Taichung Veterans General Hospital doctor Chen Yi-hsing shows a vaccine patch for Forcipomyia taiwana bites at the hospital yesterday. Photo: Tsai Shu-yuan, Taipei Times

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Taichung Veterans General Hospital yesterday said it has developed the world’s first vaccine patch to treat bites from the Forcipomyia taiwana, a biting midge also known as the “little black mosquito,” which is responsible for many irritating bites in the summer.

Chen Yi-hsing (陳怡行), a doctor at the hospital’s Department of Allergies, Immunology and Rheumatology, said the human body shows a strong immune reaction to the allergen introduced by the pest.

Common symptoms include blisters, swelling, fever and swollen lymph nodes, she said.

Working with hospital researcher Lee Mei-fang (李美芳), Chen used secretions from the salivary glands of the F taiwana to isolate the allergen and, using protein purification techniques, made a DNA-based vaccine patch.

Tests on laboratory mice showed that applying a single patch for one hour per week for three weeks produced protective antibodies in the rodents, while causing a decline in the immunoglobulin E count, Chen said.

Following treatment, there was a definitive decrease in inflammatory cell infiltration among mice bitten by F taiwana, she said.

The test results showed that the patches are effective, she added.

If used on humans, the patches could have lasting effects for as long as 10 years, Chen said, adding that she hoped to start human trials as soon as possible.

There is a considerable number of people in Taiwan who are allergic to F taiwana bites, she said.

At least 10 percent of the people who went for allergy testing at the hospital turned out to be allergic to the bites, she added.

F taiwana are very small and are more likely to bite exposed skin during the day, Chen said.

As the insects usually move in groups, people who notice a bite have usually been bitten several times already, she said.

Most mosquito repellents have little to no effect against F taiwana and only repellents that contain DEET are effective, she added.

 

 

By Tsai Shu-yuan and Jake Chung / Staff reporter, with staff writer

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