Influence of Vectors in Virus Evolution

Vectors play a critical role in virus transmission between animals and humans. Vectors are responsible for so many millions of viral infections worldwide. Global warming has led to an increase in habitable conditions for vectors and led to the emergence of new viral strains that could have a broader host range or geographical distribution. There are several species of vectors such as mosquitoes, ticks, houseflies, etc., which act as a reservoir and maintain the virus in an urban or sylvatic transmission cycle. For example, mosquitoes can vertically and horizontally transmit the rift valley fever virus, and ticks can transmit the African swine fever virus. Vectors either mechanically or biologically transmit viruses. In mechanical transmission, viruses do not replicate in the vector but are merely transmitted by adsorbing onto exoskeletons like hair, feces, etc., (e.g.; house flies transmission of several bacterial and viral infections). However, in biological transmission, the virus must replicate and successfully pass through several barriers and the vector’s defense mechanism in the vector before being transmitted to other hosts. In vector-virus interactions, the vector plays a role in virus evolution and may alter the virus genome and shape virus pathogenesis.

With this Research Topic, we would like to uncover the vector-virus interaction, virus evolution, and vectors’ contribution to the global spread of viruses. We think there is more work that should be done on understanding how vectors contribute to the emergence of new viral diseases. This could help epidemiologists predict the possible emergence of new viral diseases and find solutions to control vector-borne viral diseases. In addition, this topic will enhance a basic understanding of the role of vectors in virus evolution.

This Research Topic is dedicated to studies addressing the mechanism of virus evolution and emergence from aspects of vectors, virus immune evasion in vectors, virus re-assortment and recombination, vectors-pathogen interaction, and virus population dynamics between vectors and mammalian systems. We welcome Original Research articles, Reviews, and Case reports under, but not limited to, the following themes:
• Mechanism of virus emergence
• Evolution of emerging viruses
• Vector-virus interactions
• Role of vectors’ immunity in virus evolution
• Virus population dynamics in vectors and mammals
• Vector competence of new and reemerging viruses
• Vector control for human viral diseases