bims-mosdis Biomed News
on Mosquito distribution and disease
Issue of 2022–08–07
ten papers selected by
Richard Halfpenny, Staffordshire University
  1. Safety, regulatory and environmental issues with sterile insect technique-based mosquito vector control in European countries.
  2. Life table, survival, and fecundity parameters of Aedes albopictus (Diptera: Culicidae) strains from desert and coastal regions of India.
  3. WEST NILE VIRUS SURVEILLANCE IN SENTINEL CHICKENS AND MOSQUITOES IN PANAMA CITY BEACH, FLORIDA, FROM 2014 TO 2020.
  4. Past, present and future distribution of the yellow fever mosquito Aedes aegypti: The European paradox.
  5. Zika vector competence data reveals risks of outbreaks: the contribution of the European ZIKAlliance project.
  6. Assessing the associations between Aedes larval indices and dengue risk in Kalutara district, Sri Lanka: a hierarchical time series analysis from 2010 to 2019.
  7. THE DISTRIBUTION OF URANOTAENIA SAPPHIRINA AND UR. SOCIALIS IN TABASCO, SOUTHERN MEXICO.
  8. Aedes koreicus, a vector on the rise: Pan-European genetic patterns, mitochondrial and draft genome sequencing.
  9. Population knowledge, attitudes and practices towards malaria prevention in the locality of Makenene, Centre-Cameroon.
  10. Sindbis virus outbreak and evidence for geographical expansion in Finland, 2021.
  1. Rev Sci Tech. 2022 May;41(1): 170-177
    Safety, regulatory and environmental issues with sterile insect technique-based mosquito vector control in European countries.
    R Bellini.
      The globalisation of trade is opening the way to the spread of species in new regions where they may cause negative impacts. Invasive mosquito species such as Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus are raising concern for their capacity to transmit several arboviruses of public health and veterinary importance. Currently available integrated vector management measures do not achieve satisfactory results when deployed against these urban mosquitoes. Moreover, insecticides are losing their effectiveness owing to the resistance developed by the target species. Policies regulating the use of insecticides are progressively restricting their market availability and this trend is expected to continue. Genetic control methods, such as the sterile insect technique (SIT), based on the use of irradiation to sterilise male mosquitoes, are showing good efficacy in pilot trials at local scales in some Aedes albopictus-colonised urban areas in Europe, without any negative effects. The main limitation is the cost, which may be significantly reduced through the introduction of automation in the mass rearing and drone technology in the field release. These technological advancements require substantial investments at a scale that can only be achieved with centralised production and extensive distribution, which in turn may be granted only if the authorisation frameworks, including the regulation of international transportation and aerial release in an urban setting, are clarified and matured.
    Keywords:  Aedes aegypti; Aedes albopictus; Drone release; Insect sexual sterility; Mass rearing technology; Mosquito genetic control
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.20506/rst.41.1.3314
  2. Acta Trop. 2022 Jul 29. pii: S0001-706X(22)00317-5. [Epub ahead of print] 106625
    Life table, survival, and fecundity parameters of Aedes albopictus (Diptera: Culicidae) strains from desert and coastal regions of India.
    Souvik De, Gaurav Sharma, Rashmi Bhattacherjee, Udita Mandal, Dhriti Banerjee, Devi Shankar Suman.
      The Asian tiger mosquito, Aedes albopictus (Skuse, 1895) is the anthropophilic and day-biter mosquito, residing in peridomestic habitats and is responsible for vector-borne diseases i.e., chikungunya and dengue. The knowledge of mosquito life demographics is very important to provide a foundation for a successful vector control program. In the present study, a comparative adult life table, survival, and fecundity parameters were evaluated on desert (Jodhpur, Rajasthan) and coastal (Kolkata, West Bengal) strains of Aedes albopictus (Diptera: Culicidae) from India under the standard laboratory conditions. The results showed significant differences between these strains for the life expectancy of males, fecundity (total eggs/cohort and eggs/female life span), oviposition days, intrinsic rate of increase (rm), finite rate of increase (λ), and doubling time (DT). Female mosquitoes lived longer than the males in both strains. Significant differences were observed in the net reproductive rate (R0) between Kolkata and Jodhpur strains. The coastal (Kolkata) strain showed a longer male life expectancy (5.6 days) than the desert strain (4.0 days). However, the fecundity (eggs/female lifespan) was higher in Kolkata (360.2) than the Jodhpur strain (229.7). The Kolkata strain showed higher R0, rm, λ, and the lower T, DT than the Jodhpur strain. Conclusively, the results indicate that the coastal strain of Ae. albopictus is more r-strategist than the desert strain. This study may help in the precise prediction of Ae. albopictus population dynamics surviving in these geographical areas for vector management.
