<i>Culicoides</i>-Specific Fitness Increase of Vesicular Stomatitis Virus in Insect-to-Insect Infections
Vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) is an arthropod-borne virus affecting livestock. In the United States, sporadic outbreaks result in significant economic losses. During epizootics, <i>Culicoides</i> biting midges are biological vectors and key to the geographic expansion of outbreaks. Ad...
| Main Authors: | , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2024-01-01
|
| Series: | Insects |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/15/1/34 |
| _version_ | 1827371785110159360 |
|---|---|
| author | Paula Rozo-Lopez Barbara S. Drolet |
| author_facet | Paula Rozo-Lopez Barbara S. Drolet |
| author_sort | Paula Rozo-Lopez |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) is an arthropod-borne virus affecting livestock. In the United States, sporadic outbreaks result in significant economic losses. During epizootics, <i>Culicoides</i> biting midges are biological vectors and key to the geographic expansion of outbreaks. Additionally, <i>Culicoides</i> may play a role in VSV overwintering because females and males are capable of highly efficient venereal transmission, despite their relatively low virus titers. We hypothesized that VSV propagated within a midge has increased fitness for subsequent midge infections. To evaluate the potential host-specific fitness increase, we propagated three viral isolates of VSV in porcine skin fibroblasts and <i>Culicoides</i> cell lines. We then evaluated the viral infection dynamics of the different cell-source groups in <i>Culicoides sonorensis</i>. Our results indicate that both mammalian- and insect-derived VSV replicate well in midges inoculated via intrathoracic injection, thereby bypassing the midgut barriers. However, when the virus was required to infect and escape the midgut barrier to disseminate after oral acquisition, the insect-derived viruses had significantly higher titers, infection, and dissemination rates than mammalian-derived viruses. Our research suggests that VSV replication in <i>Culicoides</i> cells increases viral fitness, facilitating midge-to-midge transmission and subsequent replication, and further highlights the significance of <i>Culicoides</i> midges in VSV maintenance and transmission dynamics. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T10:46:34Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-bdc3b88cdea14eb69c3968a8afd7c3ef |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2075-4450 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-08T10:46:34Z |
| publishDate | 2024-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Insects |
| spelling | doaj.art-bdc3b88cdea14eb69c3968a8afd7c3ef2024-01-26T17:04:12ZengMDPI AGInsects2075-44502024-01-011513410.3390/insects15010034<i>Culicoides</i>-Specific Fitness Increase of Vesicular Stomatitis Virus in Insect-to-Insect InfectionsPaula Rozo-Lopez0Barbara S. Drolet1Department of Microbiology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996, USAArthropod-Borne Animal Diseases Research Unit, United States Department of Agriculture, Manhattan, KS 66502, USAVesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) is an arthropod-borne virus affecting livestock. In the United States, sporadic outbreaks result in significant economic losses. During epizootics, <i>Culicoides</i> biting midges are biological vectors and key to the geographic expansion of outbreaks. Additionally, <i>Culicoides</i> may play a role in VSV overwintering because females and males are capable of highly efficient venereal transmission, despite their relatively low virus titers. We hypothesized that VSV propagated within a midge has increased fitness for subsequent midge infections. To evaluate the potential host-specific fitness increase, we propagated three viral isolates of VSV in porcine skin fibroblasts and <i>Culicoides</i> cell lines. We then evaluated the viral infection dynamics of the different cell-source groups in <i>Culicoides sonorensis</i>. Our results indicate that both mammalian- and insect-derived VSV replicate well in midges inoculated via intrathoracic injection, thereby bypassing the midgut barriers. However, when the virus was required to infect and escape the midgut barrier to disseminate after oral acquisition, the insect-derived viruses had significantly higher titers, infection, and dissemination rates than mammalian-derived viruses. Our research suggests that VSV replication in <i>Culicoides</i> cells increases viral fitness, facilitating midge-to-midge transmission and subsequent replication, and further highlights the significance of <i>Culicoides</i> midges in VSV maintenance and transmission dynamics.https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/15/1/34vesicular stomatitis virusVSVmaintenance<i>Culicoides sonorensis</i>biting midgesmammalian cell cultures |
| spellingShingle | Paula Rozo-Lopez Barbara S. Drolet <i>Culicoides</i>-Specific Fitness Increase of Vesicular Stomatitis Virus in Insect-to-Insect Infections Insects vesicular stomatitis virus VSV maintenance <i>Culicoides sonorensis</i> biting midges mammalian cell cultures |
| title | <i>Culicoides</i>-Specific Fitness Increase of Vesicular Stomatitis Virus in Insect-to-Insect Infections |
| title_full | <i>Culicoides</i>-Specific Fitness Increase of Vesicular Stomatitis Virus in Insect-to-Insect Infections |
| title_fullStr | <i>Culicoides</i>-Specific Fitness Increase of Vesicular Stomatitis Virus in Insect-to-Insect Infections |
| title_full_unstemmed | <i>Culicoides</i>-Specific Fitness Increase of Vesicular Stomatitis Virus in Insect-to-Insect Infections |
| title_short | <i>Culicoides</i>-Specific Fitness Increase of Vesicular Stomatitis Virus in Insect-to-Insect Infections |
| title_sort | i culicoides i specific fitness increase of vesicular stomatitis virus in insect to insect infections |
| topic | vesicular stomatitis virus VSV maintenance <i>Culicoides sonorensis</i> biting midges mammalian cell cultures |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/15/1/34 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT paularozolopez iculicoidesispecificfitnessincreaseofvesicularstomatitisvirusininsecttoinsectinfections AT barbarasdrolet iculicoidesispecificfitnessincreaseofvesicularstomatitisvirusininsecttoinsectinfections |