Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus commensal virome

Aedes aegypti, the yellow fever mosquito, and Aedes albopictus, the Asian tiger mosquito, are collectively the most significant vectors of dengue, Zika, and Chikungunya viruses globally within the tropical and subtropical zones. Studies examining host factors that control arbovirus transmission demonstrate that insect-specific viruses (ISVs) can modulate mosquitoes' susceptibility to arbovirus infection in both in vivo and in vitro co-infection models. While research is ongoing to implicate individual ISVs as proviral or antiviral factors, we have limited understanding of the composition and diversity of viruses associated with these mosquitoes. To address this gap, we used a meta-analysis approach to uncover virome diversity by analysing ~3000 available RNA-Seq libraries representing the worldwide geographic range for both mosquitoes. Our results indicate that mosquitoes harbour both previously characterised viruses and novel viruses in almost every wild-caught, laboratory colony, and cell line.