Virological investigation in mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) from the state of São Paulo and the effect of Zika virus infection on the locomotor activity of Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus under laboratory conditions.

• Grant number: 21/13280-8
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• Start date until: April 01, 2023
• End date until: December 31, 2024
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Parasitology - Entomology and Malacology of Parasites and Vectors
• Principal Investigator: Tamara Nunes de Lima Camara
• Grantee: Pâmela dos Santos Andrade
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Saúde Pública (FSP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Arboviruses (Arthropod-borne virus) are viruses transmitted by arthropods and maintained in nature, mainly through biological transmission between susceptible vertebrate hosts and hematophagous arthropod vectors. In Brazil, there is the circulation of arboviruses important for public health, belonging to three main families: Flaviviridae, Togaviridae and Bunyaviridae. The main urban arbovirus vector in Brazil is Aedes aegypti, while Aedes albopictus is considered a potential vector. In the wild, we find the participation of mosquitoes of the genera Haemagogus and Sabethes, for example, in the transmission of the yellow fever virus. The daily activities of mosquitoes include flight, copulation, feeding, oviposition, among others, and are concentrated at specific times of the day, being controlled by an endogenous clock. Both Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus have diurnal/twilight activity. The objective is to investigate the circulation of arboviruses in mosquitoes from different landscapes in the State of São Paulo and to evaluate the effect of Zika virus infection on the locomotor activity of females of Ae. aegypti and Ae albopictus under laboratory conditions. Mosquitoes will be collected in Serra da Cantareira-SP and in parks in the city of São Paulo. All mosquitoes will be analyzed by RT-qPCR and positive for Flavivirus and Alphavirus will be sequenced by MinIon technology. For locomotor activity, female Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus, will be infected with ZIKV through intrathoracic injection. Locomotor activity will be monitored under laboratory conditions, using monitors that record the individual movement of mosquitoes. Our results may provide subsidies for an adequate targeting of mosquito vector control strategies, identifying arbovirus circulation areas, as well as helping to better understand the interaction between pathogen and vector under laboratory conditions.