KU Leuven is finding a way to slow down the dengue virus in mosquitoes

Scientists from KU Leuven have found a way to reduce the dengue virus in mosquitoes. By giving the mosquitoes an antiviral drug, the virus spread. This also means that mosquitoes are less likely to spread the dengue virus. The researchers’ study was recently published in the scientific journal Science Advances.

Dengue or dengue fever is a tropical disease that is transmitted by two types of mosquito; the Aedes aegypti, the mosquito that can carry the yellow fever virus, and the Aedes albopictus or tiger mosquito. Symptoms of dengue can range from high fever, headache and muscle pain, to nausea and vomiting.

Patients usually recover within a week, but in a minority of cases more serious complaints can occur and the disease can even be fatal. Around 10,000 people die from dengue every year worldwide. In Belgium, 101 cases of the disease were recorded in 2022. All cases were imported from other countries, mostly from Asia.

To try to contain the virus, researchers from KU Leuven have administered a new antiviral drug to the mosquitoes themselves. The idea is not to treat the mosquitoes themselves with the medicine, but to reduce the spread of the disease in a certain area.

“When someone takes the medicine and then gets bitten by a mosquito, the mosquito also takes in the medicine through that person’s blood. We looked at the effect on the virus in the mosquito when that happens,” explained Professor Leen Delang (KU Leuven Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation).

The researchers found that the antiviral drug had a clear effect on the presence of the virus in the mosquitoes. “We know from previous studies that this is not always the case with other antiviral drugs. With this drug the effect is very clear, and the effect remains in the mosque for a longer time,” said Delang. “This way you get a double layer of protection: you can take the drug yourself, and you help reduce transmission.”

People could also take the drug prophylactically, ie not to get sick themselves, but with the aim of preventing them from getting infected. In addition, this could also reduce the spread of dengue. Please note: several other studies, including clinical ones, are required before the medicine is marketed.

“Testing whether an antiviral drug is also effective in the mosquito itself could become a standard for all mosquito-borne viruses,” says Professor Delang. ‘ take a drug to protect themselves against a virus, and at the same time you help to spread the disease less.”