Infection rate of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes with dengue virus depends on the interaction between temperature and mosquito genotype

Abstract

Dengue fever is the most prevalent arthropod-transmitted viral disease worldwide, with endemic transmission restricted to tropical and subtropical regions of different temperature profiles. Temperature is epidemiologically relevant because it affects dengue infection rates in Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, the major vector of the dengue virus (DENV). Aedes aegypti populations are also known to vary in competence for different DENV genotypes. We assessed the effects of mosquito and virus genotype on DENV infection in the context of temperature by challenging Ae. aegypti from two locations in Vietnam, which differ in temperature regimes, with two isolates of DENV-2 collected from the same two localities, followed by incubation at 25, 27 or 32°C for 10 days. Genotyping of the mosquito populations and virus isolates confirmed that each group was genetically distinct. Extrinsic incubation temperature (EIT) and DENV-2 genotype had a direct effect on the infection rate, consistent with previous studies. However, our results show that the EIT impacts the infection rate differently in each mosquito population, indicating a genotype by environment interaction. These results suggest that the magnitude of DENV epidemics may not only depend on the virus and mosquito genotypes present, but also on how they interact with local temperature. This information should be considered when estimating vector competence of local and introduced mosquito populations during disease risk evaluation.