Summary: | Oropouche virus (OROV), a vector-borne <i>Orthobunyavirus</i> circulating in South and Central America, causes a febrile illness with high rates of morbidity but with no documented fatalities. Oropouche virus is transmitted by numerous vectors, including multiple genera of mosquitoes and <i>Culicoides</i> biting midges in South America. This study investigated the vector competence of three North American vectors, <i>Culex tarsalis, Culex quinquefasciatus</i>, and <i>Culicoides sonorensis</i>, for OROV. Cohorts of each species were fed an infectious blood meal containing 6.5 log<sub>10</sub> PFU/mL OROV and incubated for 10 or 14 days. <i>Culex tarsalis</i> demonstrated infection (3.13%) but not dissemination or transmission potential at 10 days post infection (DPI). At 10 and 14 DPI, <i>Cx. quinquefasciatus</i> demonstrated 9.71% and 19.3% infection, 2.91% and 1.23% dissemination, and 0.97% and 0.82% transmission potential, respectively. <i>Culicoides sonorensis</i> demonstrated 86.63% infection, 83.14% dissemination, and 19.77% transmission potential at 14 DPI. Based on these data, <i>Cx. tarsalis</i> is unlikely to be a competent vector for OROV. <i>Culex quinquefasciatus</i> demonstrated infection, dissemination, and transmission potential, although at relatively low rates. <i>Culicoides sonorensis</i> demonstrated high infection and dissemination but may have a salivary gland barrier to the virus. These data have implications for the spread of OROV in the event of a North American introduction.
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