Factors influencing infection and transmission ofAnopheles gambiaedensovirus (AgDNV) in mosquitoes

Abstract

Anopheles gambiaedensovirus (AgDNV) is a potential microbial agent for paratransgenesis and gene transduction inAn. gambiae, the major vector of human malaria in sub-Saharan Africa. Understanding the interaction between AgDNV andAn. gambiaeis critical for using AgDNV in a basic and applied manner forAnophelesgene manipulation. Here, we tested the effects of mosquito age, sex, blood feeding status, and potential for horizontal transmission using an enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) reporter AgDNV system. Neither mosquito age at infection nor feeding regime affected viral titers. Female mosquitoes were more permissive to viral infection than males. Despite low viral titers, infected males were able to venereally transmit virus to females during mating, where the virus was localized with the transferred sperm in the spermathecae. These findings will be useful for designing AgDNV-based strategies to manipulateAnopheles gambiae.