Infected Zika Virus Mosquitoes Can Now be Detected by a New Tool

A New Noninvasive infrared detector can now detect infected Zika Virus Mosquitoes, this could help the scientists anticipate the onset of disease and thereby take proper measures to eradicate the disease.

Zika is a mosquito-borne virus that can cause abnormalities in unborn babies and is linked to the rare paralyzing condition called Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS).

Zika Virus May Follow a Cyclic Pattern Similar To Dengue
Zika virus may follow a pattern similar to that of dengue and chikungunya in the coming years due to an increasing buildup of its thriving environment.

‘Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS)method showed a 94 to 99 percent accuracy rate and thereby considered to be a cost-effective tool to noninvasively detect ZIKa virus in heads and gut of intact Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. ’

Tweet it Now

While the accelerating global spread of arboviruses, such as Zika virus (ZIKV), highlights the need for more proactive mosquito surveillance, a major challenge has been the lack of rapid and affordable tests for pathogen detection in mosquitoes.

The study, appearing in the journal Science Advances, shows for the first time that near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) is a rapid, reagent-free, and cost-effective tool that can be used to detect ZIKV in heads and thoraces of intact Aedes noninvasively aegypti mosquitoes.

The method showed a 94 to 99 percent accuracy rate and was 18-times faster and 110-times cheaper at detecting Zika infected mosquitoes, than the currently used methods.

Zika Virus Alert in Myanmar Goes Up To Moderate
Myanmar is considered to have a moderate risk of Zika virus transmission in March, 2018. Pregnant women should consider postponing non-essential travel until after the pregnancy. The first serological evidence for presence of Zika virus infection in Myanmar was reported in January 2018.

"We can quickly identify mosquitoes that are infected with Zika virus so public health authorities can treat affected areas before the disease spreads to humans," said Maggy Sikulu-Lord the University of Queensland in Australia.

"This is definitely going to be a game-changer in disease surveillance, especially in the prediction of disease outbreaks.

Is Transmission of Zika Virus Preventable?
Ebselen is an anti-inflammatory and antioxidant drug that helps in preventing the spread of Zika virus, thereby preventing transmission from men to women.

NIRS involves simply shining a beam of light on a mosquito and using that information one can determine if the mosquito is infected.

"We hope public health authorities can use it to predict future disease outbreaks and save lives by treating mosquito populations in time," Sikulu-Lord said.

Zika Virus Infection in Mother can Cause Brain Damage in Fetus
Women affected with Zika virus during pregnancy can cause dementia, learning disorders, and psychiatric illnesses in their babies later in life.

She said the technology had potential to detect a number of diseases, including dengue and malaria.

"We don’t think it will eradicate diseases but it will give us the ability to detect diseases quickly so that we can stop disease outbreaks," Sikulu-Lord noted.

Source-IANS