Transovarial and trans-stadial transmission of California encephalitis virus in Aedes dorsalis and Aedes melanimon.

California encephalitis (CE) virus was transmitted transovarially by its natural vectors, Aedes dorsalis and Aedes melanimon following infection by intrathoracic inoculation. Virus was recovered from adult Ae. melanimon reared from eggs that were stored for up to 19 months and exposed to repeated freezing and thawing. Neither time since oviposition nor storage conditions affected infection rates in surviving embryos. Survival rates were highest in eggs stored at 4 degrees C. Transovarial infection with CE virus did not affect survival of embryos, larvae or adults. However, transovarially infected larvae took longer to develop than did their uninfected siblings.