Rapid Evolution of Enhanced Zika Virus Virulence during Direct Vertebrate Transmission Chains
Kasen K. Riemersma, Anna S. Jaeger, Chelsea M. Crooks, Katarina M. Braun, James Weger‐Lucarelli, Gregory D. Ebel, Thomas C. Friedrich, Matthew T. Aliota
Abstract
We used experimental evolution to model chains of direct and indirect Zika virus (ZIKV) transmission by serially passaging a synthetic swarm of molecularly barcoded ZIKV within and between mosquitoes and mice. We observed that direct mouse transmission chains facilitated a rapid increase in ZIKV replication and enhanced virulence in mice. These findings demonstrate that ZIKV is capable of rapid adaptation to a vertebrate host and indicate that direct human-to-human transmission could pose a greater threat to public health than currently realized.
Topics & Concepts
Zika virusBiologyVirulenceTransmission (telecommunications)VirologyVertebrateAdaptation (eye)Sexual transmissionHost (biology)VirusHorizontal transmissionGeneticsGeneHuman immunodeficiency virus (HIV)NeuroscienceElectrical engineeringEngineeringMicrobicideMosquito-borne diseases and controlViral Infections and VectorsInsect symbiosis and bacterial influences