Fig. 5

Vector susceptibility of Ae. albopictus orally infected with DENV-2 in monoinfected or superinfected adult females. A Diagram of the workflow used for detection of DENV-2 in different tissues of Ae. albopictus. The midguts, ovaries, and salivary glands of mosquitoes in monoinfected or superinfected were dissected at 0, 5, 10, and 15 days post infection and detected by PCR. B Schematic representation of the events that occur following ingestion of DENV-2-infected blood meal to subsequent transmission. The virus infects midgut epithelial cells by crossing the midgut infection barrier; the virus then disseminates to all organs, including the ovary and salivary glands. Infection of salivary glands is established by crossing the salivary gland infection barrier (SGIBs). Midgut infection rate (MIR) = the number of infected midguts/the number of tested midguts. Dissemination rate (DR) = the number of infected ovaries/the number of infected positive midguts. Salivary gland infection rate (SGIR) = the number of infected salivary glands/the total number of tested mosquitoes. C DENV-2 MIR in monoinfected or superinfected mosquitoes. D DENV-2 DR in monoinfected or superinfected mosquitoes. E DENV-2 SGIR in monoinfected or superinfected mosquitoes. Results are from three independent experiments (n = 29–30 per group), and error bars indicate the standard deviation