RiftVectors: Vector competence of European mosquitoes to Rift Valley fever virus

裂谷热病毒是一种虫媒病毒，容易通过包括伊蚊和库蚊在内的几种蚊子属传播，宿主范围很大。最近裂谷热病毒地理范围的扩大清楚地表明，裂谷热病毒并不局限于非洲。有人提出，一个受感染的人或动物进入一个未受感染的国家就足以引发疫情。由于全球贸易和旅行的扩大，这种传播情况越来越有可能发生。emida项目“裂谷病媒”的目标是了解天然裂谷热病毒病媒及其在欧洲的对应体的生物学特性，作为评估即将在欧洲建立的裂谷热病毒风险的指标。在这个Emida项目中，我们将进一步分析和开发新的方法来区分媒介和潜在媒介物种，并分析它们是否可以传播裂谷热病毒-特别是可能传播裂谷热病毒的欧洲蚊子。我们还将分析蚊子载体的免疫系统如何控制裂谷热病毒感染，以及这与蚊子是否可以传播裂谷热病毒或是否可以发现新的抗病毒靶点之间的关系。有趣的是，昆虫的内共生沃尔巴克氏菌现在被广泛应用于基于共生的虫媒病毒控制策略。我们将分析沃尔巴克氏体对蚊子传播裂谷热病毒能力的影响，以及这是否可以作为一种控制该病毒的策略。我们的国际合作伙伴联盟拥有解决裂谷热病毒病媒方面这些问题的专业知识。我们期望我们的结果将改进对何时以及哪种蚊子可以传播裂谷热病毒的评估，并且我们的目标是确定控制裂谷热病毒出现的新方法。

RVFV is an arbovirus readily transmitted through several mosquito genera including Aedes and Culexmosquito vectors, and has a large host range. The recent expansion of the geographical range of RVFVclearly indicates that RVFV is not restricted to Africa. It has been proposed that a single infected personor animal that enters a naive country is sufficient to initiate an outbreak. This transmission scenario isbecoming more probable due to the expansion of worldwide trade and travel. The objectives of thisEmida project, RiftVectors, will be to understand the biology of natural RVFV vectors and their counterparts inEurope as an indicator for assessing the risk of RVFV to be established in Europe.Within this Emida project, we will further analyze, and develop new methods to distinguish vector and potential vector species, and analyze whether they can transmit RVFV- especially european mosquitoes which may be able to transmit RVFV. We will also analyze how the immune system of mosquito vectors can control RVFV infection, and how this relates to whether mosquitoes can transmit RVFV or whether novel antiviral targets can be discovered. Interestingy, endosymbiotic Wolbachia bacteria of insects now are widely used in symbiosis-based control strategies against arboviruses. We will analyze what the effect of Wolbachia on the vector competence of mosquitoes to RVFV will be, and if this could be used as a control strategy against this virus.Our international consortium of partners has the expertise to tackle these questions on thevectors of RVFV. We expect that our results will improve assessments of when and whichmosquito species could spread RVFV, and we aim to identify novel ways of controllingRVFV emergence.