Characterizing Humoral Immune Response to Mosquito Bites (SG6)

January 30, 2026 updated by: University of Oxford

Characterizing the Humoral Immune Response Against Salivary Antigens of Southeast Asian Mosquito Vectors of Malaria and Dengue With a Human Challenge Model

The characteristics of the humoral response directed against mosquito saliva antigens are not known precisely. This is a major limitation for using immunological markers as an outcome in epidemiological trials and as an indicator for operational deployment of interventions. Recent advances in the assembly of the genome of some Anopheles and Aedes mosquito vector species has facilitated the identification of new candidate peptides in silico, using the sequences of orthologous salivary gland proteins and B-cell prediction algorithms. The objective of this study is to assess the humoral immune response directed against candidate peptides following controlled exposure to laboratory-adapted colonies of An. minimus, An. maculatus and An. dirus, Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus.

This research will provide essential information to identify and validate immunological markers of human exposure to malaria and dengue mosquito vectors in Southeast Asia. Immunological markers would be useful to understand transmission dynamics and predict the risk of transmission as part of a surveillance system, and to assess the efficacy of vector-control interventions in entomological trials or during operational deployment of interventions in the region.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

This study is a human challenge model with five arms corresponding to controlled exposure to bites of uninfected laboratory-adapted colonies of Anopheles minimus, An. maculatus, An. dirus, Aedes. aegypti or Ae. albopictus. Following screening and eligibility assessment, 150 participants will be enrolled in the study using a block-randomized design stratified on the mosquito species and number of bites (35 or 305 bites in total) such as to constitute 10 groups of 15 individuals for each of the study condition. Participants will be in the study for 112 days. The baseline will consist of 2 visits over 2 weeks (day 0 and day 7).

In the low-exposure groups, participants will be exposed to 5 mosquito bites at weekly intervals from day 14 to day 56 (seven challenges with 5 mosquito bites/challenge over six weeks, yielding a total of 35 mosquito bites). In the high-exposure group, participants will be exposed to 5 mosquito bites on day 14 and then to 50 mosquito bites at weekly intervals from day 21 to day 56 (one challenge with 5 mosquito bites and six challenges with 50 mosquito bites/challenge over 6 weeks, yielding a total of 305 mosquito bites).

The number of bites and modalities of the follow up used in this study were chosen based on previous entomological investigation conducted in this area, published reports of human challenge with mosquito bites and current knowledge on the characteristic of the humoral response against saliva antigens. Both immediate and delayed skin reactions will be recorded after day 14 and day 21 challenges, requiring additional visits at day 15 and day 22. Participants with hypersensitivity to mosquito bites will be withdrawn from the study. Both capillary and venous blood samples will be collected weekly from each study participant. Eighteen venous blood samples will be collected including one sample of 2 mL drawn during screening visit, 14 samples of 8.6 mL during visits 2, 3, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18 and 19, and 3 samples of 18.6 mL during visits 4, 13 and 20 (178.2 mL of venous blood per participant in total). Seventeen dry blood spot (DBS) samples will be made from of 300 μL of capillary blood collected during visits 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19 and 20 (5.1 mL of capillary blood per participant in total).

Candidate peptides will be identified in silico using publicly available genomes sequences and B-cell epitope prediction algorithms. The kinetic of antibody titers against candidate biomarkers will be assessed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and mesoscale screening performed with serum and DBS specimens. Briefly, the positivity threshold of the assay will be determined using reference sera specimens from individuals not exposed to mosquito bites, as described previously. The ELISA signal measured in 60 reference sera obtained from unexposed individuals (30 Thai sera obtained from the Thai Red Cross and 30 Australian sera obtained from the Burnet Institute) will be used to define the positivity threshold of the assay. The positivity threshold of the assay will be defined as three standard deviation (SD) above the mean optic density (ΔOD) measured for the unexposed control population. A test in the study population with a ΔOD above this cut-off will be considered positive (i.e. an immune response). The specific antibody titer of study samples will be determined by performing serial dilution experiments. Serial dilution will be made from study samples and the ΔOD will be determined for each dilution. The antibody titer will be defined as the highest dilution giving a positive signal. Results obtained with DBS and serum specimens will be compared in order to assess the feasibility of using DBS samples to monitor exposure to bites of mosquitoes during epidemiological studies. Serum specimens collected during visits 4 (baseline), 13 (early after the end of exposure) and 20 (post-exposure) will also be analysed with immuno-proteomic approach (2D gel electrophoresis of salivary gland protein extracts, Western blot and mass spectrometry) yielding additional information on the antigenic properties of mosquito salivary gland proteome.

