The vector competence of mosquitoes depends on the virus' ability to cross several physical barriers and antiviral responses within the mosquito:
- Midgut infection barrier
- Midgut escape barrier
- Salivary gland infection barrier
- Salivary gland escape barrier
- RNA interference

Mosquito Vector Competence

When a mosquito is taking a blood meal, it is possible to also ingest an arbovirus from an infected individual. The virus travels through the feeding tube, infects the midgut epithelium, and replicates in the midgut before entering the basal lamina and disseminate throughout the body. Then, the virus is able to infect the salivary gland, where it can be released into the saliva and infect the next host when the mosquito is taking another blood meal.

Mosquito Blood Feeding Mechanism 

The vectorial capacity of mosquitoes is mostly influenced by these variables:
- extrinsic incubation period
- probability of mosquito daily survival
- probability of a host being fed upon

Mosquito Vectorial Capacity

Mosquitoes are one of the most important vectors of arboviruses. Common viruses transmitted by mosquitoes: dengue, zika, yellow fever, chikungunya, and many others. 

University of California, Davis

Common arthropods that are vectors are:
- Mosquitoes
- Ticks
- Sandflies
- Black flies
- Tsetse flies
- Lice
- Fleas
- Aquatic snails
- Triatome bugs

Arthropods in Vector Borne Diseases

Arboviruses are viruses continuously spread in nature through biological transmission  from arthropods to humans and animals. 

Vector borne viral diseases (Arboviruses) 

Rückert, Claudia, and Gregory D Ebel. “How Do Virus-Mosquito Interactions Lead to Viral Emergence?” Trends in Parasitology, U.S. National Library of Medicine, Apr. 2018, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29305089. 

How do virus-mosquito interactions lead to viral emergence?

Mosquitoes and Emerging Pathogens

- Dengue
- Zika
- Japanese Encephalitis
- West Nile
- Rift Valley Fever
- Chikungunya
- Yellow Fever

Arboviruses Causing Pregnancy Associated Infections

- Chikungunya
- Dengue
- Rift Valley fever
- Yellow Fever
- Zika
- Japanese encephalitis
- West Nile fever
- Sandfly fever (phlebotomus fever)
- Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever
- Tick-borne encephalitis

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