Differential mortalities of dengue-infected Aedes aegypti: preliminary results

Two ecotypes of Aedes aegypti, Ae. ae. aegypti and Ae. ae. formosus, were experimentally infected with a dengue 2 virus to test (1) the inheritance of susceptibility, and (2) the impact of infection on survival and reproduction. Ae. ae. aegypti, the main vector involved in dengue epidemics, displayed higher mortalities than Ae. ae. formosus, the ancestral form, which is a forest-dwelling, less anthropophilic species confined to Africa. Differential mortalities were observed between females with disseminated infection and females without disseminated infection. Ae. ae. formosus females with disseminated infection showed an increase in survival rate and reproduction success. These results are discussed in the light of changes in resource allocation that may occur in infected females.