IN-HOUSE TESTING OF MOSQUITO POOLS FOR WEST NILE VIRUS USING COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE IMMUNOASSAY AND REAL-TIME REVERSE-TRANSCRIPTASE POLYMERASE CHAIN REACTION KITS

Abstract

Arbovirus surveillance methods are an integral part of integrated mosquito management programs, providing information on arboviral presence, location, and transmission potential. For many vector control agencies, surveillance entails collecting vector mosquito species from the field and testing representative mosquito pools using commercially available immunoassays or real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction test kits. In 2016, the Collier Mosquito Control District established an in-house arbovirus surveillance program to screen mosquitoes for a variety of diseases, including the endemic arbovirus, West Nile virus (WNV). Although guidance on interpreting test results is provided by the manufacturer, end users of commercial test kits are encouraged to establish their own cut-off values signifying an arbovirus positive mosquito pool. Here we report the Collier Mosquito Control District’s efforts to develop cut-off values for mosquito pools using two commercially available WNV test kits.