Kelvin Nana Kwaw Ansah | 2025 I.S. Symposium

Name: Kelvin Nana Kwaw Ansah
Title: Investigating the Transmission Route of Aedes japonicus Narnavirus in the Aedes japonicus japonicus Subspecies
Major: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Advisors: Ferdinand Nanfack Minkeu; Stephanie Strand

Aedes japonicus narnavirus (AJNV) is an insect-specific virus that belongs to the Narnaviridae family. Insect-specific viruses (ISVs) are characterized by their inability to infect and reproduce in vertebrates. In recent years, despite ISVs having little to no impact on the human population, the metagenomic analysis of insect viruses has increased. This trend is attributed to several studies demonstrating the potential of ISVs for controlling mosquito populations and arboviruses, similar to insecticides. However, significant steps must be completed before ISVs can fulfill such a role. These steps include identifying the transmission mode, quantification, and genome organization of ISVs. This project aims to characterize the transmission, dissemination, and genome organization of AJNV in Aedes japonicus mosquitoes. Mosquitoes were collected using gravid traps, followed by molecular and in-silico analyses of AJNV, including RT-PCR, qPCR, Sanger sequencing, and blast analysis. The results showed that AJNV was present in both adult and larval mosquitoes in RNA form. AJNV had disseminated into the mosquito’s head, abdomen, eggs, legs, and wings, but not in sperm. The quantification of AJNV revealed a prevalence of 98% in adults and 100% in larvae, and its genome is ambigrammatic. What excites me about this project is its potential as the starting point for further development of tools to help control mosquito populations and control the transmission of dangerous arboviruses. The next steps would involve investigating the effects of AJNV on the host mosquito transcriptome.

Posted in Symposium 2025 on May 1, 2025.