Application of Infrared Techniques for Characterisation of Vector-Borne Disease Vectors

Abstract

The interest of the entomological community in the application of the Near Infrared (NIR) and Mid Infrared (MIR) spectroscopy techniques for characterisation of insect species has seen a dramatic increase over the last decade. In this chapter, we discuss the application of the Near infrared spectroscopy technique for characterising insects including mosquitoes, triatomine bugs, Culicoides and houseflies under varying environmental and experimental conditions. We focus our discussion on the recent progress made in the application of the NIRS technique to predict the age, species and infection status of mosquito vectors of malaria and arbovirus infections relative to traditional tools such as dissections and molecular techniques and how the tool could be applied in vector surveillance programs to determine disease hotspots and direct current and future interventions. Lastly, we briefly discuss the application of MIR spectroscopy technique for age grading, species identification, blood meal identification and as a potential diagnostic tool for malaria parasites.