How do insect specific viruses affect the ability of the mosquito host to function as a competent vector for important human arboviruses? KU Leuven
West Nile Virus (WNV) and Usutu Virus (USUV) are two important emerging threats to human and animal health in Europe. Both viruses are primarily transmitted by mosquitoes of the Culex genus, including Culex pipiens, the most widespread mosquito in our continent. Little is known about the microbiome (virome and bacteriome) of these mosquitoes, and even less is known about how they might affect the vector competence of Culex mosquitoes for ...