Ukauwa virus proliferation in mosquitoes

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Abstract
Ukauwa virus, a Bunyamwera group arbovirus endemic in the Ethiopian zoogeographic region, multiplied in the tissues of North American mosquito species Aedes canadensis (Theobald) and Aedes triseriatus (Say) after intrathoracic inoculation. This virus also multiplied in laboratory-bred Aedes aegypti (L.) after both feeding and injection. Ukauwa virus now fulfills the biological criteria of an arbovirus. In these three mosquito species, after initial detection of infective virus immediately after inoculation, an eclipse phase with lack of detection of infectivity was observed 6 hours later, and was followed by initial recovery of virus (1.0 log mouse LD50) at 12 hours and thereafter steady virus increments in thorax, salivary glands, gut, and legs which reached maximum titers of 5.4 to 6.3 log mouse LD50 in 4 days. In A. aegypti fed Ukauwa virus no infectivity was detected during the first 8 days after the meal. After initial detection of infective virus (3.0 log mouse LD50) on day 10, maximum titers of 4.3 to 5.3 log mouse LD50 were reached 4 days later.A. aegypti transmitted Ukauwa virus to weaned mice on the 12th and 14th days after an infective blood meal, when virus titers in the salivary glands exceeded 4.3 log mouse LD50. The infection threshold of Ukauwa virus for A. aegypti by feeding was 4.7 log mouse LD50 per 0.002 ml.

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