April 17, 2017
Researchers at the University of Florida have found traces of the Zika virus in a second type of mosquito, the Asian tiger mosquito, which is far more common in the United States than the yellow fever mosquito, which is the widely associated Zika virus transmitter.
According to the research, set to be published this week in the Entomological Society of America's Journal of Medical Entomology, fragments of Zika virus RNA were found in lab-hatched Asian tiger mosquitoes (Aedes albopictus) that were collected in Brazil and transported to the Florida lab.
The fact that the hatched mosquitoes exhibit signs of the virus suggests that the Asian tiger mosquito could be a carrier of the disease and pass the virus to its offspring.
It is currently unknown whether the Asian tiger mosquito, like the yellow fever mosquito, can transmit Zika to humans. The study notes that more research will need to be done.
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