The Zika virus could potentially be transmitted by an even more common species of mosquitoes, which has raised concerns that the outbreak in Central and Latin America could get worse, Brazilian scientists said Wednesday.
Scientists at the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation in Recife reported that they were able to infect the Culex quinquefasciatus mosquito with the virus in a laboratory setting. So far, Zika has only been known to be transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito, the species that also carries other viruses, such as dengue and chikungunya.
In the ongoing trial, the researchers infected 200 Culex quinquefasciatus mosquitoes by injecting them with Zika-infected rabbit blood. They found that the virus was able to circulate to the salivary glands of the mosquitoes, which suggested that they could possibly transmit the virus by biting a person.
"We saw an ease of infection and an ease of dissemination of the virus to the salivary glands," lead investigator Constancia Ayres said.
The team noted that since the population of the Culex quinquefasciatus is about 20 times larger than the population of the Aedes aegypti in Brazil, more research should be conducted to see if the Culex quinquefasciatus can actually transmit the virus in the natural environment.
The researchers are also curious to see if any Culex quinquefasciatus mosquitoes are already carrying the virus in the wild. Fabiola Taveres, a spokeswoman for the government-funded foundation, stated that the team will begin a project to capture Culex quinquefasciatus mosquitoes in areas of Recife where the virus has been confirmed. The research can take up to eight months, Taveres noted.
If evidence suggested that the Culex quinquefasciatus mosquitoes can transmit Zika, health officials will have a lot more to deal with on their hands. The virus, which was declared a public health emergency by the World Health Organization (WHO), has been linked to birth defect microcephaly and Guillain-Barre Syndrome. However, not much is known about the virus.
Studies are currently underway to further examine the link between the virus and the two health conditions. Other studies to find a vaccine and better diagnostic tests are also being conducted.
The researchers have yet to publish their findings in a scientific journal.
