Researchers at KU Leuven have developed a method to curb the spread of the dengue virus in mosquitoes. According to their study published in “Science Advances”, administering an antiviral to mosquitoes reduces the presence of the virus and, therefore, its transmission capacity.
Dengue is a tropical disease transmitted by two species of mosquitoes: Aedes aegypti, also vectors of the yellow fever virus, and Aedes albopictus, or tiger mosquitoes. Symptoms of dengue fever vary from high fever, headache and muscle pain, to nausea and vomiting. Most patients recover within a week, but in some cases serious or even fatal complications can occur. The number of deaths attributable to dengue fever worldwide is estimated at 10,000 annually. In Belgium, 101 cases were recorded in 2022, mainly imported from Asia.
In order to contain the virus, researchers at KU Leuven administered a new antiviral directly to mosquitoes. The goal was not to treat them, but to reduce the transmission of the disease within a given region.
“When a person takes the medicine and is then bitten by a mosquito, the latter also ingests the medicine through the bloodstream. We studied the impact of this process on the virus present in the mosquito,” explains Professor Leen Delang, from the Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation at KU Leuven.
The results of the study reveal a significant effect of the antiviral agent on the viral load of mosquitoes. “Unlike other antivirals tested in previous studies, the effect of this drug is very clear and persistent in mosquitoes,” says Mr. Delang. This approach thus offers double protection: the person treated is protected and simultaneously contributes to reducing the transmission of the virus in their environment.
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