The mosquito core virome: beyond the buzz

Mosquito-specific viruses (MSVs), and mosquito viromes in general, have been a hot topic in research for the past few years. The general belief is that MSVs could have an influence on the vector competence of mosquitoes and thereby reduce the burden of disease of arboviruses. This idea is strengthened by studies that have shown an influence of MSVs on arbovirus infection in mosquitoes [ 1. Baidaliuk A. et al. Cell-fusing agent virus reduces arbovirus dissemination in Aedes aegypti mosquitoes in vivo. J. Virol. 2019; 93JVI.00705-19 Crossref PubMed Scopus (60) Google Scholar , 2. Shi C. et al. Bidirectional interactions between arboviruses and the bacterial and viral microbiota in Aedes aegypti and Culex quinquefasciatus. mBio. 2022; 13e0102122 Crossref Scopus (7) Google Scholar , 3. Olmo R.P. et al. Mosquito vector competence for dengue is modulated by insect-specific viruses. Nat. Microbiol. 2023; 8: 135-149 Crossref PubMed Scopus (20) Google Scholar ], and additionally by the recent success of release programs involving Aedes aegypti infected with the endobacterium Wolbachia, which result in a reduction of dengue cases up to 97% [ 4. Utarini A. et al. Efficacy of Wolbachia-infected mosquito deployments for the control of dengue. N. Engl. J. Med. 2021; 384: 2177-2186 Crossref PubMed Scopus (192) Google Scholar , 5. Lenharo M. Dengue rates drop after release of modified mosquitoes in Colombia. Nature. 2023; 623: 235-236 Crossref PubMed Scopus (0) Google Scholar ]. Koh and Saleh [ 6. Koh C. Saleh M.-C. Translating mosquito viromes into vector management strategies. Trends Parasitol. 2023; 40: 10-20 Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (0) Google Scholar ] nicely describe the history of MSVs and their discovery and provide guidelines for further research to eventually translate mainly sequence-based knowledge into effective vector management strategies. While we wholeheartedly agree with many points in their article, in this letter we would like to comment on their reference to the ‘mosquito core virome’ concept. Translating mosquito viromes into vector management strategiesKoh et al.Trends in ParasitologyDecember 7, 2023In BriefMosquitoes are best known for transmitting human and animal viruses. However, they also harbour mosquito-specific viruses (MSVs) as part of their microbiota. These are a group of viruses whose diversity and prevalence overshadow their medically relevant counterparts. Although metagenomics sequencing has remarkably accelerated the discovery of these viruses, what we know about them is often limited to sequence information, leaving much of their fundamental biology to be explored. Understanding the biology and ecology of MSVs can enlighten our knowledge of virus–virus interactions and lead to new innovations in the management of mosquito-borne viral diseases. We retrace the history of their discovery and discuss research milestones that would line the path from mosquito virome knowledge to vector management strategies. Full-Text PDF