Planned Sample Size: 150 participants followed-up for 16 weeks

Participant Identification:

Study participants are defined as healthy participants aged between 18 and 60 years old and willing to participate in the study. This study will take place at the Shoklo Malaria Research Unit (SMRU) research centre in Mae Sot.

This study was funded by the Wellcome Trust under the core funding (#220211).

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
147

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Contact Backup

Study Locations

  • Thailand
    • Changwat Tak
      • Mae Sot, Changwat Tak, Thailand, 63110
        • Shoklo Malaria Research Unit (SMRU)

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years to 60 years (Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Healthy male or female participant judged by a responsible physician with no abnormality identified on a medical evaluation;
  • Thai, Burmese or Karen ethnicity;
  • Aged ≥ 18 to <60 years old;
  • Living in Mae Sot city for the last 12 months;
  • Willing to participate in the activity and able to give informed consent for participating in the study;
  • Able to tolerate direct mosquito exposure.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • History of travel in a malaria endemic are (rural village) in the last 12 months, or plan to do so during the study;
  • Medication or condition deemed to interfere with the outcome measure by a responsible physician;
  • Moderate and severe anemia (haemoglobin concentration less than 110 g/L of blood);
  • Hypersensitivity or anaphylaxis to mosquito bites;
  • Pregnant women

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Basic Science
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: An. minimus

This arm will be divided into 2 groups; the low-exposure groups and the high-exposure group.

In the low-exposure group, participants will be exposed to 5 mosquito bites at weekly intervals from day 14 to day 56 (seven challenges with 5 mosquito bites/challenge over six weeks, yielding a total of 35 mosquito bites).

In the high-exposure group, participants will be exposed to 5 mosquito bites on day 14 and then to 50 mosquito bites at weekly intervals from day 21 to day 56 (one challenge with 5 mosquito bites and six challenges with 50 mosquito bites/challenge over 6 weeks, yielding a total of 305 mosquito bites).
Biological: Mosquito bites

Participants will be exposed to mosquito bites.

For the low-dose challenge, five 5 to 7-day-old nulliparous female imagoes (i.e. that have never blood fed before) will be introduced individual into 50 mL plastic tube covered with netting material.

For high-dose challenge, 47 mosquitoes will be split into four plastic cups of 10 cm in diameter covered with netting material (three cups with 12 mosquitoes and one cup with 11 mosquitoes), and 3 mosquitoes will be introduced individually into 50 mL plastic tubes.

Mosquito bites administered on participant's arm will be used to assess immediate and delayed skin reactions. Immediate and delayed skin reactions will be recorded respectively 20-30 min and 24-36 hours after the day 14 and day 21 challenges, requiring additional visits at day 15 and 22.
Experimental: An. maculatus
Same as above
Biological: Mosquito bites

Participants will be exposed to mosquito bites.

For the low-dose challenge, five 5 to 7-day-old nulliparous female imagoes (i.e. that have never blood fed before) will be introduced individual into 50 mL plastic tube covered with netting material.

For high-dose challenge, 47 mosquitoes will be split into four plastic cups of 10 cm in diameter covered with netting material (three cups with 12 mosquitoes and one cup with 11 mosquitoes), and 3 mosquitoes will be introduced individually into 50 mL plastic tubes.

Mosquito bites administered on participant's arm will be used to assess immediate and delayed skin reactions. Immediate and delayed skin reactions will be recorded respectively 20-30 min and 24-36 hours after the day 14 and day 21 challenges, requiring additional visits at day 15 and 22.
Experimental: An. dirus
Same as above
Biological: Mosquito bites

Participants will be exposed to mosquito bites.

For the low-dose challenge, five 5 to 7-day-old nulliparous female imagoes (i.e. that have never blood fed before) will be introduced individual into 50 mL plastic tube covered with netting material.

