Virus Infection and Vector Competence of Aedes alternans (Westwood) (Diptera: Culicidae) for Ross River Virus

Aedes alternans collected from Batemans Bay on the south coast of New South Wales were infected orally with three different concentrations of a strain of Ross River (RR) virus previously isolated from the area. At the middle and highest concentrations, replication and amplification of the virus occurred in the mosquito, but virus transmission to suckling mice could not be demonstrated. This suggests Ae. alternans is not a competent vector of RR virus.