Detection of Persistent Chikungunya Virus RNA but not Infectious Virus in Experimental Vertical Transmission in Aedes aegypti from Malaysia

Wong HV 1 , Vythilingam I 1 , Sulaiman WY 1 , Lulla A 1 , Merits A 1 , Chan YF 1 Show all authors , Sam IC 2

Affiliations 

  • 1 Department of Medical Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Institute of Technology, University of Tartu, Nooruse 1, 50411, Tartu, Estonia
  • 2 Department of Medical Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Institute of Technology, University of Tartu, Nooruse 1, 50411, Tartu, Estonia jicsam@ummc.edu.my
Am J Trop Med Hyg, 2016 Jan;94(1):182-6.
PMID: 26598564 DOI: 10.4269/ajtmh.15-0318

Abstract

Vertical transmission may contribute to the maintenance of arthropod-borne viruses, but its existence in chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is unclear. Experimental vertical transmission of infectious clones of CHIKV in Aedes aegypti mosquitoes from Malaysia was investigated. Eggs and adult progeny from the second gonotrophic cycles of infected parental mosquitoes were tested. Using polymerase chain reaction (PCR), 56.3% of pooled eggs and 10% of adult progeny had detectable CHIKV RNA, but no samples had detectable infectious virus by plaque assay. Transfected CHIKV RNA from PCR-positive eggs did not yield infectious virus in BHK-21 cells. Thus, vertical transmission of viable CHIKV was not demonstrated. Noninfectious CHIKV RNA persists in eggs and progeny of infected Ae. aegypti, but the mechanism and significance are unknown. There is insufficient evidence to conclude that vertical transmission exists in CHIKV, as positive results reported in previous studies were almost exclusively based only on viral RNA detection.

* Title and MeSH Headings from MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.

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