For high-dose challenge, 47 mosquitoes will be split into four plastic cups of 10 cm in diameter covered with netting material (three cups with 12 mosquitoes and one cup with 11 mosquitoes), and 3 mosquitoes will be introduced individually into 50 mL plastic tubes.

Mosquito bites administered on participant's arm will be used to assess immediate and delayed skin reactions. Immediate and delayed skin reactions will be recorded respectively 20-30 min and 24-36 hours after the day 14 and day 21 challenges, requiring additional visits at day 15 and 22.
Experimental: Ae. aegypti
Same as above
Biological: Mosquito bites

Participants will be exposed to mosquito bites.

For the low-dose challenge, five 5 to 7-day-old nulliparous female imagoes (i.e. that have never blood fed before) will be introduced individual into 50 mL plastic tube covered with netting material.

For high-dose challenge, 47 mosquitoes will be split into four plastic cups of 10 cm in diameter covered with netting material (three cups with 12 mosquitoes and one cup with 11 mosquitoes), and 3 mosquitoes will be introduced individually into 50 mL plastic tubes.

Mosquito bites administered on participant's arm will be used to assess immediate and delayed skin reactions. Immediate and delayed skin reactions will be recorded respectively 20-30 min and 24-36 hours after the day 14 and day 21 challenges, requiring additional visits at day 15 and 22.
Experimental: Ae. albopictus
Same as above
Biological: Mosquito bites

Participants will be exposed to mosquito bites.

For the low-dose challenge, five 5 to 7-day-old nulliparous female imagoes (i.e. that have never blood fed before) will be introduced individual into 50 mL plastic tube covered with netting material.

For high-dose challenge, 47 mosquitoes will be split into four plastic cups of 10 cm in diameter covered with netting material (three cups with 12 mosquitoes and one cup with 11 mosquitoes), and 3 mosquitoes will be introduced individually into 50 mL plastic tubes.

Mosquito bites administered on participant's arm will be used to assess immediate and delayed skin reactions. Immediate and delayed skin reactions will be recorded respectively 20-30 min and 24-36 hours after the day 14 and day 21 challenges, requiring additional visits at day 15 and 22.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Time Frame
Levels of specific antibody titers against candidate peptides before and during repeated exposure to laboratory-reared mosquito bites determined by ELISA and mesoscale screening.
Time Frame: baseline through day 112
baseline through day 112
Kinetics of specific antibody titers against candidate peptides before and during repeated exposure to laboratory-reared mosquito bites determined by ELISA and mesoscale screening.
Time Frame: baseline through day 112
baseline through day 112
Sequence of saliva antigens determined with an immuno-proteomic method (2D gel electrophoresis of salivary gland protein extracts, Western blot and mass spectrometry).
Time Frame: Day 14 through day 112
Day 14 through day 112

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Time Frame
Comparison of the antibody titers determined in subgroups corresponding to different level of exposure.
Time Frame: Day 0, 7 (baseline), 14, 21, 28, 35, 42, 49, 56 (exposure period), 63, 70, 77, 84, 91, 98, 105 and 112 (post-exposure period).
Day 0, 7 (baseline), 14, 21, 28, 35, 42, 49, 56 (exposure period), 63, 70, 77, 84, 91, 98, 105 and 112 (post-exposure period).
Comparison of the antibody titers determined in DBS and venous blood samples.
Time Frame: Day 0, 7 (baseline), 14, 21, 28, 35, 42, 49, 56 (exposure period), 63, 70, 77, 84, 91, 98, 105 and 112 (post-exposure period).
Day 0, 7 (baseline), 14, 21, 28, 35, 42, 49, 56 (exposure period), 63, 70, 77, 84, 91, 98, 105 and 112 (post-exposure period).

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
University of Oxford

Collaborators

Collaborators

An organization other than the sponsor that provides support for a clinical study. This support may include activities related to funding, design, implementation, data analysis, or reporting.
National Health and Medical Research Council, Australia
Burnet Institute
Agency for Science, Technology and Research

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: François Nosten, Shoklo Malaria Research Unit

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
January 21, 2021

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
July 23, 2025

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
July 23, 2025

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
June 29, 2020

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
July 15, 2020

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
July 20, 2020

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
February 3, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
January 30, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
August 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • MAL19009

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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