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2 April 2019 Stability of West Nile Virus (Flaviviridae: Flavivirus) RNA in Mosquito Excreta
Ana L. Ramírez, Sonja Hall-Mendelin, Glen R. Hewitson, Jamie L. McMahon, Kyran M. Staunton, Scott A. Ritchie, Andrew F. van den Hurk
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Abstract

Arbovirus surveillance is crucial for the implementation of vector-borne disease control measures. Recently, it has been demonstrated that mosquitoes with a disseminated arbovirus infection excrete viral RNA, which can be detected by molecular methods. Thereby, mosquito excreta has been proposed as a sample type that could be utilized for arbovirus surveillance. In this study, we evaluated if West Nile virus (Kunjin strain, WNVKUN) RNA in Culex annulirostris Skuse (Diptera: Culicidae) excreta deposited on different substrates could be detected after storage for up to 2 wk at tropical conditions of high heat and humidity. No significant drop in relative quantity of WNVKUN RNA (determined by comparison of Ct values) in excreta deposited on Flinders Associate Technologies (FTA) cards was observed over 14 d, suggesting that RNA was stable for that time. There was no significant difference in relative quantity of WNVKUN RNA in excreta deposited on FTA cards or polycarbonate substrates after 24 h. However, after 7 and 14 d, there was a significant decline in the relative quantity of viral RNA in the excreta stored on polycarbonate substrates. For incorporation in arbovirus surveillance programs, we recommend the use of polycarbonate substrates for excreta collection in mosquito traps deployed overnight, and the integration of FTA cards in traps serviced weekly or fortnightly. Polycarbonate substrates facilitate the collection of the majority of excreta from a trap, and while FTA cards offer limited area coverage, they enable preservation of viral RNA in tropical conditions for extended periods of time.

© The Author(s) 2019. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Entomological Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.
Ana L. Ramírez, Sonja Hall-Mendelin, Glen R. Hewitson, Jamie L. McMahon, Kyran M. Staunton, Scott A. Ritchie, and Andrew F. van den Hurk "Stability of West Nile Virus (Flaviviridae: Flavivirus) RNA in Mosquito Excreta," Journal of Medical Entomology 56(4), 1135-1138, (2 April 2019). https://doi.org/10.1093/jme/tjz044
Received: 11 February 2019; Accepted: 8 March 2019; Published: 2 April 2019
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KEYWORDS
arbovirus
excreta
mosquito
surveillance
viral RNA stability
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