Background: We established the first prospective cohort to understand how infection with dengue virus is influenced by vector-specific determinants such as humoral immunity to Aedes aegypti salivary proteins.
Methods: Children aged 2-9 years were enrolled in the PAGODAS (Pediatric Assessment Group of Dengue and Aedes Saliva) cohort with informed consent by their guardians. Children were followed semi-annually for antibodies to dengue and to proteins in Ae. aegypti salivary gland homogenate using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays and dengue-specific neutralization titers. Children presented with fever at any time for dengue testing.
Results: From 13 July to 30 August 2018, we enrolled 771 children. At baseline, 22% (173/770) had evidence of neutralizing antibodies to 1 or more dengue serotypes. By April 2020, 51 children had symptomatic dengue while 148 dengue-naive children had inapparent dengue defined by neutralization assays. In a multivariate model, individuals with higher antibodies to Ae. aegypti salivary proteins were 1.5 times more likely to have dengue infection (hazard ratio [HR], 1.47 [95% confidence interval {CI}, 1.05-2.06]; P = .02), particularly individuals with inapparent dengue (HR, 1.64 [95% CI, 1.12-2.41]; P = .01).
Conclusions: High levels of seropositivity to Ae. aegypti salivary proteins are associated with future development of dengue infection, primarily inapparent, in dengue-naive Cambodian children.
Clinical trials registration: NCT03534245.
Keywords: Aedes aegypti; Cambodia; dengue; mosquito saliva; pediatric cohort.
Published by Oxford University Press for the Infectious Diseases Society of America 2021.