Dengue virus detection by using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction in saliva and progeny of experimentally infected Aedes albopictus from Brazil

Oral susceptibility and vertical transmission of dengue virus type 2 (DENV-2) in an Aedes albopictus sample from Rio de Janeiro was estimated. The infection (36 7916) and transmission (83.3 %) rates for Ae. albopictus Were higher than those of an Ae. aegypti colony used as control, 32.8 and 60 %, respectively. Fourth instar larvae and females descendants of 48.5 and 39.1 % of experimentally infected Ae. albopictus; showed to harbor the virus. The oral susceptibility and the high capacity to assure vertical transmission exhibited by Ae. albopictus from Brazil reinforce that this species may play a role in the maintenance of the virus in nature and be a threat for dengue control in the country.