Increased threat of urban arboviral diseases from Aedes aegypti mosquitoes in Colombia

Objectives Our study targets the potential of the local urban mosquito Ae. aegypti to experimentally transmit CHIKV, DENV, YFV, and ZIKV. Methods We collected eggs and adults of Ae. aegypti in Medellin, Colombia (from February to March 2020) for mosquito experimental infections with dengue (DENV), chikungunya (CHIKV), yellow fever (YFV) and Zika virus (ZIKV) and viral detection using the BioMark Dynamic arrays system. Results We show that Ae. aegypti from Medellín was more prone to become infected, to disseminate and transmit CHIKV and ZIKV than DENV and YFV. Conclusion Thus, in Colombia, chikungunya is the most serious threat to public health based on our vector competence data.