Serological biomarker for assessing human exposure to Aedes mosquito bites during a randomized vector control intervention trial in northeastern Thailand.

Background: Aedes mosquitoes are vectors for several major arboviruses of public health concern including dengue viruses. The relationships between Aedes infestation and disease transmission are complex wherein the epidemiological dynamics can be difficult to discern because of a lack of robust and sensitive indicators for predicting transmission risk. This study investigates the use of anti-Aedes saliva antibodies as a serological biomarker for Aedes mosquito bites to assess small scale variations in adult Aedes density and dengue virus (DENV) transmission risk in northeastern Thailand.

Entomological determinants of malaria transmission in Kayin state, Eastern Myanmar: A 24-month longitudinal study in four villages.

: The Thailand-Myanmar borderland is an area endemic for malaria where transmission is low, seasonal and unstable. The epidemiology has been described but there is relatively few data on the entomological determinants of malaria transmission. : Entomological investigations were conducted during 24 months in four villages located in Kayin state, on the Myanmar side of the Thailand-Myanmar border.

Correction to: Assessing dengue transmission risk and a vector control intervention using entomological and immunological indices in Thailand: study protocol for a cluster-randomized controlled trial.

In the original publication [1], the first of two objectives was to "Assess the effect of periodically treating water storage containers with a pyriproxyfen/spinosad combination on entomological and epidemiological outcomes".

Contribution of Asymptomatic Plasmodium Infections to the Transmission of Malaria in Kayin State, Myanmar.

Background: The objective of mass antimalarial drug administration (MDA) is to eliminate malaria rapidly by eliminating the asymptomatic malaria parasite reservoirs and interrupting transmission. In the Greater Mekong Subregion, where artemisinin-resistant Plasmodium falciparum is now widespread, MDA has been proposed as an elimination accelerator, but the contribution of asymptomatic infections to malaria transmission has been questioned. The impact of MDA on entomological indices has not been characterized previously.

Salivary Biomarker as a Proxy for Estimating Malaria Exposure on the Thailand-Myanmar Border.

Timely identification and treatment of malaria transmission "hot spots" is essential to achieve malaria elimination. Here we investigate the relevance of using an salivary biomarker to estimate malaria exposure risk along the Thailand-Myanmar border to guide malaria control. Between May 2013 and December 2014, > 9,000 blood samples collected in a cluster randomized control trial were screened with serological assays to measure the antibody responses to salivary antigen (gSG6-P1) and malaria antigens (circumsporozoite protein, merozoite surface protein 119 [MSP-1]).

Assessing dengue transmission risk and a vector control intervention using entomological and immunological indices in Thailand: study protocol for a cluster-randomized controlled trial.

Background: Dengue fever is the most common and widespread mosquito-borne arboviral disease in the world. There is a compelling need for cost-effective approaches and practical tools that can reliably measure real-time dengue transmission dynamics that enable more accurate and useful predictions of incidence and outbreaks. Sensitive surveillance tools do not exist today, and only a small handful of new control strategies are available.

Safety and effectiveness of mass drug administration to accelerate elimination of artemisinin-resistant falciparum malaria: A pilot trial in four villages of Eastern Myanmar.

Artemisinin and partner drug-resistant falciparum malaria is expanding over the Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS). Eliminating falciparum malaria in the GMS while drugs still retain enough efficacy could prevent global spread of antimalarial resistance. Eliminating malaria rapidly requires targeting the reservoir of asymptomatic parasite carriers.

Insecticide resistance in malaria vectors along the Thailand-Myanmar border.

Background: There is a paucity of data about the susceptibility status of malaria vectors to Public Health insecticides along the Thailand-Myanmar border. This lack of data is a limitation to guide malaria vector-control in this region. The aim of this study was to assess the susceptibility status of malaria vectors to deltamethrin, permethrin and DDT and to validate a simple molecular assay for the detection of knock-down resistance (kdr) mutations in the study area.

Use of an Anopheles Salivary Biomarker to Assess Malaria Transmission Risk Along the Thailand-Myanmar Border.

Background: The modalities of malaria transmission along the Thailand-Myanmar border are poorly understood. Here we address the relevance of using a specific Anopheles salivary biomarker to measure the risk among humans of exposure to Anopheles bites.

Methods: Serologic surveys were conducted from May 2013 to December 2014 in 4 sentinel villages.