Vector competence of Aedes albopictus from Houston, Texas, for dengue serotypes 1 to 4, yellow fever and Ross River viruses.

A combination of virus infection and transmission experiments showed that a Houston, Texas strain of Aedes albopictus is a competent vector for dengue (DEN), yellow fever (YF) and Ross River (RR) viruses. However, at 14 days incubation, DEN virus infection rates in a Puerto Rican strain of Aedes aegypti were significantly higher for each of the four DEN serotypes, except DEN-1, than in Houston Ae. albopictus fed simultaneously on the same virus suspensions. The degree of correlation between disseminated DEN infection rates in Houston Ae. albopictus and transmission to an in vitro system ranged from 42 to 88% for the four DEN serotypes. No significant difference was noted in YF virus infection rates or transmission rates in the two mosquito species fed on the same virus suspensions and incubated for the same time period. Also, RR virus infection and transmission rates in Houston and Hawaiian strains of Ae. albopictus were generally comparable.