1321985

Fourteen strains of eastern equine encephalitis (EEE) virus were isolated from Aedes albopictus mosquitoes collected in Polk County, Florida. These are the first isolations of an arbovirus of proven public health and veterinary importance from naturally infected Ae. albopictus in the United States since established populations of this introduced mosquito were first discovered in 1985. The widespread distribution of Ae. albopictus in Florida and in other areas of the United States where EEE is endemic raises concern that this species may become an epizootic and epidemic vector of EEE virus.