Chikungunya virus fidelity variant population diversity in Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. Chikungunya virus strain:06-049

Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is an emergent mosquito-borne virus that has caused explosive epidemics over the past two decades. The goals of the study are: 1) to determine vector competence of Aedes aegypti from Los Angeles, California for CHIKV, 2) to assess the effect of enhanced intra-vector CHIKV population diversity on infectivity and transmissibility in Aedes aegypti, and 3) to characterize the evolutionary pressures and constraints on CHIKV in Aedes aegypti. The results of the study will inform public health risk assessments for potential CHIKV introduction in southern California and advance our understanding of the role of mosquitoes in CHIKV evolution.