Zika, Dengue, Chikungunya Viruses In One Mosquito Bite?

Scientists have informed many people across the globe that a certain species of mosquito, Aedes aegypti, carries some of the world's most feared diseases today -- Zika, Chikungunya and dengue. New findings presented at the 2016 annual meeting of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (ASTMH) in Atlanta show that these vectors can, in fact, carry and transmit all three dreaded viruses in one single bite.

Previous studies have shown that the Aedes mosquitoes can transmit dengue and Chikungunya viruses simultaneously. Now, the scientists at Colorado State University (CSU) have found based on a recent study that the mosquitoes can transmit Zika and Chikungunya viruses at the same time. They also found that the mosquitoes can secrete high enough levels of both viruses in their saliva to possibly infect people with both viruses in a single bite.

The scientists from CSU have long been studying the mosquito species and the related viruses they carry. In fact, they are now investigating the possibility that the three mosquito-borne viruses could be transmitted all at once. They have included a new study by researchers in Brazil who documented that in addition to Zika, the two other viruses -- dengue and Chikungunya -- can cause a wide spectrum of neurological problems.

To land to their findings, the scientists conducted a contained experiment where they allowed mosquitoes to feed on blood that contained all three viruses, either alone or in combination. Their findings show that the mosquitoes can actually carry and transmit Zika and Chikungunya viruses concurrently.

"Their saliva is clearly testing positive for both, which could mean that people bitten by this type of mosquito could be infected by both viruses at once," said Claudia Rückert, Ph.D., in a news release by the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (ASTMH).

"We need to understand more about what happens in both mosquitoes and people when all of these viruses are circulating in close proximity," he added.

Many scientists believe that this new study could help shed light on the true threat these mosquito-borne illnesses bring to the public.