Costa, M. d. M. | bioRxiv Science

bioRxiv2024

MALDI-TOF MS profiling and its contribution to mosquito-borne diseases: a systematic review

Mosquito-borne diseases are responsible for hundreds of thousands of deaths per year. The identification and control of the vectors that transmit pathogens to humans are crucial for disease prevention and management. Currently, morphological and molecular approaches are the standard methods used for vector identification, however, they present several limitations. In the last decade, matrix assisted laser desorption/ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) profiling emerged as an innovative technology in Biological Sciences and is now considered as a relevant tool for the identification of pathogens and arthropods. Beyond species identification, this tool can be relevant for the determination of different life traits of arthropod vectors. The purpose of the present systematic review was to highlight the contribution of MALDI-TOF MS to the surveillance and control of mosquito-borne diseases. Published articles from January 2003 to September 2023 were retrieved, considering different aspects of mosquito life traits which could be determinant in the transmission of diseases and vector management. The screening of scientific literature resulted in the selection of 54 published articles that assessed MALDI-TOF MS profiling to study various biological factors such species identification, life expectancy, gender, trophic preferences, microbiota and insecticide resistance. Although a large majority of the selected articles focused on species identification, the present review shows that MALDI-TOF MS profiling is promising for identifying various mosquito life traits with rapidity, high throughput capacity, reliability and low cost. The strength and weakness of this proteomic tool for vector control and surveillance are discussed.

ecology↗

bioRxiv2020

Identification of French Guiana anopheline mosquitoes by MALDI-TOF MS profiling using protein signatures from two body parts.

In French Guiana, the malaria, a parasitic infection transmitted by Anopheline mosquitoes, remains a disease of public health importance. To prevent malaria transmission, the main effective way remains Anopheles control. For an effective control, accurate Anopheles species identification is indispensable to distinguish malaria vectors from non-vectors. Although, morphological and molecular methods are largely used, an innovative tool, based on protein pattern comparisons, the Matrix Assisted Laser Desorption / Ionization Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) profiling, emerged this last decade for arthropod identification. However, the limited mosquito fauna diversity of reference MS spectra remains one of the main drawback for it large usage. The aim of the present study was then to create and to share reference MS spectra for the identification of French Guiana Anopheline species. A total of eight distinct Anopheles species, among which four are malaria vectors, were collected in 6 areas. To improve Anopheles identification, two body parts, legs and thoraxes, were independently submitted to MS for the creation of respective reference MS spectra database (DB). This study underlined that double checking by MS enhanced the Anopheles identification confidence and rate of reliable classification. The sharing of this reference MS spectra DB should made easier Anopheles species monitoring in endemic malaria area to help malaria vector control or elimination programs.

microbiology↗