Role of host skin microbiota in arbovirus infections

Arboviruses are viruses transmitted through bites of infected arthropods, predominantly mosquitoes or ticks. Well-known examples are chikungunya, dengue and Zika virus. Due to increased traveling, climate change and adaptation of arthropod vectors to temperate climates, arboviruses are rapidly spreading worldwide. Several arboviruses are significant global health threats because of their high disease burden, their widespread (re)-emergence and the lack of anti-arboviral strategies. Understanding the factors that affect arbovirus infection and disease is thus crucial. When an infected mosquito bites a human, the arbovirus is inoculated in the human skin, which is colonized by a large number of microorganisms. It is currently not known whether arboviruses can interact with these host skin microbiota and which effect this interaction may have on viral replication and disease. Preliminary work shows that antibiotic treatment of the skin at the site of infection results in more severe Zika virus disease in mice. The aim of this project is to further address this knowledge gap and unravel the role of host (skin) microbiota in arbovirus replication and disease.