Meyer D B

Ramirez A L

van den Hurk A F

Kurucz, Nina

Ritchie S A

2019-04-04

Mosquito-borne diseases are a major public health concern globally and early detection of pathogens is critical to implement vector management and control strategies. Existing methods for pathogen detection include screening sentinel animals for antibodies and analyzing mosquitoes for pathogen presence. While these methods are effective, they are also expensive, labor-intense, and logistically challenging. To address these limitations, a new method was developed whereby mosquito saliva is collected on honey-coated nucleic acid preservation cards which are analyzed by molecular assays for detection of pathogens. However, mosquitoes only expel small amounts of saliva when feeding on these cards, potentially leading to false negatives. Another bodily fluid that is expelled by mosquitoes in larger volumes than saliva is excreta, and recent laboratory experiments have demonstrated that a range of mosquito-borne pathogens can be detected in mosquito excreta. In the current study, we have modified light and passive mosquito traps to collect their excreta and assessed their efficacy in field evaluations. From these field-collections, we detected West Nile, Ross River, and Murray Valley encephalitis viruses. Our findings suggest that mosquito traps are easily modified to collect excreta and, that this system has the potential to enhance detection of pathogens.

College of Public Health, Medical and Veterinary Sciences, James Cook University, Cairns, Queensland, Australia.. Australian Institute of Tropical Health and Medicine, James Cook University, Cairns, Queensland, Australia..

College of Public Health, Medical and Veterinary Sciences, James Cook University, Cairns, Queensland, Australia.. Australian Institute of Tropical Health and Medicine, James Cook University, Cairns, Queensland, Australia..

Public Health Virology, Forensic and Scientific Services, Department of Health, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia..

Medical Entomology, Centre for Disease Control, Department of Health, Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia..

College of Public Health, Medical and Veterinary Sciences, James Cook University, Cairns, Queensland, Australia.. Australian Institute of Tropical Health and Medicine, James Cook University, Cairns, Queensland, Australia..

J Med Entomol . 2019 Jun 27;56(4):1116-1121. doi: 10.1093/jme/tjz031.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30945738/?otool=iaurydwlib

https://hdl.handle.net/10137/7502

arbovirus

excreta

mosquito

saliva

surveillance

Development and Field Evaluation of a System to Collect Mosquito Excreta for the Detection of Arboviruses.

Journal Article

Publication