Susceptibility of urban and rural populations of Aedes albopictus from Sao Paulo State, Brazil, to infection by dengue-1 and -2 viruses

In Brazil, dengue viruses (DENV) are transmitted by Aedes aegypti (L.). However, the recent introduction of Aedes albopictus (Skuse) has caused concern, because some populations of this species also are capable of DENV transmission. Ae. albopictus from rural and urban localities of Sao Paulo State, Brazil, were artificially exposed to infection with DENV-1 and -2 to evaluate their susceptibility. The rates of infection (6.2 and 5.7% for DENV-1; 5.3 and 12% for DENV-2) and dissemination (22.2 and 40% for DENV-1; 0 and 20% for DENV-2) were low in both urban and rural populations, with no significant differences detected between these mosquito populations.