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Aedes albopictus (diptera: culicidae) is incompetent as a vector of hepatitis C virus
Author(s) -
BELLINI ROMEO,
CASALI BRUNO,
CARRIERI MARCO,
ZAMBONELLI CARLO,
RIVASI PAOLO,
RIVASI FRANCESCO
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
apmis
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.909
H-Index - 88
eISSN - 1600-0463
pISSN - 0903-4641
DOI - 10.1111/j.1699-0463.1997.tb00572.x
Subject(s) - aedes albopictus , virology , blood meal , biology , vector (molecular biology) , polymerase chain reaction , virus , hepatitis c virus , reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction , aedes aegypti , larva , gene , genetics , recombinant dna , messenger rna , zoology , ecology
In laboratory experiments, Aedes albopictus females were fed hepatitis C virus (HCV)‐infected human blood with a unit‐feeding apparatus. Pools of engorged females were tested at various time intervals after their blood meal for the presence of HCV RNA using two methods in parallel: reverse transcription‐nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and PCR with the Amplicor HCV system. Comparable results were obtained with both methods. Mosquitoes were found to be positive only immediately and 24 h after feeding. Moreover, female progeny produced negative results. Our results indicate that the Ae.albopictus strain used is incompetent as a vector of HCV.