TITLE:
From Culex Exposure to West Nile Virus Infection: Screening of Specific Biomarkers
AUTHORS:
Mahfoud Bakli, Christophe Fraisier, Lionel Almeras
KEYWORDS:
West Nile Virus, Culex, Biomarker, Salivary Protein, Antibody Response, Vector Control
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Veterinary Medicine,
Vol.4 No.7,
July
29,
2014
ABSTRACT:
West
Nile virus (WNV) is a mosquito-borne flavivirus contributing yearly, to birds,
horses and human morbidity and mortality throughout the world. WNV is
transmitted mainly by mosquitoes, predominantly by Culex species, to avian hosts and other vertebrates. Since the
mid-1990s, WNV outbreaks and severe human cases (i.e., West Nile
neuroinvasive disease) have increased throughout the North hemisphere. The
absence of human vaccine and effective therapy needs to understand the
pathogenesis of WN severe disease as well as factors participating in WNV
transmission and mosquito exposure. The exploration of the host/vector
interaction at the individual level using host antibody response against
mosquito salivary proteins has open news research opportunities aiming to
increase the impact of surveillance and WNV vector control strategies. This
review describes Culex saliva
specific biomarkers as a helpful tool to estimate exposure to vector bites and
risk for WNV infection, summarizes recent advances regarding WNV vector control
strategies and highlights potential specific biomarkers of WN disease severity.