Molecular Xenomonitoring (MX) allows real-time surveillance of West Nile and Usutu virus in mosquito populations

by Clément Bigeard, Laura Pezzi, Raphaelle Klitting, Nazli Ayhan, Grégory L’Ambert, Nicolas Gomez, Géraldine Piorkowski, Rayane Amaral, Guillaume André Durand, Agathe M. G. Colmant, Cynthia Giraud, Katia Ramiara, Camille Migné, Gilda Grard, Thierry Touzet, Stéphan Zientara, Rémi Charrel, Gaëlle Gonzalez, Alexandre Duvignaud, Denis Malvy, Xavier de Lamballerie, Albin Fontaine

West Nile Virus (WNV) and Usutu virus (USUV) circulate through complex cryptic transmission cycles involving mosquitoes as vectors, birds as amplifying hosts and several mammal species as dead-end hosts. Both viruses can be transmitted to humans through mosquito bites, which can lead to neuroinvasive and potentially fatal disease. Notably, WNV can also be transmitted through blood donations and organ transplants. The high proportion of asymptomatic infections caused by these viruses and their cryptic enzootic circulation make their early detection in the environment challenging. Viral surveillance in France still heavily relies on human and animal surveillance, i.e. late indicators of viral circulation. Entomological surveillance is a method of choice for identifying virus circulation ahead of the first human and animal cases and to reveal their genetic identity, but performing molecular screening of vectors is expensive, and time-consuming. Here we show substantial WNV and USUV co-circulation in Atlantic seaboard of France between July and August 2023 using a non-invasive MX (Molecular Xenomonitoring) method that use trapped mosquito excreta. MX offers significant advantages over traditional entomological surveillance: it is cost-effective and efficient, enabling viral RNA screening from a community of trapped mosquitoes via their excreta, which can be transported at room temperature. Additionally, MX extends the longevity of trapped mosquitoes, enhancing virus detection and simplifying logistics, and is easy to implement without requiring specialized skills. At the crossroads between entomological and environmental surveillance, MX can detect the circulation of zoonotic pathogens in the environment before cases are observed in humans and horses, enabling the timely alerts to health policy makers, allowing them to take suitable control measures.