# Evaluating the mosquito vector range for two orthobunyaviruses: Oya virus and Ebinur Lake virus

## TL;DR

The study evaluates how well different mosquito species can transmit two viruses, Oya virus and Ebinur Lake virus, finding that Culex pipiens pallens is a potential vector for Ebinur Lake virus.

## Contribution

The study identifies vector competence of Culex pipiens pallens for Ebinur Lake virus, highlighting its transmission risk.

## Key findings

- Cx. pipiens pallens had a high infection rate for Oya virus but low transmission risk.
- Cx. pipiens pallens and Cx. quinquefasciatus were susceptible to Ebinur Lake virus.
- Cx. pipiens pallens showed a transmission rate of 15.4% for Ebinur Lake virus.

## Abstract

Mosquito-borne viruses cause various infectious diseases in humans and animals. Oya virus (OYAV) and Ebinur Lake virus (EBIV), belonging to the genus Orthobunyavirus within the family Peribunyaviridae, are recognized as neglected viruses with the potential to pose threats to animal or public health. The evaluation of vector competence is essential for predicting the arbovirus transmission risk.

To investigate the range of mosquito vectors for OYAV (strain SZC50) and EBIV (strain Cu20-XJ), the susceptibility of four mosquito species (Culex pipiens pallens, Cx. quinquefasciatus, Aedes albopictus, and Ae. aegypti) was measured through artificial oral infection. Then, mosquito species with a high infection rate (IR) were chosen to further evaluate the dissemination rate (DR), transmission rate (TR), and transmission efficiency. The viral RNA in each mosquito sample was determined by RT-qPCR.

The results revealed that for OYAV, Cx. pipiens pallens had the highest IR (up to 40.0%) among the four species, but the DR and TR were 4.8% and 0.0%, respectively. For EBIV, Cx. pipiens pallens and Cx. quinquefasciatus had higher IR compared to Ae. albopictus (1.7%). However, the EBIV RNA and infectious virus were detected in Cx. pipiens pallens, with a TR of up to 15.4% and a transmission efficiency of 3.3%.

The findings indicate that Cx. pipiens pallens was susceptible to OYAV but had an extremely low risk of transmitting the virus. Culex pipiens pallens and Cx. quinquefasciatus were susceptible to EBIV, and Cx. pipiens pallens had a higher transmission risk to EBIV than Cx. quinquefasciatus.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13071-024-06295-5.