    Keywords:  Mosquitoes; ecological variations; fecundity; population dynamics; survival
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actatropica.2022.106625
  3. J Am Mosq Control Assoc. 2022 Aug 04.
    WEST NILE VIRUS SURVEILLANCE IN SENTINEL CHICKENS AND MOSQUITOES IN PANAMA CITY BEACH, FLORIDA, FROM 2014 TO 2020.
    Michael T Riles, Dale Martin, Cindy Mulla, Eddie Summers, Lee Duke, James Clauson, Lindsay P Campbell, Bryan V Giordano.
      Over 20 years since its introduction, the West Nile virus (WNV) continues to be the leading cause of arboviral disease in the USA. In Panama City Beach (Bay County, FL), WNV transmission is monitored using sentinel chickens and testing mosquito pools for presence of viral RNA. In the current work, we monitored WNV transmission from 2014 to 2020 through weekly serology sampling of sentinel chickens; mosquito populations through biweekly mosquito collections by suction traps (1 m and 9 m) and weekly gravid trap collections; and mosquito infection rates using a reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay. Samples were sent to the Bureau of Public Health Laboratories (Tampa, FL) for testing presence/absence of WNV via RT-PCR assay. Our results indicated that canopy surveillance could augment ground collections, providing greater proportions of Culex mosquitoes with less bycatch compared with ground collections. Serology indicated 94 seroconversions to WNV in the study area from 2014 to 2020. The most active year was 2016, which accounted for 32% (n = 30) of all seroconversions reported during the study period. We detected 20 WNV-positive mosquito pools from Culex quinquefasciatus during 2014-17; mosquito infection rates ranged from 2.02 to 23.81 per thousand (95% CI). Climate data indicated anomalously high precipitation in 2014-19 preceding WNV transmission. Data analyzed herein indicate utility in year-round continuous and diversified surveillance methodologies. This information is needed to properly calibrate future models that could assist with predicting transmission events of WNV in Panama City Beach, FL.
    Keywords:  Canopy; Culicidae; West Nile virus; sentinel chicken; surveillance
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.2987/22-7074
  4. Sci Total Environ. 2022 Jul 27. pii: S0048-9697(22)04664-2. [Epub ahead of print] 157566
    Past, present and future distribution of the yellow fever mosquito Aedes aegypti: The European paradox.
    William Wint, Peter Jones, Moritz Kraemer, Neil Alexander, Francis Schaffner.
      The global distribution of the yellow fever mosquito Aedes aegypti is the subject of considerable attention because of its pivotal role as a biological vector of several high profile disease pathogens including dengue, chikungunya, yellow fever, and Zika viruses. There is also a lot of interest in the projected future species' distribution. However, less effort has been focused on its historical distribution, which has changed substantially over the past 100 years, especially in southern Europe where it was once widespread, but largely disappeared by the middle of the 20th century. The present work utilises all available historical records of the distribution of Ae. aegypti in southern Europe, the Near East within the Mediterranean Basin and North Africa from the late 19th century until the 1960's to construct a spatial distribution model using matching historical climatic and demographic data. The resulting model was then implemented using current climate and demographic data to assess the potential distribution of the vector in the present. The models were rerun with several different assumptions about the thresholds that determine habitat suitability for Ae. aegypti. The historical model matches the historical distributions well. When it is run with current climate values, the predicted present day distribution is somewhat broader than it used to be particularly in north-west France, North Africa and Turkey. Though it is beginning to reappear in the eastern Caucasus, this 'potential' distribution clearly does not match the actual distribution of the species, which suggests some other factors are responsible for its absence. Future distributions based on the historical model also do not match future distributions derived from models based only on present day vector distributions, which predict little or no presence in the Mediterranean Region. At the same time, the vector is widespread in the USA which is predicted to consolidate its range there in future. This contradiction and the implication for possible re-invasion of Europe are discussed.
