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De Coninck L, Soto A, Wang L, De Wolf K, Smitz N, Deblauwe I, Mbigha Donfack KC, Müller R, Delang L, Matthijnssens J. Lack of abundant core virome in Culex mosquitoes from a temperate climate region despite a mosquito species-specific virome. mSystems 2024; 9:e0001224. [PMID: 38742876 PMCID: PMC11237611 DOI: 10.1128/msystems.00012-24] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2024] [Accepted: 04/15/2024] [Indexed: 05/16/2024] Open
Abstract
In arthropod-associated microbial communities, insect-specific viruses (ISVs) are prevalent yet understudied due to limited infectivity outside their natural hosts. However, ISVs might play a crucial role in regulating mosquito populations and influencing arthropod-borne virus transmission. Some studies have indicated a core virome in mosquitoes consisting of mostly ISVs. Employing single mosquito metagenomics, we comprehensively profiled the virome of native and invasive mosquito species in Belgium. This approach allowed for accurate host species determination, prevalence assessment of viruses and Wolbachia, and the identification of novel viruses. Contrary to our expectations, no abundant core virome was observed in Culex mosquitoes from Belgium. In that regard, we caution against rigidly defining mosquito core viromes and encourage nuanced interpretations of other studies. Nonetheless, our study identified 45 viruses of which 28 were novel, enriching our understanding of the mosquito virome and ISVs. We showed that the mosquito virome in this study is species-specific and less dependent on the location where mosquitoes from the same species reside. In addition, because Wolbachia has previously been observed to influence arbovirus transmission, we report the prevalence of Wolbachia in Belgian mosquitoes and the detection of several Wolbachia mobile genetic elements. The observed prevalence ranged from 83% to 92% in members from the Culex pipiens complex.IMPORTANCECulex pipiens mosquitoes are important vectors for arboviruses like West Nile virus and Usutu virus. Virome studies on individual Culex pipiens, and on individual mosquitoes in general, have been lacking. To mitigate this, we sequenced the virome of 190 individual Culex and 8 individual Aedes japonicus mosquitoes. We report the lack of a core virome in these mosquitoes from Belgium and caution the interpretation of other studies in this light. The discovery of new viruses in this study will aid our comprehension of insect-specific viruses and the mosquito virome in general in relation to mosquito physiology and mosquito population dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lander De Coninck
- KU Leuven, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, Rega Institute, Division of Clinical and Epidemiological Virology, Laboratory of Viral Metagenomics, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Alina Soto
- KU Leuven, Department of Microbiology, Immunology, & Transplantation, Rega Institute, Laboratory of Virology and Chemotherapy, Mosquito Virology Team, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Lanjiao Wang
- KU Leuven, Department of Microbiology, Immunology, & Transplantation, Rega Institute, Laboratory of Virology and Chemotherapy, Mosquito Virology Team, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Katrien De Wolf
- Department Biomedical Sciences, The Unit of Entomology, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium
- Department of Biology, Terrestrial Ecology Unit, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Nathalie Smitz
- Department of Biology, Royal Museum for Central Africa (Barcoding Facility for Organisms and Tissues of Policy Concern), Tervuren, Belgium
| | - Isra Deblauwe
- Department Biomedical Sciences, The Unit of Entomology, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Karelle Celes Mbigha Donfack
- KU Leuven, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, Rega Institute, Division of Clinical and Epidemiological Virology, Laboratory of Viral Metagenomics, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Ruth Müller
- Department Biomedical Sciences, The Unit of Entomology, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Leen Delang
- KU Leuven, Department of Microbiology, Immunology, & Transplantation, Rega Institute, Laboratory of Virology and Chemotherapy, Mosquito Virology Team, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Jelle Matthijnssens
- KU Leuven, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, Rega Institute, Division of Clinical and Epidemiological Virology, Laboratory of Viral Metagenomics, Leuven, Belgium
