Studies on the biology of phleboviruses in sand flies (Diptera: Psychodidae). I. Experimental infection of the vector

This paper describes a series of experiments which were done to determine the behavior of 14 different phleboviruses in laboratory-reared sand flies (Phlebotomus papatasi, P. perniciosus and Lutzomyia longipalpis) after oral and parenteral infection. Most of the viruses replicated in the sand flies after intrathoracic inoculation; however, the insects were quite refractory to oral infection. Six of 11 phleboviruses tested were transovarially transmitted in one or more sand fly species. The percentage of infected F₁ offspring produced by parenterally infected female parents ranged from 1.5-60%, depending on the virus type used. These data support the hypothesis that some of the phleboviruses are maintained in sand flies by transovarial transmission.