As the weather turns warmer and skeeters start turning up, theirs some frightening news on the Zika front. The Zika virus is turning up in what researchers call a common backyard mosquito. A new study published in the "Journal of Medical Entomology” shows the virus that causes severe birth defects can show up in the Asian tiger mosquito and its eggs.
Scientists at the University of Florida say they’ve found evidence of the Zika virus in Asian tiger mosquitoes that hatched from eggs gathered during the 2015 outbreak in Brazil. They say the Asian tiger mosquito is found all over the world and has adapted to colder climates.
Researcher Chelsea Smartt of the Florida Medical Entomology Laboratory explains, "Our results mean that Aedes albopictus may have a role in Zika virus transmission and should be of concern to public health.”
Source: Journal of Medical Entomology