Assessment of antibody responses to Anopheles SG6-P1 and Aedes N-term 34 kDa salivary peptides: a randomised human-challenge trial of controlled exposures to vector bites

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Human antibodies against mosquito salivary proteins are proposed as proxy biomarkers of exposure to vector bites. This trial sought to characterise the boosting and decay dynamics of antibodies against Anopheles SG6-P1 and Aedes N-term 34kDa salivary peptides in a human challenge model of controlled exposure to the main Southeast Asian malaria and global dengue vectors. METHODS: In this single-centre, open-label, randomised, exploratory factorial trial, healthy volunteers aged 18-60 years with no history of recent travel to rural areas were recruited in Mae Sot, Thailand (ClincalTrials.gov: NCT04478370). Participants were randomly assigned to receive either 35 or 305 bites of mosquitos of laboratory-adapted colonies of Anopheles dirus, Anopheles maculatus, Anopheles minimus, Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus using a block randomisation schedule. Samples were collected weekly before, during and after the challenges for 16 weeks. The primary endpoint was total IgG antibodies against Anopheles SG6-P1 peptides measured using high-throughput ELISA and analysed with generalised estimating equations. Outcome assessors were masked to the intervention groups. RESULTS: Between January 21, 2021, and May 10, 2022, 248 volunteers were screened, of whom 210 were randomly assigned to receive either 35 or 305 bites of Ae. aegypti (n = 20 and n = 19, respectively), Ae. albopictus (n = 20, n = 21), An. dirus (n = 21, n = 21), An. maculatus (n = 23, n = 24), or An. minimus (n = 22, n = 19), comprising the intention-to-treat population. In participants exposed to 305 An. minimus bites, total anti-gSG6-P1 IgG levels increased 1.14-fold (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.03-1.26) and 1.18-fold (95% CI 1.05-1.33) during the exposure and post-exposure periods respectively (relative to baseline), with minimal or no boosting observed in other groups. The estimated half-life of anti-gSG6-P1 antibodies was 421 (95% CI 155-688) days. Seven participants were withdrawn due to an adverse event. CONCLUSIONS: Anti-gSG6-P1 antibodies were boosted in response to exposure to 305 bites of An. minimus, but the magnitude of boosting was small and antibodies decayed slowly. Future research is warranted to identify and validate serological markers of vector biting exposures. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The trial was registered in ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT04478370.