Effect of a primary insect-specific flavivirus infection on dengue virus replication in Aedes albopictus C6/36 cells.

• Grant number: 23/12548-2
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: December 01, 2023
• End date: February 28, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Collective Health - Public Health
• Principal Investigator: Licia Natal Fernandes
• Grantee: Henrique Christino Lial
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Medicina (FM). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Among the flaviviruses of medical importance that have already been isolated in Brazil, the dengue virus (DENV) stands out due to large epidemics. In the country, in addition to flaviviruses of medical importance, there is evidence of circulation of insect-specific flaviviruses (ISFs), group known to replicate only in mosquito cells, such as Cell fusing agent virus (CFAV), Culex flavivirus (CxFV), Palm Creek virus (PCV), Long Pine Key virus (LPKV) and others.It is hypothesized that mosquitoes infected by ISFs may be resistant to a second infection caused by medically important flaviviruses due to the superinfection exclusion mechanism. To date, there are some studies on this topic but the results are controversial. Thus, the objective of the present work will be to study the effect of primary ISF infection on DENV replication in Aedes albopictus C6/36 cells.Therefore, ISFs previously detected in mosquitoes collected in the city of São Paulo will be subjected to the viral isolation procedure. Among the ISFs successfully isolated, one will be selected for the study of DENV superinfection in C6/36 cells previously infected by the chosen ISF. The results obtained will be able to elucidate the role of ISFs in the transmission of flaviviruses of medical importance, as well as indicating whether this group has the potential to be used as a tool to reduce the transmission of arboviruses of epidemiological importance, such as DENV.