Find in Library

Snowshoe hare virus (SSHV) is a zoonotic arthropod-borne virus (arbovirus) circulating in colder areas of the Northern Hemisphere. SSHV is maintained in an enzootic cycle between small mammals and mosquitoes, assumably of the genera <i>Aedes</i> and <i>Culiseta</i>. Symptoms of SSHV human infection can range from asymptomatic to severe neuroinvasive disease. Studies on SSHV transmission are limited, and there is no information available on whether mosquitoes of the genus <i>Culex</i> are able to transmit SSHV. Therefore, we investigated six mosquito species via salivation assay for their vector competence. We demonstrated that SSHV can be transmitted by the abundant European <i>Culex</i> species <i>Cx. pipiens</i> biotype pipiens, <i>Cx. pipiens</i> biotype molestus, and <i>Cx. torrentium</i> with low transmission efficiency between 3.33% and 6.67%. Additionally, the invasive species <i>Ae. albopictus</i> can also transmit SSHV with a low transmission efficiency of 3.33%. Our results suggest that local transmission of SSHV after introduction to Europe seems to be possible from a vector perspective.