Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease (Sep 2024)

Suitable Mouse Model to Study Dynamics of West Nile Virus Infection in <i>Culex quinquefasciatus</i> Mosquitoes

  • Lívia Baldon,
  • Silvana de Mendonça,
  • Ellen Santos,
  • Bruno Marçal,
  • Amanda Cupertino de Freitas,
  • Fernanda Rezende,
  • Rafaela Moreira,
  • Viviane Sousa,
  • Sara Comini,
  • Mariana Lima,
  • Flávia Ferreira,
  • João Paulo de Almeida,
  • Emanuele Silva,
  • Siad Amadou,
  • Marcele Rocha,
  • Thiago Leite,
  • Yaovi Todjro,
  • Camila de Carvalho,
  • Viviane Santos,
  • Marta Giovanetti,
  • Luiz Alcantara,
  • Luciano A. Moreira,
  • Alvaro Ferreira

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/tropicalmed9090201
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 9, no. 9
p. 201

Abstract

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West Nile Virus (WNV) poses a significant global public health threat as a mosquito-borne pathogen. While laboratory mouse models have historically played a crucial role in understanding virus biology, recent research has focused on utilizing immunocompromised models to study arboviruses like dengue and Zika viruses, particularly their interactions with Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. However, there has been a shortage of suitable mouse models for investigating WNV and St. Louis encephalitis virus interactions with their primary vectors, Culex spp. mosquitoes. Here, we establish the AG129 mouse (IFN α/β/γ R−/−) as an effective vertebrate model for examining mosquito–WNV interactions. Following intraperitoneal injection, AG129 mice exhibited transient viremia lasting several days, peaking on the second or third day post-infection, which is sufficient to infect Culex quinquefasciatus mosquitoes during a blood meal. We also observed WNV replication in the midgut and dissemination to other tissues, including the fat body, in infected mosquitoes. Notably, infectious virions were present in the saliva of a viremic AG129 mouse 16 days post-exposure, indicating successful transmission capacity. These findings highlight the utility of AG129 mice for studying vector competence and WNV–mosquito interactions.

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