Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2019 Jul 5;4(3):101.
doi: 10.3390/tropicalmed4030101.

Intercepted Mosquitoes at New Zealand's Ports of Entry, 2001 to 2018: Current Status and Future Concerns

Sherif E Ammar  1 , Mary Mclntyre  2 , Tom Swan  3 , Julia Kasper  4 , José G B Derraik  5 , Michael G Baker  2 , Simon Hales  2
Affiliations

Intercepted Mosquitoes at New Zealand's Ports of Entry, 2001 to 2018: Current Status and Future Concerns

Sherif E Ammar et al. Trop Med Infect Dis. .

Abstract

Mosquito vectors are extending their range via international travel and trade. Climate change makes New Zealand an increasingly suitable environment for less tropically adapted exotic mosquito vectors to become established. This shift will add a multiplier effect to existing risks of both the establishment of new species and of resident exotic species extending into new areas. We describe trends in the border interceptions of exotic mosquitoes and evaluate the role of imported goods as a pathway for these introductions. Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus, the two most commonly intercepted species, were only intercepted in Auckland. Used tyres and machinery were the main mode of entry for both species. The majority of Ae. albopictus were transported as larvae by sea, while most Ae. aegypti were transported as adults by air. Continuing introductions of these mosquitoes, mainly arriving via Japan or Australia, increase the risk of the local transmission of mosquito-borne diseases in New Zealand in general and in the Auckland region in particular. These findings reinforce the need for a high performing and adequately resourced national biosecurity system, particularly port surveillance and inspection. Recommended biosecurity improvements are described.

Keywords: Aedes aegypti; Aedes albopictus; New Zealand; climate change; interception; machinery; mosquitoes; used tyres; vector-borne diseases.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Ports of entry of mosquito interceptions in New Zealand, July 2001–March 2018.
Figure 2
Figure 2
New Zealand Interception records, July 2001–March 2018.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Ae. aegypti, Ae. Albopictus, and total foreign mosquito interception records in New Zealand, July 2001–December 2017.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Monthly records of Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus intercepted in New Zealand, July 2001–December 2017.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Gratz N.G., Steffen R., Cocksedge W. Why aircraft disinsection? Bull. World Health Organ. 2000;78:995–1004. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Lounibos L.P. Invasions by insect vectors of human disease. Annu. Rev. Entomol. 2002;47:233–266. doi: 10.1146/annurev.ento.47.091201.145206. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Tatem A.J., Rogers D.J., Hay S. Global transport networks and infectious disease spread. Adv. Parasitol. 2006;62:293–343. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Semenza J.C., Suk J.E. Vector-borne diseases and climate change: A European perspective. FEMS Microbiol. Lett. 2017;365:fnx244. doi: 10.1093/femsle/fnx244. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Enserink M. A mosquito goes global. Science. 2008;320:864–866. doi: 10.1126/science.320.5878.864. - DOI - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources