Development and evaluation of a carbon dioxide-free system for mosquito-borne disease surveillance

What does this project mean for future outbreaks of mosquito-carried diseases?

  • Australia is at high risk from viruses transmitted by mosquitoes, including both endemic viruses (Murray Valley encephalitis, Ross River, Barmah Forest and Kunjin viruses) and exotic viruses (dengue, Japanese encephalitis and Zika viruses).
  • In order to minimise health and economic impacts of diseases caused by these viruses, we need simple and cost-effective methods for virus detection.
  • This project will help develop and evaluate easier, faster, more sensitive and more cost-effective methods for the detection of viruses transmitted by mosquitoes.
  • The project is developing a cheaper unpowered system using sugar to attract mosquitoes so saliva and excreta can be collected for genetic testing.

Project details

The use of sugar (rather than CO2) baits to attract mosquitoes will greatly enhance the arbovirus surveillance program. If successful, this project will create savings because batteries and CO2 tanks or dry ice will not be needed.

If successful, the system will have commercialisation potential. Progress will be communicated back to governments via the National Arbovirus and Malaria Advisory Committee, jurisdictional health departments, the Commonwealth Department of Agriculture, the Communicable Diseases Network Australia (CDNA) and the the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee (AHPPC).

 

Related Research Areas

  • Laboratory research