Transmission of endemic St. Louis encephalitis virus strain by local Culex quinquefasciatus populations in Córdoba, Argentina.

Abstract

St. Louis encephalitis virus is a reemerging human pathogen widely distributed in the American continent. Although not fully understood, SLEV transmission network may involve Culex quinquefasciatus mosquito as vectors and Columbidae species as hosts. To calculate infections rates, we inoculated Cx. quinquefasciatus mosquitoes from Córdoba, Argentina by feeding them on viremic chicks. Results and Discussion: We observed differences in infection rate among viral strains. The viral strain 78V-6507 produced the highest rate (90.8%). After re-feeding on susceptible chicks, mosquitoes were able to transmit the virus. Our findings suggest Cx. quinquefasciatus populations are not only susceptible but also able to transmit different SLEV strains.