MOnitoring Sugar-feeding Activity in Insects for bioactive Compound identification

Vector-borne diseases (VBDs) such as dengue and leishmaniasis account for millions of Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALYs) annually, with the heaviest toll in tropical and subtropical regions. Climate change, land-use change, and insect adaptability are accelerating transmission, while control strategies remain largely insecticide-centred and vulnerable to resistance. A critical but overlooked aspect of insect biology is sugar feeding. Mosquitoes and sand flies depend on plant-derived sugars, and growing evidence shows that certain nectars contain metabolites able to modulate microbiota and block pathogen development. MOSAIC (MOnitoring Sugar-feeding Activity in Insects for bioactive Compound identification) will test whether nectar consumed by Aedes aegypti and Phlebotomus argentipes in Nepal, a biodiversity-rich yet epidemiologically vulnerable setting, can yield antipathogenic leads. The project will: (i) quantify sugar feeding in wild insects; (ii) identify sugar-source plants through multilocus DNA barcoding, and validate visitation under semi-field conditions; and (iii) collect nectar from top-ranked plants, standardize extracts, and assess activity against dengue virus and Leishmania donovani. In parallel, an open-access Nectar-Antipathogen Database (NAD) will combine a PRISMA-guided systematic review with project data, linking plant taxonomy, nectar chemistry, and bioactivity. Cheminformatics will prioritise candidates via structure-activity patterns, guiding assays and reducing costs. Through an integrated ecological, molecular, biochemical, and computational pipeline, MOSAIC will deliver actionable, nature-based evidence to complement vector control, with relevance for resource-limited settings and alignment with WHO's Global Vector Control Response and planetary health goals.