Story highlights More research is needed to see how this will affect the spread of Zika

There are many types of Culex mosquitoes, and not all can transmit the disease

(CNN) Researchers in Brazil announced Thursday the "presence of the Zika virus" in Culex mosquitoes (the common house mosquito) in the eastern city of Recife. The findings were released with a word of caution: "The obtained data will require additional studies in order to assess the potential participation of Culex in the spread of Zika and its role in the epidemic."

Researchers collected 500 mosquitoes and divided them into pools of between 1 and 10 mosquitoes. They found the virus in three pools of mosquitoes. The presence of the virus in these mosquitoes does not mean they can transmit the virus.

Before this study was completed by the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz), Zika was thought to be carried solely by the Aedes aegypti mosquito. Culex mosquitoes are "20 times greater than the population of Aedes aegypti" in the Recife metropolitan area, according to the study.

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Fiocruz is a public institution attached to the Brazilian Ministry of Health. It is one of Brazil's oldest and most respected health care institutions and has been at the forefront of the fight against Zika.

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