Quantifying the acquisition and retention of lumpy skin disease virus by haematophagus insects and the implications for transmission and control.

Sanz-Bernardo, B.; Haga, I. R.; Wijesiriwardana, N.; Basu, S.; Larner, W.; Diaz, A. V.; Langlands, Z.; Denison, E.; Stoner, J.; White, M.; Sanders, C.; Hawes, P. C.; Wilson, A. J.; Atkinson, J.; Batten, C.; Alphey, L.; Darpel, K. E.; Gubbins, S.; Beard, P. M.

doi:10.1101/2020.06.18.154252

bioRxiv · 10.1101/2020.06.18.154252

Quantifying the acquisition and retention of lumpy skin disease virus by haematophagus insects and the implications for transmission and control.

Sanz-Bernardo, B.·Haga, I. R.·Wijesiriwardana, N.·Basu, S.·Larner, W.·Diaz, A. V.·Langlands, Z.·Denison, E.·Stoner, J.·White, M.·Sanders, C.·Hawes, P. C.·Wilson, A. J.·Atkinson, J.·Batten, C.·Alphey, L.·Darpel, K. E.·Gubbins, S.·Beard, P. M.

View original source ↗Export metadata ↓

Abstract

Lumpy skin disease virus (LSDV), a poxvirus that causes severe disease in cattle, has in the last few years rapidly extended its distribution from Africa and the Middle East into Europe, Russia, and across Asia. LSDV is believed to be primarily spread mechanically by blood-feeding arthropods, however the exact mode of arthropod transmission, the relative ability of different arthropod species to acquire and retain the virus, as well as their comparative importance for LSDV transmission, remain poorly characterised. Since the vector-borne nature of LSDV transmission is believed to have enabled the rapid geographic expansion of this virus, the lack of quantitative evidence on LSDV transmission has impeded effective control of the disease during the current epidemic. Obtaining high quality data on virus transmission by arthropods is challenging, and practical limitations often result in inadequate arthropod numbers or model hosts, limiting the transferability of experimental findings to the natural transmission scenario. We have addressed these limitations in this study. Using a highly representative bovine experimental model of lumpy skin disease we allowed four representative vector species (Aedes aegypti, Culex quinquefasciatus, Stomoxys calcitrans and Culicoides nubeculosus) to blood-feed on LSDV-inoculated cattle in order to examine the acquisition and retention of LSDV by these species in unprecedented detail. We found the probability of LSDV transmission from clinical cattle to vector correlated with disease severity. Subclinical disease was more common than clinical disease in the inoculated cattle, however the probability of vectors acquiring LSDV from subclinical animals was very low. All four potential vector species studied had a similar rate of acquisition of LSDV after feeding on the host, but Aedes aegypti and Stomoxys calcitrans retained the virus for a longer time, up to 8 days. There was no evidence of virus replication in the vector, consistent with mechanical rather than biological transmission. The parameters obtained in the in-vivo transmission experiments subsequently enabled enhanced modelling approaches to determine the basic reproduction number of LSDV in cattle mediated by each of the insect species. This was highest for Stomoxys calcitrans (19.1), C. nubeculosus (7.4), and Ae. aegypti (2.4), surprisingly indicating these three species are all potentially efficient transmitters of LSDV. These results reveal that currently applied LSDV control measures such as stamping out of all cattle on affected premises or insect control measures targeting single species need to be urgently reconsidered. Overall our studies have highlighted that the combination of highly relevant in-vivo experiments and mathematical modelling can be directly applied to devise evidence-based proportionate and targeted control programmes.

Source connections

Published article ↗

Explore related subjects

microbiology Preprint

Keep this discovery

Explore connections, maps & timelines

BibTeX RIS

Sanz-Bernardo, B., Haga, I. R., Wijesiriwardana, N., Basu, S., Larner, W., Diaz, A. V., Langlands, Z., Denison, E., Stoner, J., White, M., Sanders, C., Hawes, P. C., Wilson, A. J., Atkinson, J., Batten, C., Alphey, L., Darpel, K. E., Gubbins, S., Beard, P. M.. 2020-06-18. Quantifying the acquisition and retention of lumpy skin disease virus by haematophagus insects and the implications for transmission and control.. https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.06.18.154252

Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.

