Mouse-Mosquito Transmission Model for Arbovirus Drug and Vaccine Development
The QIMR Berghofer Mosquito Control Laboratory offers tailored contract R&D services with one of the few facilities in Australia equipped to conduct mosquito-mouse transmission studies of biosecurity level 2 and 3 (BSL2/BSL3) pathogens. This rare capability is enabled by the co-localisation of a mouse holding facility within our quarantine containment level 3 (QIC3) insectary.
This integrated setup enables complete arbovirus transmission cycle between mosquitoes to mice, providing a robust platform for clients to evaluate the transmission-blocking efficacy of antiviral drugs, vaccines, and other intervention strategies against mosquito-borne diseases.
Furthermore, our platform allows flexible pairing of mice from both wild type and immunocompromised genetic backgrounds with mosquitoes from a “living library” of species and strains sourced from diverse regional and international locations. A comprehensive list is outlined below.
- Mosquito blood feeding assays (e.g. indirect membrane feeding assays and direct feeding assays on mice)
- Quantitative reverse transcriptase PCR (qRT-PCR) viral detection and quantification of viral load
- Plaque assays (brightfield and fluorescence detection)
- 50% cell culture infectious dose (CCID50) assays
- Micro- and standard plaque reduction neutralisation tests (PRNT)
- Mosquito dissections (e.g. midgut, salivary glands)
- Saliva collection and arbovirus detection as a proxy for transmission
- ELISA-based quantification of viruses, cytokines and antibodies
- Whole mosquito histology and pathogen visualisation by immunofluorescence analysis (IFA) and fluorescence in situ hybridisation (FISH)
Arborviruses
- DENV serotype 2 (D220 mouse adapted)
- Chikungunya (La Reunion 2005)
- Japanese encephalitis (Nakayama, FU, NSW-2022)
Mice
- Wild type (C57BL/6)
- Interferon regulatory factor 3/7 knock out (IRF 3/7 -/-)
- Type I interferon receptor deficient (IFNAR1)
Mosquitoes
- Aedes aegpti (various strains, Qld and international)
- Aedes albopictus (Hammond Island, Torres Strait)
- Culex annulirostris (Brisbane)
- Culex sitiens (Brisbane)
- Aedes vigilax (Brisbane)
- Anopheles stephensi (Pakistan)
- Anopheles farauti (Papua New Guinea)