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. 2018 Apr 21;15(4):820.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph15040820.

Detection of the Invasive Mosquito Species Aedes (Stegomyia) albopictus (Diptera: Culicidae) in Portugal

Affiliations

Detection of the Invasive Mosquito Species Aedes (Stegomyia) albopictus (Diptera: Culicidae) in Portugal

Hugo Costa Osório et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

The Asian tiger mosquito Aedes albopictus is an invasive mosquito originating from the Asia-Pacific region. This species is of major concern to public and veterinary health because of its vector role in the transmission of several pathogens, such as chikungunya, dengue, and Zika viruses. In Portugal, a National Vector Surveillance Network (REde de VIgilância de VEctores—REVIVE) is responsible for the surveillance of autochthonous, but also invasive, mosquito species at points of entry, such as airports, ports, storage areas, and specific border regions with Spain. At these locations, networks of mosquito traps are set and maintained under surveillance throughout the year. In September 2017, Ae. albopictus was detected for the first time in a tyre company located in the North of Portugal. Molecular typing was performed, and a preliminary phylogenetic analysis indicated a high similarity with sequences of Ae. albopictus collected in Europe. A prompt surveillance response was locally implemented to determine its dispersal and abundance, and adult mosquitoes were screened for the presence of arboviral RNA. A total of 103 specimens, 52 immatures and 51 adults, were collected. No pathogenic viruses were detected. Despite the obtained results suggest low abundance of the population locally introduced, the risk of dispersal and potential establishment of Ae. albopictus in Portugal has raised concern for autochthonous mosquito-borne disease outbreaks.

Keywords: Aedes albopictus; DNA barcoding; Portugal; REVIVE; arboviruses; invasive mosquito species.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
(A) In red, the positive location for Ae. albopictus in Portugal, municipality of Penafiel (LAU 1), parish of Guilhufe and Urrô (LAU 2) (41°11′08.1′′ N 8°19′45.7′′ W). In grey, the municipalities (LAU 1) surveyed under REVIVE in 2017; (B) Distribution map of traps and breeding sites (black points) in the premises of the tyre company and in the 200 m perimeter buffer around the company (rose area). The pink circles indicate the positive sites for the presence of Ae. albopictus.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Phylogenetic analysis of Ae. albopictus sequences using partial COI sequence region. The maximum likelihood phylogenetic tree was inferred on the basis of 29 partial cytochrome oxidase I (COI) nucleotide sequences (660 bp) by using Molecular Evolutionary Genetics Analysis (MEGA) version 7 software. Distance matrices were calculated using the T92+G model. Bootstrap values obtained from 1000 replicate trees are shown for key nodes (more than 70%). The scale is shown at the bottom as substitutions per site. GenBank accession number and origin are indicated. The Ae. albopictus sequence related to this work is highlighted in blue.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Number of Ae. albopictus specimens identified during REVIVE activities at Urrô site from 12 June to 20 December 2017.

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