A REVIEW OF THE WEST NILE VIRUS CLUSTER ANALYSIS AND VERTICAL

TRANSMISSION IN CILEX PIPIENS COMPLEX MOSQUITOES IN SACRAMENTO AND

YOLO COUNTIES IN CALIFORNIA OF 2011

Ethan Fechter-Leggett1, Brittany M. Nelms2, Christopher M. Barker2, and William K. Reisen2*
1Department of Medicine and Epidemiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of
California, Davis, CA 95616, U.S.A.
2 Center for Vectorborne Diseases, Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology,
School of Veterinary Medicine,
University of California, Davis, CA 95616, U.S.A., wkreisen@ucdavis.edu
Received 5 August 2012; Accepted 13 September 2012
ABSTRACT
The statewide surveillance system of California states that West Nile Virus is now endemic in
the state. The horizontal avian-mosquito transmission is an issue of the West Nile Virus (WNV)
spread very well known, but little is known of the of the effect of vertical transmission of the
virus under field settings. It is believed that the vertical transmission of the virus has a large
effect of the magnification of the virus during the summer months. This current study
recognized collections of mosquitoes infected with the West Nile virus located in both
Sacramento and Yolo counties in California during 2011 and tested field captured mosquitoes
and their off spring for the West Nile virus. This was done to estimate the frequency of vertical
transmission of the virus from and infected mosquito to their progeny. Space-time clustering
of WNV-positive Culex pipiens complex pools was detected in the northern Elk Grove area of
Sacramento County between July 18 and September 18, 2011 (5.22 km radius; p<0.001 and
RR=7.80). Vertical transmission by WNV-infected females to egg rafts was 50% and to larvae
was 40%. The estimated minimal filial infection rate from WNV-positive, ovipositing females
was 2.0 infected females/1,000. The potential contribution of vertical transmission to WNV
maintenance and amplification are discussed.
Journal of Vector Ecology 37 (2): 442-449. 2012.

INTRODUCTION
It is known that the West Nile Virus is transmitted horizontally between the ornithophilic Culex
mosquito and the perching birds, otherwise known as the passeriform birds, which
intermittently causes disease in both humans and horses. The West Nile virus attacked
California in 2003 and by the year 2004 is was found to be present in every county in the state.
This included the counties of Yolo and Sacramento both located in the northern part of the
state. The Sacramento-Yolo Mosquito and Vector Control District(SYMVDC) did surveillance on
mosquito borne viruses this was done by monitoring the large quantity of mosquitoes in the
area and the frequency of infection of the West Nile virus. They tracked the infection frequency
in varies ways. They kept an eye on case of reported West Nile virus infections of humans and
horses even going as far as testing dead bird for the West Nile virus.
Accurate identification of factors associated with high prevalence of WNV infection in
mosquitoes is integral to planning and implementing effective mosquito control
Strategies. (CDPH 2011).
Mosquitoes in the genus Culex are the primary WNV vectors (Turell et al. 2000), and several
of the Culex mosquitos have shown to be good laboratory vectors. Other mosquitoes were also
found to have good laboratory vectors as well in included both the Cx. pipiens and Cx.
quinquefasciatus (Turell et al. 2001, Goddard et al. 2002, Reisen et al. 2008), two members of
the Cx. pipiens complex that exhibit extensive hybridization in the Sacramento area
(Urbanelli et al. 1997). There are several virus beside West Nile virus that be vertically
transmitted from an infected female mosquito to its offspring. These viruses are called
flaviviruses. Dengue virus, Japanese encephalitis virus, yellow fever virus and St. Louis
encephalitis virus and some of them. Both St. Louis encephalitis virus and Japanese
encephalitis virus have both been found to be transmitted by Cx. pipiens complex mosquitos in
laboratory test. West Nile virus vertical transmission in the laboratory has been demonstrated
for several Culex species by virus recovery from the adult progeny of intrathoracically (IT)-
inoculated females (Baqar et al. 1993, Turell et al. 2001, Dohm et al. 2002, Goddard et al. 2003,
Reisen et al. 2006a), reared adult progeny from per os infected females (Reisen et al. 2006a,
Anderson et al. 2008, Anderson et al. 2012), and larval progeny from IT-inoculated
females (Baqar et al. 1993, Turell et al. 2001). Testing from the field for the vertical
transmission of the West Nile virus includes, virus isolation from wild-caught adult Culex males
(Miller et al. 2000, Anderson et al. 2006, Reisen et al. 2006a, Unlu et al. 2010), reared adult
progeny from field-collected, naturally-infected (Anderson and Main 2006, McAbee et al. 2008),
adult males and females reared from field-collected larvae (Reisen et al. 2006a, Unlu et al.
2010), and 3rd and 4th stage larvae (Phillips and Christensen 2006). It is not known what the
exact process is for the vertical transmission of the flavirvirus is but it is believed that the virus
is passed onto the egg during oviposition.
Due to the possibility that vertically infected mosquito does not have to feed to have the West
Nile Virus knowing this can help to help stop the spread of West Nile virus. It is theorized that
with this knowledge that they could support a population of West Nile virus infected
mosquitoes that can survive the winter months as non-blood fed inseminated females it would
start the process of enzootic transmission of West Nile Virus in the spring.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
The main reason for this study done by the Sacramento-Yolo Mosquito and Vector Control
District was to help the two counties have some sort of maintenance over West Nile virus issue.
The study was preformed to give the counties information formation to do just that. First a
space time cluster analysis was done, which used a Bernoulli model to make sure areas with
the highest occurrence of West Nile virus infected mosquitoes were found. They used this area
to test the vertical transmission effect of the transmission of the West Nile Virus. They did this
by placing females of the Cx. pipiens complex mosquitos in the area identified to have WVN
infected mosquitos and then testing females and larvae for the West Nile Virus.
RESULTS
Information from both parts of the study provided good information. The results of the space
time cluster analysis shows that during March 9 to November 2 of 2011 when the study carried
out. 90 of the various pool that were tested , came back positive for WVN. The vertical
transmission testing was done on specific dates which were, the 15
th
and 19
th
of August, the
14
th
of September and October 3
rd
of 2011. During the testing it was found that out of the 9
trap sites during varies times, Infected West Nile virus females were found and there eggs
tested at one test they tested 297 eggs and only found vertical transmission of WNV in 11.
DISCUSSION
It was wound that during the trapping at the chosen times that they collected during two of the
peak times with thwe West Nile virus was prevalent. It was also found that female caught after
the space time analysis were WVN negative.

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