Aedes albopictus is not an arbovirus aficionado when feeding on cynomolgus macaques or squirrel monkeys

• DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2024.111198
• Publication Date: 2024-10-19T11:23:11Z
• Authors: Hélène Cecilia; Benjamin M. Althouse; Sasha R. Azar; Brett A. Moehn; Ruimei Yun; Shannan L. Rossi; Nikos Vasilakis; Kathryn A. Hanley
• Keywords: Aedes albopictus

Viruses transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes (e.g., dengue [DENV], Zika [ZIKV]) have demonstrated high potential to spill over from their ancestral, sylvatic cycles in non-human primates to establish transmission in humans. Epidemiological models require accurate knowledge of the contact structure between hosts and vectors, which is highly sensitive to any impacts of virus infection in mosquitoes or hosts on mosquito feeding behavior. Current evidence for whether these viruses affect vector behavior is mixed. Here we leveraged a study on sylvatic DENV-2 and ZIKV transmission between two species of monkey and Aedes albopictus to determine whether virus infection of either host or vector alters vector feeding behavior. Engorgement rates varied from 0% to 100%, but this was not driven by vector nor host infection, but rather by the individual host, host species, and host body temperature. This study highlights the importance of incorporating individual-level heterogeneity of vector biting in arbovirus transmission models.