The potential of antivirale sugar baits as virus transmission-blocking agents in mosquitoes

Mosquito-borne viruses pose significant threats to public health, not only due to their widespread presence but also because of the severe illnesses they can cause. Currently, no effective treatments or preventive measures are available, highlighting the urgent need for new control strategies. A new innovative approach relies upon the sugar-feeding behavior of mosquitoes. We hypothesize that the use of an attractive sugar bait could be an effective way of delivering antiviral drugs to mosquitoes, resulting in reduced virus transmission. The study aims to investigate effective sugar formulations containing an antiviral that would allow the drug to be taken up by the mosquito and reduce chikungunya virus (CHIKV) transmission. To this end, we will first evaluate the effectiveness of five distinct antiviral drugs against CHIKV infection in mosquitoes. Additionally, the attractiveness of the sugar baits (containing the antivirals) will be investigated. After selecting the two most promising antivirals, semi-field studies in Brazil (Rio de Janeiro; Fiocruz) will be conducted to assess the stability and attractiveness of the sugar baits in real-world conditions. Furthermore, the transmission-blocking efficacy of the best antiviral sugar baits will be evaluated in a CHIKV mosquito bite-mouse model. This study will make significant contributions to the development of innovative methods for delivering antiviral drugs to mosquitoes, to inhibit the transmission of mosquito-borne viruses

Keywords:Virus transmission-blocking agents, Antivirals, Aedes mosquitoes

Disciplines:Virology

Project type:PhD project