CGPH FACULTY: Eva Harris
DATE OF PUBLICATION: September 2014
REGION: Latin America
REFERENCE: Quiner CA, Parameswaran P, Ciota AT, Ehrbar DJ, Dodson BL, Schlesinger S, Kramer LD, Harris E. Increased replicative fitness of a dengue virus 2 clade in native mosquitoes: Potential contribution to a clade replacement event in Nicaragua. J Virol. 2014 Sep 3. pii: JVI.01822-14.
SUMMARY/ABSTRACT: Dengue virus (DENV), one of the most medically important arthropod-borne viruses, is transmitted to humans by Aedes aegypti and Ae. albopictus mosquitoes in tropical and sub-tropical regions worldwide. Dengue epidemics continue to increase in frequency, geographic range, and severity and are a major public health concern. This is due to globalization, unplanned urbanization, and climate change, as well as host genetics and immune responses and viral genetic changes. DENV consists of four serotypes, in turn composed of genotypes and genetically distinct clades. What drives the frequent replacement of a previously-circulating DENV clade by another is unclear. Here, we investigate the replicative fitness of two clades of DENV serotype 2 in Aedes aegypti cells and mosquitoes collected from the region where the viruses circulated and conclude that increased replicative fitness could have contributed to a DENV clade replacement event in Nicaragua. These findings provide insight into vector-driven evolution of DENV epidemics.
ACCESS: Link to Pubmed