TY - JOUR
T1 - Potentiation of West Nile encephalitis by mosquito feeding
AU - Schneider, Bradley S.
AU - Soong, Lynn
AU - Girard, Yvette A.
AU - Campbell, Gerald
AU - Mason, Peter
AU - Higgs, Stephen
PY - 2006
Y1 - 2006
N2 - Mosquitoes infect human beings with arboviruses while taking a blood meal, inoculating virus with their saliva. Mosquito saliva contains compounds that counter host hemostatic, inflammatory, and immune responses. Modulation of these crucial defensive responses may facilitate virus infection. Using a murine model we explored the potential for mosquitoes to impact the course of West Nile virus (WNV) disease by determining whether differences in pathogenesis occurred in the presence or absence of mosquito saliva. Mice inoculated intradermally with 104 pfu of WNV subsequent to the feeding of mosquitoes developed more progressive infection, higher viremia, and accelerated neuroinvasion than the mice inoculated with WNV alone. At a lower dose of WNV (102 pfu), mice fed upon by mosquitoes had a lower survival rate. This study suggests that mosquito feeding and factors in mosquito saliva can potentiate WNV infection, and offers a possible mechanism for this effect via accelerated infection of the brain.
AB - Mosquitoes infect human beings with arboviruses while taking a blood meal, inoculating virus with their saliva. Mosquito saliva contains compounds that counter host hemostatic, inflammatory, and immune responses. Modulation of these crucial defensive responses may facilitate virus infection. Using a murine model we explored the potential for mosquitoes to impact the course of West Nile virus (WNV) disease by determining whether differences in pathogenesis occurred in the presence or absence of mosquito saliva. Mice inoculated intradermally with 104 pfu of WNV subsequent to the feeding of mosquitoes developed more progressive infection, higher viremia, and accelerated neuroinvasion than the mice inoculated with WNV alone. At a lower dose of WNV (102 pfu), mice fed upon by mosquitoes had a lower survival rate. This study suggests that mosquito feeding and factors in mosquito saliva can potentiate WNV infection, and offers a possible mechanism for this effect via accelerated infection of the brain.
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U2 - 10.1089/vim.2006.19.74
DO - 10.1089/vim.2006.19.74
M3 - Article
C2 - 16553552
AN - SCOPUS:33645463183
SN - 0882-8245
VL - 19
SP - 74
EP - 82
JO - Viral Immunology
JF - Viral Immunology
IS - 1
ER -