Evaluation of the Dengue NS1 Ag Strip^®for Detection of Dengue Virus Antigen inAedes aegypti(Diptera: Culicidae)

Abstract

Dengue fever is currently one of the most important mosquito-borne diseases that affect humans. With neither vaccines nor treatment available, prevention of the disease relies heavily on surveillance and control of mosquito vectors. In the present study, we have evaluated and showed the potential use of the Dengue NS1 Ag Strip Ò for the detection of dengue virus (DENV) in Aedes aegypti. Initial results showed that the sensitivity of the test kit in detecting DENV in wild-caught mosquitoes is comparable to that of real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction. The detection of naturally infected Ae. aegypti with the NS1 rapid test kit in our dengue cluster investigation further illustrates its potential use for surveillance of DENV in wild mosquito populations. The kit can easily be used in a simple field station, and minimal training is required. The results can be obtained in less than an hour. Employment of the kit in the field could help guide mosquito control operations in the prioritization of resources in controlling the transmission of DENV. In this study the potential of the kit for field surveillance of infected dengue vectors, which are epidemiologically important, has been demonstrated.

Detection of Dengue Virus NS1 Antigen in Infected Aedes aegypti Using a Commercially Available Kit

“…23,32,33 Viral tissue tropisms and load also may be different in intrathoracically infected mosquitoes as compared with orally infected mosquitoes and could affect the efficacy of the respective tests. However, the previous study by Tan and others, 28 which used Bio-Rad's Dengue NS1 Ag Strip test, showed that detection of DENV NS1 antigen was successful for both orally infected and field collected specimens. Interestingly, in our studies DENV NS1 could be detected using the Platelia NS1 Ag kit in nearly all of the pools that tested false negative by RT-PCR/nested PCR.…”

“…The monoclonal antibody used in the test has been shown to detect the NS1 protein of all 4 DENV serotypes, albeit with some differences in sensitivity. 37 Moreover, Tan and others 28 showed that all 4 DENV serotypes could be readily detected in infected mosquitoes using the Dengue NS1 Ag Strip test from the same manufacturer as the Platelia Dengue NS1 kit. Nonetheless, it would be prudent to determine the ability to detect DENV-1, -3, and -4 NS1 in mosquitoes subjected to the simulated field collection conditions by use of the Platelia Dengue NS1 Ag kit.…”

“…18,19 Antigen detection kits are commercially available to detect WNV and Saint Louis encephalitis virus in mosquitoes. 17 Recently, Tan and others 28 showed that a commercially available ELISA kit designed to detect DENV nonstructural protein 1 (NS1) in human serum (Dengue NS1 Ag Strip; Bio-Rad Laboratories, Marnes-la-Coquette, France; Catalogue no. 70700) also could be used to detect DENV NS1 in infected Ae.…”

“…The test was as sensitive as real-time RT-PCR in detecting DENV-infected mosquitoes. 28 Another NS1 test (Panbio Dengue Early ELISA; Panbio, Brisbane, Australia; Catalogue no. E-DEN02P) also proved to be sensitive for detection of DENV in experimentally infected Ae.…”

Dengue virus type 4 in Niterói, Rio de Janeiro: the role of molecular techniques in laboratory diagnosis and entomological surveillance

“…The use of the NS1 antigen capture kit for the detection of DENV antigens from Ae. aegypti mosquitoes has recently been demonstrated (Tan et al 2011). However, none of the other techniques that were available could confirm infection or verify the infecting serotype.…”