    Keywords:  Culicidae; Historical distribution; Spatial modelling; Vector-borne diseases; Western Palaearctic region
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.157566
  5. Nat Commun. 2022 Aug 02. 13(1): 4490
    Zika vector competence data reveals risks of outbreaks: the contribution of the European ZIKAlliance project.
    Thomas Obadia, Gladys Gutierrez-Bugallo, Veasna Duong, Ana I Nuñez, Rosilainy S Fernandes, Basile Kamgang, Liza Hery, Yann Gomard, Sandra R Abbo, Davy Jiolle, Uros Glavinic, Myrielle Dupont-Rouzeyrol, Célestine M Atyame, Nicolas Pocquet, Sébastien Boyer, Catherine Dauga, Marie Vazeille, André Yébakima, Michael T White, Constantianus J M Koenraadt, Patrick Mavingui, Anubis Vega-Rua, Eva Veronesi, Gorben P Pijlman, Christophe Paupy, Núria Busquets, Ricardo Lourenço-de-Oliveira, Xavier De Lamballerie, Anna-Bella Failloux.
      First identified in 1947, Zika virus took roughly 70 years to cause a pandemic unusually associated with virus-induced brain damage in newborns. Zika virus is transmitted by mosquitoes, mainly Aedes aegypti, and secondarily, Aedes albopictus, both colonizing a large strip encompassing tropical and temperate regions. As part of the international project ZIKAlliance initiated in 2016, 50 mosquito populations from six species collected in 12 countries were experimentally infected with different Zika viruses. Here, we show that Ae. aegypti is mainly responsible for Zika virus transmission having the highest susceptibility to viral infections. Other species play a secondary role in transmission while Culex mosquitoes are largely non-susceptible. Zika strain is expected to significantly modulate transmission efficiency with African strains being more likely to cause an outbreak. As the distribution of Ae. aegypti will doubtless expand with climate change and without new marketed vaccines, all the ingredients are in place to relive a new pandemic of Zika.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-32234-y
  6. Parasit Vectors. 2022 Aug 03. 15(1): 277
    Assessing the associations between Aedes larval indices and dengue risk in Kalutara district, Sri Lanka: a hierarchical time series analysis from 2010 to 2019.
    Prasad Liyanage, Yesim Tozan, Hasitha Aravinda Tissera, Hans J Overgaard, Joacim Rocklöv.
       BACKGROUND: Dengue is a major public health problem in Sri Lanka. Aedes vector surveillance and monitoring of larval indices are routine, long-established public health practices in the country. However, the association between Aedes larval indices and dengue incidence is poorly understood. It is crucial to evaluate lagged effects and threshold values of Aedes larval indices to set pragmatic targets for sustainable vector control interventions.
    METHODS: Monthly Aedes larval indices and dengue cases in all 10 Medical Officer of Health (MOH) divisions in Kalutara district were obtained from 2010 to 2019. Using a novel statistical approach, a distributed lag non-linear model and a two-staged hierarchical meta-analysis, we estimated the overall non-linear and delayed effects of the Premise Index (PI), Breteau Index (BI) and Container Index (CI) on dengue incidence in Kalutara district. A set of MOH division-specific variables were evaluated within the same meta-analytical framework to determine their moderator effects on dengue risk. Using generalized additive models, we assessed the utility of Aedes larval indices in predicting dengue incidence.
    RESULTS: We found that all three larval indices were associated with dengue risk at a lag of 1 to 2 months. The relationship between PI and dengue was homogeneous across MOH divisions, whereas that with BI and CI was heterogeneous. The threshold values of BI, PI and CI associated with dengue risk were 2, 15 and 45, respectively. All three indices showed a low to moderate accuracy in predicting dengue risk in Kalutara district.
