Influence of dengue virus serotypes on the abundance of
Aedes aegypti
insect-specific viruses (ISVs)
Authors: Gómez Marcela , Martínez David , Páez-Triana Luisa , Luna Nicolás , Ramírez Angie , Medina Julián , Cruz-Saavedra Lissa , Hernández Carolina , Castañeda Sergio , Bohórquez Melo Ramiro , Suarez Luis Alejandro , Palma-Cuero Mónica , Murcia Luz Mila , González Páez Leonel , Estrada Bustos Leonardo , Medina Manuel Alfonso , Ariza Campo Katiuska , Padilla Holmer David , Zamora Flórez Alexander , De las Salas Jorge Luis , Muñoz Marina , Ramírez Juan David 
Published: December 2023

A comprehensive understanding of the virome in mosquito vectors is crucial for assessing the potential transmission of viral agents, designing effective vector control strategies, and advancing our knowledge of insect-specific viruses (ISVs). In this study, we utilized Oxford Nanopore Technologies metagenomics to characterize the virome of
Aedes aegypti
mosquitoes collected in various regions of Colombia, a country hyperendemic for dengue virus (DENV). Analyses were conducted on groups of insects with previous natural DENV infection (DENV-1 and DENV-2 serotypes), as well as mosquito samples that tested negative for virus infection (DENV-negative). Our findings indicate that the
Ae. aegypti
virome exhibits a similar viral composition at the ISV family and species levels in both DENV-positive and DENV-negative samples across all study sites. However, differences were observed in the relative abundance of viral families such as Phenuiviridae, Partitiviridae, Flaviviridae, Rhabdoviridae, Picornaviridae, Bromoviridae, and Virgaviridae, depending on the serotype of DENV-1 and DENV-2. In addition, ISVs are frequently found in the core virome of
Ae. aegypti
, such as
Phasi Charoen-like phasivirus
(PCLV), which was the most prevalent and showed variable abundance in relation to the presence of specific DENV serotypes. Phylogenetic analyses of the L, M, and S segments of the PCLV genome are associated with sequences from different regions of the world but show close clustering with sequences from Brazil and Guadeloupe, indicating a shared evolutionary relationship. The profiling of the
Ae. aegypti
virome in Colombia presented here improves our understanding of viral diversity within mosquito vectors and provides information that opens the way to possible connections between ISVs and arboviruses. Future studies aimed at deepening our understanding of the mechanisms underlying the interactions between ISVs and DENV serotypes in
Ae. aegypti
could provide valuable information for the design of effective vector-borne viral disease control and prevention strategies.

IMPORTANCE

In this study, we employed a metagenomic approach to characterize the virome of
Aedes aegypti
mosquitoes, with and without natural DENV infection, in several regions of Colombia. Our findings indicate that the mosquito virome is predominantly composed of insect-specific viruses (ISVs) and that infection with different DENV serotypes (DENV-1 and DENV-2) could lead to alterations in the relative abundance of viral families and species constituting the core virome in
Aedes
spp. The study also sheds light on the identification of the genome and evolutionary relationships of the
Phasi Charoen-like phasivirus
in
Ae. aegypti
in Colombia, a widespread ISV in areas with high DENV incidence.