First Chikungunya-infected Aedes aegypti species mosquito identified in Brazil

According to a report published in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases, Brazilian researchers recently identified for the first time an Aedes aegypti species mosquito that was naturally infected with the East-Central-South-African (ECSA) genotype of Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) in Brazil.

Aedes aegptyi species mosquitoes are widely known to be a primary carrier of the Zika virus throughout the Americas. The species, however, had not been found to carry CHIKV in Brazil until the recent discovery.

The discovery was made after Aracaju-area residents were experiencing symptoms that were consistent with CHIKV infection or a related virus. As a result, a team of researchers from the University of Sao Paulo collected 248 mosquitoes from both inside and outside the homes of residents in the area and tested them for viruses including CHIKV, Zika virus, and dengue fever.

Of the mosquitoes collected, four strains were captured with Culex quinquefasciatus species being the most common type found, comprising approximately 78 percent of the collected total. After testing each specimen, only one female Aedes aegypti mosquito was found carrying the ECSA genotype. No specimen was found carrying Zika or dengue.

“The surveillance of the Aedes mosquito should be expanded in order to prevent new CHIKV outbreaks in Brazil, since this country presents adequate conditions for the establishment of an endemic situation, which can also expose other countries at risk,” the authors of the article wrote.

Symptoms of CHIKV infection include headache, joint pain and swelling, rash, and fever, all of which appear between two and twelve days after exposure. Of those infected, approximately 0.1 percent of patients will succumb the virus’ lethal effects.