Desiccated vector mosquitoes used for the surveillance of Japanese encephalitis virus activity in endemic southern India

• Published in: Tropical medicine & international health Vol. 13; no. 2; pp. 286 - 290
• Main Authors: Tewari, S.C, Thenmozhi, V, Arunachalam, N, Philip Samuel, P, Tyagi, B.K
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Oxford, UK : Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.02.2008; Blackwell Publishing Ltd; Blackwell Science
• Subjects: analysis; Animals; Antigens; Antigens, Viral; Antigens, Viral - analysis; Aquatic insects; Biological and medical sciences; classification; Culex; Culex - classification; Culex - virology; Culex vishnui; Culex vishnui subgroup; desiccated mosquitoes; Desiccation; Encephalitis Virus, Japanese; Encephalitis Virus, Japanese - immunology; Encephalitis Virus, Japanese - isolation & purification; Encephalitis, Japanese; Encephalitis, Japanese - epidemiology; Encephalitis, Japanese - virology; Endemic Diseases; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; Epidemiology; General aspects; Humans; immunology; India; India - epidemiology; Insect Vectors; Insect Vectors - virology; isolation & purification; Japanese encephalitis virus; Medical sciences; methods; monitoring; Mosquitoes; mosquitos disecados; moustiques séchés; Population Surveillance; Population Surveillance - methods; sous‐groupe Culex vishnui; subgrupo Culex vishnui; surveillance; Tropical diseases; Vector-borne diseases; vigilancia; Villages; virology; virus de l’encéphalite japonaise; virus encefalitis japonesa; Asia; India; Tamil Nadu India; India, Tamil Nadu; Insecta; Use; South; Activity; Culex; desiccated mosquitoes; Flavivirus; Endemy; Virus; Surveillance; Arthropoda; Culicidae; Japanese encephalitis virus; Culex vishnui subgroup; Tropical medicine; Japanese encephalitis group virus; Flaviviridae; Invertebrata; Vector; Diptera
• ISSN: 1360-2276; 1365-3156; 1365-3156
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-3156.2008.02038.x

To monitor Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) activity in endemic areas of Tamil Nadu, southern India, desiccated vector mosquitoes were screened for JEV antigen using ELISA, from 1996. A total of 133 233 specimens from eight index villages comprising 2816 pools (mainly Culex vishnui subgroup) were tested. Of these, 59 pools (2.1%) were positive for JEV antigen. Control measures were undertaken in positive villages accordingly. The average annual minimum infection rate was 0.8 at the beginning of the study and remained lower for nearly 8 years. A declining trend in JE cases was recorded.