KEEP EXPLORING

Related preprints

bioRxiv2026

A conserved cysteine-histidine-glutamate metal site identifies DUF501 (Rv1025), an essential uncharacterised protein family of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, as a candidate metalloenzyme and drug target

A substantial fraction of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis proteome remains functionally uncharacterised. Rv1025, a 155-residue protein carrying the domain of unknown function DUF501 (Pfam PF04417), is essential by transposon mutagenesis and vulnerable by CRISPR interference, an attractive but neglected drug target, yet has never been functionally described. The family (4,370 proteins, no Gene Ontology term, no solved structure) is uncharacterised across all organisms and essential in three Actinobacterial genera. A Foldseek search of the AlphaFold model against complete structural databases finds no significant homolog, indicating a novel fold. The operon eno-divIC-Rv1025-ppx2 is conserved across the Actinobacteria phylum, yet AlphaFold-Multimer finds no direct complex between Rv1025 and its neighbour DivIC. Instead, conservation across 8,700 homologous sequences reveals a near-invariant Cys113-His115-Glu59 cluster forming a pocket. Holo AlphaFold3 predictions with Zn, Fe and Mn confidently place a divalent metal on this triad at 2.25-2.47 A; mutating the triad relocates the metal, and an independent backbone-geometry predictor recovers the same site, confirming specificity. The triad is universal across the family: present in all 1,472 near-complete bacterial sequences of the Pfam alignment, with no non-conservative substitution among the 2,228 sequences examined, a defining feature of bacterial DUF501 rather than a mycobacterial peculiarity. We propose that DUF501 is a metal-binding protein and candidate metalloenzyme, the first functional hypothesis for this family, whose conserved, essential metal pocket is a promising drug target. As the predictions build on a conservation-defined site within a fully computational study, they are supportive rather than proof of metal occupancy and warrant experimental validation.

microbiology↗

bioRxiv2026

Mycoplasmal endosymbionts of Trichomonas vaginalis are associated with reduced risk for Chlamydia trachomatis endometrial infection in asymptomatic, coinfected, women.

Trichomonas vaginalis is a protozoan parasite that causes trichomoniasis, the most common curable non-viral sexually transmitted infection, and Chlamydia trachomatis is a bacterial pathogen that can ascend to the upper genital tract and cause pelvic inflammatory disease, infertility, and ectopic pregnancy. T. vaginalis harbors bacterial endosymbionts, including Candidatus Malacoplasma girerdii, an obligate symbiont, and Metamycoplasma hominis, which can live freely or symbiotically. In a 16S rRNA sequencing study of the cervicovaginal microbiome of women at high risk for chlamydial infection, Ca. M. girerdii abundance was one of 13 features predicting lack of chlamydial spread to the endometrium, despite no direct association between T. vaginalis infection and reduced chlamydial ascension. Investigating the relationship between these microorganisms further, we found that T. vaginalis vaginal abundance correlated positively with chlamydial burden in women whose infection was confined to the cervix, while a nonsignificant inverse relationship was seen in women with endometrial spread. Among participants with high chlamydial burden, Ca. M. girerdii was detected exclusively in women without endometrial infection. Both endosymbionts trended toward more frequent detection, and higher abundance, in coinfected women without endometrial spread, while M. hominis abundance correlated strongly with T. vaginalis burden in this group. These findings suggest that mycoplasmal endosymbionts of T. vaginalis, rather than T. vaginalis itself, are microbial factors limiting chlamydial ascension, and point to a three-way interaction between parasite, endosymbiont, and bacterial pathogen that shapes upper genital tract C. trachomatis infection risk.

microbiology↗

bioRxiv2026

Understanding the physiological alterations of Vibrio cholerae upon exposure to L-ascorbic acid

The scourge of cholera remains a major global public health threat. It affects up to 4 million people worldwide and causes tens of thousands of deaths each year. The disease is experiencing a concerning resurgence in many parts of Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. To effectively tackle cholera and circumvent rising antimicrobial resistance, targeted biological and preventive approaches, complementing traditional rehydration, are urgently needed. In this regard, our group has demonstrated the efficacy of L-ascorbic acid in controlling the growth and pathogenesis of Vibrio cholerae in vitro. The present work further provides a mechanistic elucidation of the L-ascorbic acid-mediated physiological changes in V. cholerae and also bolsters such a non-antibiotic approach to control cholera.

microbiology↗