Immuno-Chromatographic Wicking Assay for the Rapid Detection of Chikungunya Viral Antigens in Mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae).

The outbreak of disease caused by chikungunya virus (CHIKV) in 2006 and the recent spread of this virus to the Americas in 2013 indicate the potential for this virus to spread and cause significant disease. However, there are currently no accurate and reliable field-usable, diagnostic methods to provide critical, real-time information for early detection of CHIKV within the vector populations in order to implement appropriate vector control and personal protective measures. In this article, we report the ability of an immuno-chromatographic assay developed by VecTOR Test Systems Inc.

Immuno-chromatographic wicking assay for the rapid detection of dengue viral antigens in mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae).

There is a threat for dengue virus (DENV) reemergence in many regions of the world, particularly in areas where the DENV vectors, Aedes aegypti (L.) and Aedes albopictus (Skuse), are readily available. However, there are currently no accurate and reliable diagnostic methods to provide critical, real-time information for early detection of DENV within the vector populations to implement appropriate vector control and personal protective measures.

Field evaluation of a wicking assay for the rapid detection of Rift Valley fever viral antigens in mosquitoes.

Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV) causes outbreaks of severe disease in domestic ungulates as well as humans in Africa. There is a concern that outbreaks of Rift Valley fever may continue and that this virus may spread into regions where it had not previously been detected. Surveillance and rapid detection are critical to the initiation of an effective disease control program.

Use of vector diagnostics during military deployments: recent experience in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Vector-borne diseases such as malaria, dengue, and leishmaniasis are a threat to military forces deployed outside of the United States. The availability of specific information on the vector-borne disease threat (e.g.

Evaluation of the VecTest Malaria Antigen Panel assay for the detection of Plasmodium falciparum and P. vivax circumsporozoite protein in anopheline mosquitoes in Thailand.

We evaluated the performance of the VecTest Malaria Antigen Panel (V-MAP) assay for the detection of Plasmodium falciparum and P. vivax (variants 210 and 247) circumsporozoite protein in anopheline mosquitoes in Thailand. The V-MAP assay is a rapid, one-step procedure using a 'dipstick' wicking test strip.

Sensitivity of the VecTest antigen assay for eastern equine encephalitis and western equine encephalitis viruses.

VecTest assays for detecting eastern equine encephalitis virus (EEE) and western equine encephalitis virus (WEE) antigen in mosquito pools were evaluated to determine their sensitivity and specificity by using a range of EEE, WEE, St. Louis encephalitis virus (SLE), and West Nile virus (WN) dilutions as well as individual and pooled mosquitoes containing EEE or WEE. The EEE test produced reliable positive results with samples containing > or = 5.

Evaluation of a dipstick malaria sporozoite panel assay for detection of naturally infected mosquitoes.

The determination of the presence or absence of malaria sporozoites in wild-caught Anopheles mosquitoes remains an integral component to the understanding of the transmission dynamics in endemic areas. To improve that capability, there has been on-going development of a new device using dipstick immunochromatographic technology for simplifying the testing procedure and reducing the time required to obtain results. As part of a larger multi-center effort, we evaluated the sensitivity and specificity of a prototype malaria sporozoite antigen panel assay (Medical Analysis Systems, Camarillo, CA) against three human Plasmodium species/polymorphs.