The application of metagenomics in the detection of arboviruses in mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidade): a systematic review

Abstract

Advances in deforestation and climate change directly cause changes in habits and the distribution of Culicidae across the globe, especially mosquitoes of medical importance and the main vectors of arboviruses. The viral metagenomics technique can be an important tool in characterizing viral diversity in mosquitoes. Thus, this study aimed to identify evidence of the effectiveness of the viral metagenomics technique in detecting arboviruses in mosquitoes. This is a systematic review based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) 2020 protocol. The research was carried out using five electronic databases: LILACS, PubMed, SciELO, Scopus, and Web of Science, and included studies published in health and interdisciplinary fields, as well as complementary research on Google Scholar. Studies that used the viral metagenomics approach for the genomic evaluation of arboviruses found in mosquito samples were included; the results demonstrated the presence of viral diversity and the identification of the genome of probable pathogenic viruses. The protocol was registered on the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO) platform under the number CRD42024484713. Thus, 249 studies were identified via searches on electronic databases. According to the inclusion/exclusion criteria, only 23 studies met the objectives for the systematic review. In all studies, genomic sequencing was applied to detect viruses, mainly those related to insect-specific viruses (ISV) and arboviruses known to infect humans and animals, belonging to various viral families. Despite the challenges reagrdingthe absence of reference sequences in genomic databases, the effectiveness of the metagenomics technique in characterizing the mosquito virome is clear from the studies, which broadens the understanding of viral diversity.

Figure 1. Formulation of the question based on the PICo acronym and the search strategy used for the systematic review.

Figure 2. PRISMA 2020 flow diagram.