On-Site Real-Time West Nile Virus Surveillance To Improve The Reaction Time Of Adulticide Mosquito Control Management

One of the major groups of mosquito-borne diseases is Flaviviruses with prominent human pathogens, such as West Nile virus (WNV), dengue, Zika viruses. Nowadays, WNV is appearing more and more in several countries, thanks in part to climate change and other factors. WNV is endemic in parts of Europe, the Middle East, West Asia, Australia, Africa, and across the American continent. The primary vector for WNV is Culex pipiens, and some Aedes and Anopheles species may be competent vectors as well. Proper, accurate, and comprehensive vector control, surveillance, and laboratory diagnostics are important not only in WNV endemic countries but other places as well. Currently, most data on the presence of the virus comes
from event-based surveillance. Here we demonstrate a protocol that can be used to detect the presence of certain viruses on-site within a short timeframe, permitting mosquito control activities for outbreak prevention. With the mobile laboratory we present, it is possible to detect the virus directly from mosquitoes within 3-4 hours, on the spot. This method provides an opportunity to process freshly caught mosquitoes in the trunk of a car under variable field conditions. This process contributes greatly to the increasing use of targeted, environmentally friendly, biological mosquito control but most importantly it facilitates the fine-tuning of outbreak prevention mosquito control activities.