Abstract
BackgroundMuch effort is being devoted for developing new indicators to evaluate the human exposure to Aedes mosquito bites and the risk of arbovirus transmission. Human antibody (Ab) responses to mosquito salivary components could represent a promising tool for evaluating the human-vector contact.Methodology/Principal findingsTo develop a specific biomarker of human exposure to Aedes aegypti bites, we measured IgG Ab response to Ae. aegypti Nterm-34 kDa salivary peptide in exposed children in 7 villages of Southern Benin (West Africa). Results showed that specific IgG response presented high inter-individual heterogeneity between villages. IgG response was associated with rainfall and IgG level increased from dry (low exposure) to rainy (high exposure) seasons. These findings indicate that IgG Ab to Nterm-34 kDa salivary peptide may represent a reliable biomarker to detect variation in human exposure to Ae. aegypti bites.Conclusion/SignificanceThis preliminary study highlights the potential use of Ab response to this salivary peptide for evaluating human exposure to Ae. aegypti. This biomarker could represent a new promising tool for assessing the risk of arbovirus transmission and for evaluating the efficacy of vector control interventions.
Highlights
Numerous mosquito species of the genus Aedes (Dipteria: Culicidae) are vectors of major-emerging human arboviruses, such as Dengue and Chikungunya
Exposure to Aedes aegypti bites is mainly evaluated by entomological methods which are indirect and fastidious to apply on a large scale
Human antibody (Ab) responses to arthropod salivary proteins were shown as a useful indicator of exposure to arthropod vector bites
Summary
Numerous mosquito species of the genus Aedes (Dipteria: Culicidae) are vectors of major (re)-emerging human arboviruses, such as Dengue and Chikungunya. Exposure to Aedes aegypti bites is currently evaluated by entomological methods, at immature stage (eg: number of positive breeding habitats) and/or adult stage (collection of adult mosquitoes by traps, Pyrethrum Spray Catch and human landing catches) These methods present several limitations, such as poor capacity to predict epidemics [1] and for addressing the number of adults vectors produced over time [2]. The density of adult females could be closely associated with the disease incidence [3,4], but adults collection of Ae. aegypti females is fastidious and hard work These current entomological methods are mainly applicable at the community level and cannot be used to gauge the heterogeneity of individual exposure. Human antibody (Ab) responses to mosquito salivary components could represent a promising tool for evaluating the human-vector contact
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