Amazing stuff!
"... When the scientists sequenced the genetic material present in the mosquito excrement, they discovered a complete, high-quality genome of West Nile virus. The analysis also revealed evidence of a Hedwig virus, a pathogen that was first identified in Europe in a snowy owl and had never before been reported in the Americas, as well as several viruses that may be new to science."
From the abstract:
"Nearly 30% of emerging infectious disease events worldwide are transmitted by arthropod vectors, and this proportion continues to rise.
Rapid and accurate detection is critical for directing vector control interventions, thereby reducing the likelihood of widespread transmission.
Surveillance of infected mosquitoes can provide an early warning of impending human infection; however, conventional virus testing relies on processing large pools of mosquitoes and requires labor-intensive pre-processing. During rapidly developing epidemic or panzootic events, these delays may limit the effectiveness of public health responses.
Mosquito excreta has recently emerged as a promising alternative substrate for pathogen detection.
Sugar-fed mosquitoes regularly excrete gut contents, offering a rich source of nucleic acids. In this study, we developed and applied custom superhydrophobic excreta-collection funnels that efficiently aggregate excreta produced by field-collected Culex mosquitoes into attached microcentrifuge tubes.
Shotgun metagenomic sequencing of this material revealed a diverse RNA virome, including both globally distributed viruses and those reported here for the first time from the Americas.
Beyond virus detection, additional analyses enabled confirmation of host mosquito species and identification of trypanosomatid parasites, demonstrating the broader utility of mosquito excreta for integrated surveillance.
We anticipate that methods and devices of this type will become valuable components of vector surveillance programs, particularly in remote or resource-limited settings where repeated collections are challenging.
Overall, our findings highlight the potential of excreta-based monitoring to improve early detection of emerging or unknown pathogens of One Health importance, refine our understanding of mosquito virome biogeography, and facilitate the discovery of previously undescribed viruses."
Mosquito Waste Reveals Viruses Hiding in Plain Sight (original news release) "Mosquitoes can carry viruses that threaten human health, making surveillance and prevention a continuing public health priority."
Dana Price sets up a ‘mosquito toilet’ for disease surveillance.
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