Study of the association between mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) and arbovirus through Topological Data Analysis Techniques

• Grant number: 19/22986-1
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: June 01, 2020
• End date: April 30, 2021
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Collective Health - Epidemiology
• Principal Investigator: Claudio José von Zuben
• Grantee: Laís Fernanda Serra Neves
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biociências (IB). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Rio Claro. Rio Claro , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Viruses that rely on hematophagous arthropods as vectors to reach their vertebrate hosts are known as arboviruses (arthropod - borne viruses). In terms of public health, many arboviruses have been noted in recent years with a significant number of human cases (such as dengue, zika, chikungunya, and yellow fever) and generally involve culicid species as vectors. Although many studies have been conducted involving various epidemiological aspects of these mosquito-borne arboviruses, it is not yet clear what other arboviruses can potentially be carried by mosquitoes (and by which groups of these dipterans). For this reason, this project aims to better understand the associations between arboviruses and mosquitoes, using topological data analysis (TDA) techniques to investigate data obtained from the International Catalog of Arboviruses, available online. There are a total of 537 arboviruses (confirmed, probable or possible) recorded in this Catalog that will be considered. The results to be obtained may help to better understand the epidemiology of mosquito-borne viral diseases worldwide.