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. 2016 Sep 1;21(35):30333.
doi: 10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2016.21.35.30333.

Culex mosquitoes are experimentally unable to transmit Zika virus

Fadila Amraoui  1 , Célestine Atyame-Nten, Anubis Vega-Rúa, Ricardo Lourenço-de-Oliveira, Marie Vazeille, Anna Bella Failloux
Affiliations

Culex mosquitoes are experimentally unable to transmit Zika virus

Fadila Amraoui et al. Euro Surveill. .

Abstract

We report that two laboratory colonies of Culex quinquefasciatus and Culex pipiens mosquitoes were experimentally unable to transmit ZIKV either up to 21 days post an infectious blood meal or up to 14 days post intrathoracic inoculation. Infectious viral particles were detected in bodies, heads or saliva by a plaque forming unit assay on Vero cells. We therefore consider it unlikely that Culex mosquitoes are involved in the rapid spread of ZIKV.

Keywords: Culex mosquitoes; vector competence; zika.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of Interest: None declared.

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