Abstract
Arthropod-borne viruses (arboviruses) such as dengue virus (DENV), chikungunya virus (CHIKV), Zika virus (ZIKV), and yellow fever virus (YFV) are the most important ‘emerging pathogens’ because of their geographic spread and their increasing impact on vulnerable human populations. To fight against these arboviruses, vector control strategies (VCS) remain one of the most valuable means. However, their implementation and monitoring are labour intensive and difficult to sustain on large scales, especially when transmission and Aedes mosquito densities are low. To increase the efficacy of VCS, current entomological methods should be improved by new complementary tools which measure the risk of arthropod-borne diseases’ transmission. The study of human–Aedes immunological relationships can provide new promising serological tools, namely antibody-based biomarkers, allowing to accurately estimate the human–Aedes contact and consequently, the risk of transmission of arboviruses and the effectiveness of VCS. This review focuses on studies highlighting the concept, techniques, and methods used to develop and validate specific candidate biomarkers of human exposure to Aedes bites. Potential applications of such antibody-based biomarkers of exposure to Aedes vector bites in the field of operational research are also discussed.
Highlights
Mosquitoes are vectors of numerous human pathogens that kill or debilitate millions of humans each year
The availability of such a tool could help to accurately identify individuals exposed to Aedes vector bites, at risk of arbovirus transmission, and to evaluate the effectiveness of vector control strategies (VCS) implemented by sanitary authorities on human–Aedes contact
There is an obvious need of new indicators and methods to evaluate the heterogeneity of human exposure to Aedes mosquito bites so as to focus and prioritise interventions in areas, seasons, or groups of individuals at high risk of arbovirus transmission
Summary
Mosquitoes are vectors of numerous human pathogens that kill or debilitate millions of humans each year. This involves extensive surveillance of these mosquito populations to estimate risk of transmission, to plan vector control strategies, and to assess their impact on the diseases This surveillance is currently based on entomological methods to identify positive breeding sites, to sample adult mosquitoes by traps, intra-housing spraying, and human landing catches [11]. Biomarkers of mosquito bite exposure can be used to define the ranges of medically important mosquitoes, identify areas of risk for vector-borne diseases, and evaluate vector control interventions Even though this approach may appear to be valid, the use of whole saliva or salivary gland extracts (SGE) of Aedes vectors as a biomarker of exposure could be inadequate because some salivary factors are shared between mosquitoes or arthropods from different genera that induce immune cross-reaction. An alternative for optimising the specificity of this immunological test would be to identify Aedes genus-specific proteins or peptides [44]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
