Vector Competence of Australian Mosquitoes for Yellow Fever Virus

Andrew F. van den Hurk Public Health Virology, Communicable Diseases Unit, Forensic and Scientific Services, Queensland Health, Coopers Plains, Australia; Department of Pathology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas; Queensland Institute of Medical Research, Brisbane, Australia; School of Public Health, Tropical Medicine and Rehabilitation Sciences, James Cook University, Cairns, Australia; Tropical Population Health Network, Queensland Health, Cairns, Australia

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Kate McElroy Public Health Virology, Communicable Diseases Unit, Forensic and Scientific Services, Queensland Health, Coopers Plains, Australia; Department of Pathology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas; Queensland Institute of Medical Research, Brisbane, Australia; School of Public Health, Tropical Medicine and Rehabilitation Sciences, James Cook University, Cairns, Australia; Tropical Population Health Network, Queensland Health, Cairns, Australia

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Alyssa T. Pyke Public Health Virology, Communicable Diseases Unit, Forensic and Scientific Services, Queensland Health, Coopers Plains, Australia; Department of Pathology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas; Queensland Institute of Medical Research, Brisbane, Australia; School of Public Health, Tropical Medicine and Rehabilitation Sciences, James Cook University, Cairns, Australia; Tropical Population Health Network, Queensland Health, Cairns, Australia

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Charles E. McGee Public Health Virology, Communicable Diseases Unit, Forensic and Scientific Services, Queensland Health, Coopers Plains, Australia; Department of Pathology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas; Queensland Institute of Medical Research, Brisbane, Australia; School of Public Health, Tropical Medicine and Rehabilitation Sciences, James Cook University, Cairns, Australia; Tropical Population Health Network, Queensland Health, Cairns, Australia

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Sonja Hall-Mendelin Public Health Virology, Communicable Diseases Unit, Forensic and Scientific Services, Queensland Health, Coopers Plains, Australia; Department of Pathology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas; Queensland Institute of Medical Research, Brisbane, Australia; School of Public Health, Tropical Medicine and Rehabilitation Sciences, James Cook University, Cairns, Australia; Tropical Population Health Network, Queensland Health, Cairns, Australia

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Andrew Day Public Health Virology, Communicable Diseases Unit, Forensic and Scientific Services, Queensland Health, Coopers Plains, Australia; Department of Pathology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas; Queensland Institute of Medical Research, Brisbane, Australia; School of Public Health, Tropical Medicine and Rehabilitation Sciences, James Cook University, Cairns, Australia; Tropical Population Health Network, Queensland Health, Cairns, Australia

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Peter A. Ryan Public Health Virology, Communicable Diseases Unit, Forensic and Scientific Services, Queensland Health, Coopers Plains, Australia; Department of Pathology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas; Queensland Institute of Medical Research, Brisbane, Australia; School of Public Health, Tropical Medicine and Rehabilitation Sciences, James Cook University, Cairns, Australia; Tropical Population Health Network, Queensland Health, Cairns, Australia

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Scott A. Ritchie Public Health Virology, Communicable Diseases Unit, Forensic and Scientific Services, Queensland Health, Coopers Plains, Australia; Department of Pathology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas; Queensland Institute of Medical Research, Brisbane, Australia; School of Public Health, Tropical Medicine and Rehabilitation Sciences, James Cook University, Cairns, Australia; Tropical Population Health Network, Queensland Health, Cairns, Australia

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Dana L. Vanlandingham Public Health Virology, Communicable Diseases Unit, Forensic and Scientific Services, Queensland Health, Coopers Plains, Australia; Department of Pathology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas; Queensland Institute of Medical Research, Brisbane, Australia; School of Public Health, Tropical Medicine and Rehabilitation Sciences, James Cook University, Cairns, Australia; Tropical Population Health Network, Queensland Health, Cairns, Australia

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Stephen Higgs Public Health Virology, Communicable Diseases Unit, Forensic and Scientific Services, Queensland Health, Coopers Plains, Australia; Department of Pathology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas; Queensland Institute of Medical Research, Brisbane, Australia; School of Public Health, Tropical Medicine and Rehabilitation Sciences, James Cook University, Cairns, Australia; Tropical Population Health Network, Queensland Health, Cairns, Australia

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The vector competence of Australian mosquitoes for yellow fever virus (YFV) was evaluated. Infection and transmission rates in Cairns and Townsville populations of Aedes aegypti and a Brisbane strain of Ae. notoscriptus were not significantly different from a well-characterized YFV-susceptible strain of Ae. aegypti. After exposure to 107.2 tissue culture infectious dose (TCID50)/mL of an African strain of YFV, > 70% of Ae. aegypti and Ae. notoscriptus became infected, and > 50% transmitted the virus. When exposed to 106.7 TCID50/mL of a South American strain of YFV, the highest infection (64%) and transmission (56%) rates were observed in Ae. notoscriptus. The infection and transmission rates in the Cairns Ae. aegypti were both 24%, and they were 36% and 28%, respectively, for the Townsville population. Because competent vectors are present, the limited number of travelers from endemic areas and strict vaccination requirements will influence whether YFV transmission occurs in Australia.

Author Notes

*Address correspondence to Andrew F. van den Hurk, Public Health Virology, Communicable Diseases Unit, Queensland Health Forensic and Scientific Services, 39 Kessels Rd., Coopers Plains, Queensland, Australia 4108. E-mail: andrew_hurk@health.qld.gov.au

Financial support: Andrew van den Hurk was supported by a Queensland International Fellowship. Both Jing Huang and Nicole Hausser were supported by National Institutes of Health Grant UC7 AI070083. Charles McGee was supported by Centers for Disease Control Grant for Public Health Research Dissertation (R36) PAR07–231. Funding for this study was also provided by the Australian Biosecurity Cooperative Research Centre for Emerging Infectious Disease.

Authors' addresses: Andrew F. van den Hurk, Alyssa T. Pyke, Sonja Hall-Mendelin, and Andrew Day, Public Health Virology, Communicable Diseases Unit, Queensland Health Forensic and Scientific Services, Coopers Plains, Queensland, Australia, E-mails: andrew_hurk@health.qld.gov.au, alyssa_pyke@health.qld.gov.au, sonja_hall-mendelin@health.qld.gov.au, and drew_day@health.qld.gov.au. Kate McElroy, Charles E. McGee, Dana L. Vanlandingham, and Stephen Higgs, Department of Pathology, University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB), Galveston, TX, E-mails: kmhorne@utmb.edu, cemcgee@email.unc.edu, dlvanlan@utmb.edu, and sthiggs@utmb.edu. Peter A. Ryan, School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, E-mail: peter.ryan@uq.edu.au. Scott A. Ritchie, School of Public Health, Tropical Medicine and Rehabilitative Services, James Cook University, Smithfield, Queensland, Australia, E-mail: scott.ritchie@jcu.edu.au.

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