Culex Flavivirus Isolation from Naturally Infected Mosquitoes Trapped at Rio de Janeiro City, Brazil

SIMPLE SUMMARY: The Flavivirus genus groups a wide range of species capable of infecting vertebrates and invertebrates, both terrestrial and aquatic. According to phylogenetic analyses, the flavivirus genomes cluster into three main branches; the first one containing viruses that infect vertebrates, also called arboviruses; the second called arbovirus-affiliated insect-specific flaviviruses or dual-host insect-specific flaviviruses (dISF), that preserve genomic similarity with arboviruses, but its replication is apparently restricted to invertebrates and insect-specific classical flaviviruses (ISF), with infection restricted to invertebrates. Culex Flavivirus (CxFV) is a classical insect-specific virus, which has aroused interest after the first indication that it can produce in nature superinfection exclusion of viruses of medical interest such as West Nile. Despite the detection of CxFV in different regions, CxFV ecology and the influence of co-circulation of arboviruses remains poorly understood. Therefore, our primary goals are to observe the occurrence of CxFV infection in mosquitoes trapped in an urban area of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, characterize the virus circulation, and provide isolates. A prospective study was carried out for eight months on the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro campus trapping adult mosquitoes. The CxFV minimum infection rates were determined in this period, and the virus isolation process is fully described. Samples from this study were grouped into genotype 2, along with CxFV sequences from Latin America and Africa. ABSTRACT: Culex Flavivirus (CxFV) is a classical insect-specific virus, which has aroused interest after the first indication that it can produce in nature superinfection exclusion of viruses of medical interest such as West Nile. Despite the detection of CxFV in different regions, CxFV ecology and the influence of co-circulation of arboviruses remains poorly understood. Therefore, our primary goals are to observe the occurrence of CxFV infection in mosquitoes trapped in an urban area of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, characterize the virus circulating, and provide isolates. A prospective study was carried out for eight months on the campus of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, trapping adult mosquitoes. The CxFV minimum infection rates were determined in this period, and the virus isolation process is fully described. Samples from this study were grouped into genotype 2, along with CxFV sequences from Latin America and Africa.