Credit: UF/IFAS
“These results are important because they are the first to show that Aedes albopictus (shown here) can be infected with Zika virus RNA,” said Chelsea Smartt, a faculty member at the UF/IFAS Florida Medical Entomology Laboratory in Vero Beach, Florida. “Also, this study found Zika virus RNA in male mosquitoes, which we can infer also means the Zika virus RNA came from the mother. We need to determine if live Zika virus can also be transmitted in Aedes albopictus.”