Second Mosquito Species Identified As Carrying Zika Common In California
There isn't enough evidence to show that the culex mosquito can transfer the virus to humans, but the possibility remains. And that could be bad news for California, where it is much more common than the aedes mosquito.
Sacramento Bee:
California Household Mosquito Could Amplify Zika Virus Spread
A mosquito that’s common in California has become the latest identified carrier of the Zika virus, potentially multiplying the population of vectors capable of spreading the disease. Until last week, researchers believed the virus could only be spread by two types of aedes mosquito much rarer in California and the U.S. But new research by a UC Davis ecologist and a top Brazilian science institution pins the southern variety of the culex mosquito – known as the southern house mosquito – as a potential vector of the disease, which can only be transmitted when a mosquito bites an infected person and then bites someone else. (Caiola, 7/26)