    CONCLUSIONS: This study showed the potential of vector surveillance information in Kalutara district in developing a threshold-based, location-specific early warning system with a lead time of 2 months. The estimated thresholds are nonetheless time-bound and may not be universally applicable. Whenever longitudinal vector surveillance data areavailable, the methodological framework we propose here can be used to estimate location-specific Aedes larval index thresholds in any other dengue-endemic setting.
    Keywords:  Aedes larval indices; Dengue risk; Kalutara; Lags; Sri Lanka; Thresholds
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1186/s13071-022-05377-6
  7. J Am Mosq Control Assoc. 2022 Aug 01.
    THE DISTRIBUTION OF URANOTAENIA SAPPHIRINA AND UR. SOCIALIS IN TABASCO, SOUTHERN MEXICO.
    Aldo I Ortega-Morales, Luis M Rodríguez-Martínez, William Méndez-Alvarado, Javier A Garza-Hernández, Isaias López-Hernández, Miguel Medrano-Santillana, Cassandra González-Acosta, Fabián Correa-Morales.
      In Mexico, the genus Uranotaenia includes 11 species distributed mainly in the tropical and subtropical regions in the southeast of the country. Uranotaenia sapphirina has been reported in 18 states in Mexico: Campeche, Coahuila, Colima, Chiapas, Guerrero, Hidalgo, Jalisco, Mexico City, Mexico State, Michoacán, Morelos, Oaxaca, Quintana Roo, Sinaloa, Tabasco, Tamaulipas, Veracruz, and Yucatán; whereas Ur. socialis has been reported in Chiapas and Quintana Roo. In recent surveillance studies of mosquito species in Tabasco, Ur. sapphirina and Ur. socialis were omitted due to the lack of recent collection records, but in historical records, the presence of Ur. sapphirina and one species consistent with the description of Ur. socialis were mentioned. During a mosquito survey collection, immature stages from ground-level natural habitats in conservation areas of Tabasco, Ur. sapphirina and Ur. socialis were collected in association with Anopheles albimanus, Culex erraticus, Mansonia titillans, and Ur. lowii. Additionally, 2 Mexican entomological collections were reviewed, searching additional records of those species. An identification key to separate larvae and adult females of Ur. sapphirina and Ur. socialis is provided. With the addition of Ur. sapphirina and Ur. socialis to the mosquito fauna of Tabasco, there are currently 107 species in the state, being the 3rd state in Mexico with the highest richness of mosquito species. Specimens collected during this study were deposited in the Collection of the Entomological and Bioassay Research Unit of Tabasco.
    Keywords:   Uranotaenia sapphirina ; Uranotaenia socialis ; Distribution; Mexico; Tabasco
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.2987/22-7064
  8. PLoS One. 2022 ;17(8): e0269880
    Aedes koreicus, a vector on the rise: Pan-European genetic patterns, mitochondrial and draft genome sequencing.
    Kornélia Kurucz, Safia Zeghbib, Daniele Arnoldi, Giovanni Marini, Mattia Manica, Alice Michelutti, Fabrizio Montarsi, Isra Deblauwe, Wim Van Bortel, Nathalie Smitz, Wolf Peter Pfitzner, Christina Czajka, Artur Jöst, Katja Kalan, Jana Šušnjar, Vladimir Ivović, Anett Kuczmog, Zsófia Lanszki, Gábor Endre Tóth, Balázs A Somogyi, Róbert Herczeg, Péter Urbán, Rubén Bueno-Marí, Zoltán Soltész, Gábor Kemenesi.
       BACKGROUND: The mosquito Aedes koreicus (Edwards, 1917) is a recent invader on the European continent that was introduced to several new places since its first detection in 2008. Compared to other exotic Aedes mosquitoes with public health significance that invaded Europe during the last decades, this species' biology, behavior, and dispersal patterns were poorly investigated to date.
    METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: To understand the species' population relationships and dispersal patterns within Europe, a fragment of the cytochrome oxidase I (COI or COX1) gene was sequenced from 130 mosquitoes, collected from five countries where the species has been introduced and/or established. Oxford Nanopore and Illumina sequencing techniques were combined to generate the first complete nuclear and mitochondrial genomic sequences of Ae. koreicus from the European region. The complete genome of Ae. koreicus is 879 Mb. COI haplotype analyses identified five major groups (altogether 31 different haplotypes) and revealed a large-scale dispersal pattern between European Ae. koreicus populations. Continuous admixture of populations from Belgium, Italy, and Hungary was highlighted, additionally, haplotype diversity and clustering indicate a separation of German sequences from other populations, pointing to an independent introduction of Ae. koreicus to Europe. Finally, a genetic expansion signal was identified, suggesting the species might be present in more locations than currently detected.
    CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Our results highlight the importance of genetic research of invasive mosquitoes to understand general dispersal patterns, reveal main dispersal routes and form the baseline of future mitigation actions. The first complete genomic sequence also provides a significant leap in the general understanding of this species, opening the possibility for future genome-related studies, such as the detection of 'Single Nucleotide Polymorphism' markers. Considering its public health importance, it is crucial to further investigate the species' population genetic dynamic, including a larger sampling and additional genomic markers.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0269880
  9. Malar J. 2022 Aug 05. 21(1): 234
    Population knowledge, attitudes and practices towards malaria prevention in the locality of Makenene, Centre-Cameroon.
    Joel Djoufounna, Roland Bamou, Marie Paul Audrey Mayi, Nelly Armanda Kala-Chouakeu, Raymond Tabue, Parfait Awono-Ambene, Dorothy Achu-Fosah, Christophe Antonio-Nkondjio, Timoléon Tchuinkam.
       BACKGROUND: To contribute to the mission of the National Malaria Control Programme (NMCP) and guide future interventions in Cameroon in general, and in Makenene in particular, this study assessed the knowledge, attitudes and practices of the population of Makenene towards the fight against malaria.
    METHODS: Using a semi-structured questionnaire, a descriptive cross-sectional household community survey was carried out in randomly selected households in Makenene, a locality situated between forest and savannah ecotypes.
    RESULTS: Out of the 413 households surveyed, all (100%) claimed to have heard of malaria with over 94% (n = 391) associating disease transmission with mosquito bites. The main mosquito control tools used in the area were mosquito nets (92.25%). The majority of participants had good knowledge (55.93%; n = 231), good practices (71.67%, n = 296) but moderate attitudes (47.94%; n = 198) towards malaria control and fight. Good knowledge and practices were recorded mostly in educated persons including public servants and students. Good attitudes were adopted mostly by public servants and students of secondary and higher levels of education.
    CONCLUSION: In Makenene, the population exhibits good knowledge and practices towards malaria and its control. However, despite high LLINs ownership and use, people still complain about malaria in the area. Control tools should be monitored, repaired or replaced when necessary to support the achievement of the NMCP mission.
    Keywords:  Attitudes; Households; Knowledge; Makenene; Malaria; Practices
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1186/s12936-022-04253-z
  10. Euro Surveill. 2022 Aug;27(31):
    Sindbis virus outbreak and evidence for geographical expansion in Finland, 2021.
    Maija T Suvanto, Ruut Uusitalo, Eveline Otte Im Kampe, Tytti Vuorinen, Satu Kurkela, Olli Vapalahti, Timothée Dub, Eili Huhtamo, Essi M Korhonen.
      Sindbis virus (SINV) caused a large outbreak in Finland in 2021 with 566 laboratory-confirmed human cases and a notable geographical expansion. Compared with the last large outbreak in 2002, incidence was higher in several hospital districts but lower in traditionally endemic locations in eastern parts of the country. A high incidence is also expected in 2022. Awareness of SINV should be raised in Finland to increase recognition of the disease and prevent transmission through the promotion of control measures.
    Keywords:  Finland; Pogosta disease; Sindbis virus; mosquito-borne virus; outbreak
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2022.27.31.2200580
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