Vector-borne viruses pose a significant global health threat, particularly in low- and middle-income tropical countries.
Pirbright researchers and their collaborators from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine have secured a grant from the Medical Research Council to develop innovative field-ready tests to detect these viruses in blood-fed mosquitoes and faeces, while simultaneously identifying vectors and animal reservoirs.
The project addresses the escalating impact of vector-borne diseases, which affect 80% of the world's population. With limited vaccines and treatments, vector control becomes crucial for disease prevention.
The team at LHSTM, led by Prof. Susana Campino has developed a multiplexed molecular xenomonitoring assay which employs a simple lateral flow test format, enabling easy deployment in resource-limited settings.
The assay, adaptable for non-specialist use, has previously been used to target DNA parasites, such as Plasmodium malaria species and has since been developed to detect vector-borne viral pathogens, such as dengue virus (DENV), Zika virus (ZIKV), Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV), West Nile virus (WNV) and Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV).
This new project will conduct field trials in Tanzania and Puerto Rico to determine whether they can detect vector-borne viruses not only in their vectors, but also in non-vectors following a blood meal, and for how long.
Dr Kevin Maringer, Flavivirus Transmission and Pathogenesis group lead and project PI says “We’re hopeful that the new tools we are developing will simplify vector-borne disease monitoring in the field, as the test requires minimal equipment and training. This makes it highly adaptable to resource-limited and field settings.”
Team: Lead: Dr Kevin Maringer (Pirbright). Co-investigators: Prof. Susana Campino (LSHTM), Dr Isabelle Dietrich (Pirbright), Dr Mojca Kristan (LSHTM), Dr Matthew Higgins (LSHTM).