Existence of hepatitis C virus in Culex quinquefasciatus after ingestion of infected blood: Experimental approach to evaluating transmission by mosquitoes

We used PCR to detect hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA among supernatants of ground Culex quinquefasciatus mosquitoes that (i) had been fed HCV-positive blood, (ii) had been intrathoracically inoculated with HCV-positive blood, or (iii) were from homes of hepatitis C patients. HCV RNA was detectable under all three conditions, but it did not replicate in mosquitoes and was not detectably transmitted during feeding.