title: Immune reactivity to dengue and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes in the population from Macao, China, before dengue occurrence.
abstract: A serological survey was conducted in Macao, China, in 753 individuals, with the objective of looking for antibodies to the mosquito, Aedes albopictus (Skuse 1894) (Diptera: Culicidae), and to dengue, before the occurrence of any autochthonous dengue cases. Blood samples were collected at several public health services, a questionnaire was answered, and enzyme-linked immunosorbant assay (ELISA) and Western blot techniques were performed with extracts of mosquito head and thorax (HT). Anti-Aedes albopictus IgG antibodies were present in titres 1:10(2)-1:10(3) in 9%, and in titres 1:10(4)-1:10(5) in 42% of the sera tested. This reactivity was more frequent (59%) in the population which had resided only in Macao in the 2 years previous to the survey, as opposed to those that had also resided in other areas (50%). From the 230 reactive sera selected for immunoblot, 48 (21%) reacted with a wide range of proteins from above 224 kDa to 21 kDa, with different patterns according to individual sera. Proteins in the intervals 35.3-28.7 kDa and 28.7-21.1 kDa were labelled by the greatest number of sera, 15 and 19 respectively. The presence of anti-Aedes albopictus antibodies presented a statistical relation to skin reaction to mosquito bites, but immunoblot patterns did not. Anti-dengue IgG antibodies were found in 48% of the subjects, with a higher proportion in people who had resided out of Macao, or who were nationals from dengue-endemic neighboring countries. Anti-dengue reactivity was in agreement with anti-mosquito reactivity in half of the population. It would be interesting to see if this proportion has changed since dengue became endemic in Macao in 2001.
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Rua da Junqueira, 100, 1349-008 Lisboa, Portugal.
authors.forename: Isabel Lopes
authors.initials: IL
authors.lastname: De Carvalho
authors.forename: Diara Kady
authors.initials: DK
authors.lastname: Rocha
authors.forename: A Paulo G
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Almeida
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000330:Aedes / Q000276:immunology*; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000818:Animals; D000906:Antibodies / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology; D003715:Dengue / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology*; D003716:Dengue Virus / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000097:blood; D007303:Insect Vectors / Q000276:immunology*; D008256:Macau; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008875:Middle Aged; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000906:Antibodies; D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D007074:Immunoglobulin G