Vector competence of five common mosquito species in the People's Republic of China for Western equine encephalitis virus.

Two strains of the Western equine encephalitis virus (WEEV) were first detected and isolated in China in 2001. The maintenance and transmission cycles of WEEV in China are currently not well understood, and the mosquito vectors involved in these cycles are unknown. To understand the ability of the local mosquitoes in China to transmit WEEV, the vector competence of five mosquito species, namely, Culex pipiens pallens Coquillett, Cx. p. quinquefasciatus Say, Aedes (Stegomyia) albopictus Skuse, Ae. (Stegomyia) aegypti Linnaeus, and C. tritaeniorhynchus Giles, for WEEV were evaluated. Infection rates for Cx. p. pallens, Cx. p. quinquefasciatus, Cx. tritaeniorhynchus, Ae. Albopictus, and Ae. aegypti were 46%, 60%, 80%, 37%, and 25%, respectively. Dissemination rates for the same species were 60%, 61%, 75%, 55%, and 50%, respectively. Transmission rates were 41%, 53%, 57%, and 45% for Cx. p. pallens, Cx. p. quinquefasciatus, Ae. Albopictus, and Ae. Aegypti, respectively. Infection rates were significantly different between species, but the difference between dissemination and transmission rates were nonsignificant. These results suggest that several local mosquito species in China are competent laboratory vectors for WEEV.