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. 2021 Jan 22;14(1):76.
doi: 10.1186/s13071-021-04578-9.

The common European mosquitoes Culex pipiens and Aedes albopictus are unable to transmit SARS-CoV-2 after a natural-mimicking challenge with infected blood

Claudia Fortuna #  1 , Fabrizio Montarsi #  2 , Francesco Severini  3 , Giulia Marsili  3 , Luciano Toma  3 , Antonello Amendola  3 , Michela Bertola  2 , Alice Michelutti  2 , Silvia Ravagnan  2 , Gioia Capelli  2 , Giovanni Rezza  3   4 , Marco Di Luca  3 ; the Working Group
Affiliations

The common European mosquitoes Culex pipiens and Aedes albopictus are unable to transmit SARS-CoV-2 after a natural-mimicking challenge with infected blood

Claudia Fortuna et al. Parasit Vectors. .

Abstract

Background: On 11 March 2020, the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak to be a pandemic. As the mosquito season progressed, the understandable concern that mosquitoes could transmit the virus began to increase among the general public and public health organisations. We have investigated the vector competence of Culex pipiens and Aedes albopictus, the two most common species of vector mosquitoes in Europe, for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Due to the very unusual feeding behaviour of Ae. albopictus, we also evaluated the role of this mosquito in a potential mechanical transmission of the virus.

Methods: For the vector competence study, mosquitoes were allowed to take several infectious blood meals. The mosquitoes were then collected and analysed at 0, 3, 7 and 10 days post-feeding. For the mechanical transmission test, Ae. albopictus females were allowed to feed for a short time on a feeder containing infectious blood and then on a feeder containing virus-free blood. Both mosquitoes and blood were tested for viral presence.

Results: Culex pipiens and Ae. albopictus were found not be competent vectors for SARS-CoV-2, and Ae. albopictus was unable to mechanically transmit the virus.

Conclusions: This is the first study to show that the most common species of vector mosquitoes in Europe do not transmit SARS-CoV-2 and that Ae. albopictus is unable to mechanically transmit the virus from a positive host to a healthy host through host-feeding.

Keywords: Aedes albopictus; Culex pipiens; Mechanical transmission; SARS-CoV-2; Vector competence.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Viral titers in Aedes albopictus and Culex pipiens bodies analysed at different days post‐infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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