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Pierreux J, Bottieau E, Florence E, Maniewski U, Bruggemans A, Malotaux J, Martin C, Cox J, Konopnicki D, Guetens P, Verschueren J, Coppens J, Van Esbroeck M, Mutsaers M, Rosanas-Urgell A. Failure of artemether-lumefantrine therapy in travellers returning to Belgium with Plasmodium falciparum malaria: an observational case series with genomic analysis. J Travel Med 2024; 31:taad165. [PMID: 38157311 DOI: 10.1093/jtm/taad165] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2023] [Revised: 12/14/2023] [Accepted: 12/18/2023] [Indexed: 01/03/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Failure of artemisinin-based combination therapy is increasingly reported in patients with Plasmodium falciparum malaria in sub-Saharan Africa. We aimed to describe the clinical and genomic characteristics of recent cases of P. falciparum malaria failing artemether-lumefantrine in Belgium. METHODS Travel-related cases of malaria confirmed at the national reference laboratory of the Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium, were reviewed. All cases for which attending clinicians reported persistence (beyond Day 3 post-treatment initiation, i.e. early failure) or recrudescence (from Day 7 to 42, i.e. late failure) of P. falciparum parasites despite adequate drug intake were analysed. Both initial and persistent/recurrent samples were submitted to next generation sequencing to investigate resistance-conferring mutations. RESULTS From July 2022 to June 2023, eight P. falciparum cases of failure with artemether-lumefantrine therapy were reported (early failure = 1; late failure = 7). All travellers were returning from sub-Saharan Africa, most (6/8) after a trip to visit friends and relatives. PfKelch13 (PF3D7_1343700) mutations associated with resistance to artemisinin were found in two travellers returning from East Africa, including the validated marker R561H in the patient with early failure and the candidate marker A675V in a patient with late failure. Additional mutations were detected that could contribute to decreased susceptibility to artemisinin in another three cases, lumefantrine in six cases and proguanil in all eight participants. Various regimens were used to treat the persistent/recrudescent cases, with favourable outcome. CONCLUSION Within a 12-month period, we investigated eight travellers returning from sub-Saharan Africa with P. falciparum malaria and in whom artemether-lumefantrine failure was documented. Mutations conferring resistance to antimalarials were found in all analysed blood samples, especially against lumefantrine and proguanil, but also artemisinin. There is a pressing need for systematic genomic surveillance of resistance to antimalarials in international travellers with P. falciparum malaria, especially those experiencing treatment failure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan Pierreux
- Infectious Diseases Department, Saint-Pierre University Hospital, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels 1000, Belgium
| | - Emmanuel Bottieau
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp 2000, Belgium
| | - Eric Florence
- Department of General Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases, University Hospital of Antwerp, Antwerp 2000, Belgium
| | - Ula Maniewski
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp 2000, Belgium
| | - Anne Bruggemans
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp 2000, Belgium
| | - Jiska Malotaux
- Department of General Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent 9000, Belgium
| | - Charlotte Martin
- Infectious Diseases Department, Saint-Pierre University Hospital, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels 1000, Belgium
| | - Janneke Cox
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Immunity, Jessa Hospital, Hasselt 3500, Belgium
- Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences, University of Hasselt, Hasselt 3500, Belgium
| | - Deborah Konopnicki
- Infectious Diseases Department, Saint-Pierre University Hospital, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels 1000, Belgium
| | - Pieter Guetens
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp 2000, Belgium
| | - Jacob Verschueren
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp 2000, Belgium
| | - Jasmine Coppens
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp 2000, Belgium
| | - Marjan Van Esbroeck
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp 2000, Belgium
| | - Mathijs Mutsaers
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp 2000, Belgium
| | - Anna Rosanas-Urgell
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp 2000, Belgium
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Kessel J, Rosanas-Urgell A, Dingwerth T, Goetsch U, Haller J, Huits R, Kattenberg JH, Meinecke A, Monsieurs P, Sroka M, Witte T, Wolf T. Investigation of an airport-associated cluster of falciparum malaria in Frankfurt, Germany, 2022. Euro Surveill 2024; 29:2300298. [PMID: 38304950 PMCID: PMC10835754 DOI: 10.2807/1560-7917.es.2024.29.5.2300298] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2023] [Accepted: 09/19/2023] [Indexed: 02/03/2024] Open
Abstract
Airport malaria is uncommon but increasing in Europe and often difficult to diagnose. We describe the clinical, epidemiological and environmental investigations of a cluster of airport malaria cases and measures taken in response. Three Frankfurt International Airport employees without travel histories to malaria-endemic areas were diagnosed with Plasmodium falciparum malaria in Germany in 2022. Two cases were diagnosed within 1 week, and the third one after 10 weeks. Two cases had severe disease, all three recovered fully. The cases worked in separate areas and no specific location for the transmissions could be identified. No additional cases were detected among airport employees. In June and July, direct flights from Equatorial Guinea, Nigeria and Angola and one parcel originating in Ghana arrived at Frankfurt airport. No vector-competent mosquitoes could be trapped to identify the source of the outbreak. Whole genome sequencing of P. falciparum genomes showed a high genetic relatedness between samples of the three cases and suggested the geographical origin closest to Ghana. A diagnosis of airport malaria should prompt appropriate and comprehensive outbreak investigations to identify the source and to prevent severe forms of falciparum malaria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johanna Kessel
