Uncovering the biological drivers of aedes aegypti vector competence - brackney & steven abstract: aedes aegypti mosquitoes are the primary vector for numerous arthropod-borne (arbo) viruses including…

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases awarded the Connecticut Agricultural Experimental Station $322,096 on February 5, 2026, under the Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research program (CFDA 93.855) to identify biological drivers of Aedes aegypti vector competence for dengue, Zika, chikungunya, and yellow fever viruses.

The research systematically evaluates the relative contributions of host genetics, viral genotype, and microbiome composition to vector competence variability in Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. Understanding how these factors influence infection is intended to support development of novel vector control interventions and standardize methodologies across vector competence studies. The work addresses gaps in current knowledge about quantitative traits mediating mosquito competency for arboviruses, which represent continued threats to public health globally despite limited therapeutics and vaccines.

Performance occurs in New Haven, Connecticut, with a period of performance from February 5, 2026, through January 31, 2028. This is a Project Grant, classified as assistance funding under the NIAID research program supporting biomedical research and research training in infectious diseases and related areas at public and private nonprofit institutions.

Uncovering the biological drivers of aedes aegypti vector competence - brackney & steven abstract: aedes aegypti mosquitoes are the primary vector for numerous arthropod-borne (arbo) viruses including dengue virus (denv; flaviviridae, flavivirus), zika virus (zikv; flaviviridae, flavivirus), chikungunya virus (chikv; togaviridae, alphavirus) and yellow fever virus (YFV; flaviviridae, flavivirus). These arboviruses present a continued threat to human health worldwide with therapeutics and vaccines remaining limited. Further, traditional mosquito control measures have failed to reduce human disease risk and thus, novel control strategies are urgently needed. Gaining a better understanding of the factors mediating AE. Aegypti competency for these viruses could lead to novel interventions targeting critical processes within the system. Vector competence is the ability of an arthropod vector to acquire a pathogen, permit replication, and ultimately transmit the pathogen to a new host. Aedes aegypti competency for denv is a quantitative trait influenced by many biotic and abiotic factors, yet the relative contribution that each biotic factor has on mediating infection is unknown. In this application, we are proposing to systematically test the relative contributions that host genetics, viral genotype, and microbiome composition have on vector competence variability. This is significant because understanding the influence that each of these factors has on conditioning infection will be essential to the development of novel interventions targeting critical processes within the system and allow for standardization across vector competence studies.