Natural vertical transmission of dengue virus in Latin America and the Caribbean: highlighting its detection limitations and potential significance

Dengue continues to be a major public health concern in Latin America and the Caribbean with many countries in the region having experienced drastic increases in the incidence of dengue over the past few years. Dengue virus is predominantly transmitted by the bite of an infected female Aedes aegypti mosquito via a process called horizontal transmission. However, the virus may also be transmitted from an infected female mosquito to her offspring by vertical transmission, which occurs via viral invasion of the ovary either at the time of fertilization or during oviposition. In this way, mosquitoes may become dengue virus infected before ever encountering a human host. While some researchers have reported this phenomenon and suggested it may serve as a reservoir for the dengue virus in nature, others have questioned its epidemiological significance because of the low frequency at which it has been observed. Several researchers have either altogether failed to detect it or observed its occurrence at low frequencies. However, some studies have attributed these failures to small sample sizes as well as poor sensitivities of screening methods employed. Therefore, an overview of the occurrence, significance and limitations of detection of vertical transmission of dengue virus in Aedes mosquitoes in nature within Latin America and the Caribbean will be the focus of this review.