- Goethe University, University Hospital Frankfurt, Department of Infectious Diseases, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Anna Rosanas-Urgell
- Unit of Malariology, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Tobias Dingwerth
- Medical Center Frankfurt, Medical Services & Health Management Lufthansa Group, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Udo Goetsch
- Municipal Health Protection Authority, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Jonas Haller
- Goethe University, Department of Integrative parasitology and animal physiology, Frankfurt, Germany
- Municipal Health Protection Authority, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Ralph Huits
- Department of Infectious Tropical Diseases and Microbiology, IRCCS Sacro Cuore Don Calabria Hospital, Negrar di Valpolicella, Verona, Italy
| | - Johanna H Kattenberg
- Unit of Malariology, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Anna Meinecke
- Hannover Medical School, Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, Hannover, Germany
| | - Pieter Monsieurs
- Unit of Malariology, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium
| | | | - Torsten Witte
- Hannover Medical School, Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, Hannover, Germany
| | - Timo Wolf
- Goethe University, University Hospital Frankfurt, Department of Infectious Diseases, Frankfurt, Germany
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Touray M, Bakirci S, Ulug D, Gulsen SH, Cimen H, Yavasoglu SI, Simsek FM, Ertabaklar H, Ozbel Y, Hazir S. Arthropod vectors of disease agents: their role in public and veterinary health in Turkiye and their control measures. Acta Trop 2023; 243:106893. [PMID: 37004805 DOI: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2023.106893] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2023] [Revised: 03/08/2023] [Accepted: 03/10/2023] [Indexed: 04/03/2023]
Abstract
Mosquitoes, sandflies, and ticks are hematophagous arthropods that pose a huge threat to public and veterinary health. They are capable of serving as vectors of disease agents that can and have caused explosive epidemics affecting millions of people and animals. Several factors like climate change, urbanization, and international travel contribute substantially to the persistence and dispersal of these vectors from their established areas to newly invaded areas. Once established in their new home, they can serve as vectors for disease transmission or increase the risk of disease emergence. Turkiye is vulnerable to climate change and has experienced upward trends in annual temperatures and rising sea levels, and greater fluctuations in precipitation rates. It is a potential hotspot for important vector species because the climate in various regions is conducive for several insect and acari species and serves as a conduit for refugees and immigrants fleeing areas troubled with armed conflicts and natural disasters, which have increased substantially in recent years. These people may serve as carriers of the vectors or be infected by disease agents that require arthropod vectors for transmission. Although it cannot be supposed that every arthropod species is a competent vector, this review aims to (1)illustrate the factors that contribute to the persistence and dispersal of arthropod vectors, (2)determine the status of the established arthropod vector species in Turkiye and their capability of serving as vectors of disease agents, and (3)assess the role of newly-introduced arthropod vectors into Turkiye and how they were introduced into the country. We also provide information on important disease incidence (if there's any) and control measures applied by public health officials from different provinces.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mustapha Touray
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Aydin Adnan Menderes University, Turkey.
| | - Serkan Bakirci
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Aydin Adnan Menderes University, Turkey
| | - Derya Ulug
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Aydin Adnan Menderes University, Turkey
| | - Sebnem H Gulsen
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Aydin Adnan Menderes University, Turkey
| | - Harun Cimen
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Aydin Adnan Menderes University, Turkey
| | | | - Fatih M Simsek
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Aydin Adnan Menderes University, Turkey
| | - Hatice Ertabaklar
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Aydin Adnan Menderes University, Turkey
| | - Yusuf Ozbel
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Ege University, Turkey
| | - Selcuk Hazir
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Aydin Adnan Menderes University, Turkey; Department of Biotechnology, Saveetha School of Engineering, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences (SIMATS), Chennai 602105, Tamil Nadu India
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