Transmission of endemic St Louis encephalitis virus strains by local Culex quinquefasciatus populations in Córdoba, Argentina

Background St Louis encephalitis virus (SLEV) is a re-emerging human pathogen widely distributed in the American continent. Although it is not fully understood, the SLEV transmission network may involve Culex quinquefasciatus mosquitoes as vectors and Columbidae species as hosts. Methods To calculate infection rates, we inoculated Cx. quinquefasciatus mosquitoes from Córdoba, Argentina by feeding them on viremic chicks. Results We observed differences in infection rate among the viral strains, the highest rate (78/87 mosquitoes, 90.8%) being seen in strain 78V-6507. After re-feeding on susceptible chicks, mosquitoes were able to transmit the virus. Conclusion Our findings suggest that Cx. quinquefasciatus populations are susceptible to and able to transmit different SLEV strains.