A mosquito more common than the one primarily known to transmit Zika infections may be able to carry the virus, a development which could further complicate efforts to limit its spread.
The mosquito species Aedes aegypti has been identified as the primary transmitter of Zika infections, which have been linked to thousands of birth defects.
But scientists in Brazil announced on Wednesday that they were able to infect another species, Culex quinquefasciatus, with the virus in a laboratory, raising concerns that Zika could be carried by a species more prevalent than Aedes aegypti.
In Brazil, Culex quinquefasciatus is 20 times more common than Aedes aegypti, the researchers said.
The research, conducted by scientists at the government-funded Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, is part of an ongoing trial in which researchers injected 200 of the Culex quinquefasciatus mosquitoes with rabbit blood infected by Zika.
The virus circulated through the mosquitoes' bodies and into their salivary glands, meaning they might be able to transmit a Zika infection by biting a person.
The research has yet to be published in a scientific journal or reviewed by scientific peers elsewhere.
The foundation said more work was needed to determine whether Culex mosquitoes in the wild are carrying the virus as well as whether they can transmit Zika infections.
If a mosquito besides Aedes aegypti was found to transmit Zika infections, it could make it more difficult to contain the current Zika outbreak that the World Health Organization last month declared a global public health emergency.
Much remains unknown about Zika, including whether the virus actually causes microcephaly in babies, a condition defined by unusually small heads that can result in developmental problems.
Brazil said it has confirmed more than 640 cases of microcephaly, and considers most of them to be related to Zika infections in the mothers.
Culex quinquefasciatus exists in more temperate climes, including the southern United States, and can survive winters and could keep a virus in circulation during cold months.
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