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Lühken R, Heitmann A, Jansen S, Schmidt-Chanasit J, Börstler J, Werner D, Kampen H, Kuhn C, Pluskota B, Ferstl I, Jöst A, Becker N, Tannich E. Microsatellite typing of Aedes albopictus (Diptera: Culicidae) populations from Germany suggests regular introductions. Infect Genet Evol 2020; 81:104237. [PMID: 32045712 DOI: 10.1016/j.meegid.2020.104237] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2019] [Revised: 01/24/2020] [Accepted: 02/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
The global spread of the Asian tiger mosquito Aedes albopictus is of concern, as this mosquito species constitutes an important vector of a number of emerging pathogens including dengue virus, chikungunya virus and Zika virus. Since its first appearance in Albania (1979) and Italy (1990), the species has been reported from more than twenty-five European countries. However, the dispersion process in Europe is largely unknown, as information on population genetic structure is lacking, which is relevant to understand the observed spread. In order to determine whether the ten Ae. albopictus populations detected in Germany until 2017 originate from a single introduction event or from independent importations, genetic analyses with a set of sixteen microsatellite markers were performed. The samples included specimens from three locations with potentially overwintering populations, collected in three consecutive years. The results indicate a heterogeneous population structure consisting of two clusters with significant substructuring, suggesting regular, independent introductions instead of a continuous spread across Germany originating from one or few sites. Moreover, the analyses provide further evidence for Ae. albopictus overwintering in Germany as samples from identical locations collected in three consecutive years had a relatively high genetic similarity. However, the population structure is probably influenced by local mosquito control activities. The results presented provide further evidence for regular introductions of Ae. albopictus specimens into Germany, probably leading to local establishment north of the Alps. This highlights the need for constant surveillance and control of Ae. albopictus not only in southern, but also in Central Europe.
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Affiliation(s)
- Renke Lühken
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany; Universität Hamburg, Faculty of Mathematics, Informatics and Natural Sciences, Hamburg, Germany.
| | - Anna Heitmann
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany.
| | - Stephanie Jansen
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany.
| | - Jonas Schmidt-Chanasit
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany; Universität Hamburg, Faculty of Mathematics, Informatics and Natural Sciences, Hamburg, Germany.
| | - Jessica Börstler
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany.
| | - Doreen Werner
- Leibniz-Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research, Muencheberg, Germany.
| | - Helge Kampen
- Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Greifswald, Insel Riems, Germany.
| | - Carola Kuhn
- German Environment Agency (UBA), Berlin, Germany.
| | | | - Ina Ferstl
- Institute for Dipterology, Speyer, Germany.
| | - Artur Jöst
- Institute for Dipterology, Speyer, Germany.
| | - Norbert Becker
- Institute for Dipterology, Speyer, Germany; University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany.
| | - Egbert Tannich
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany; German Centre for Infection Research (DZIF), partner site Hamburg-Luebeck-Borstel-Riems, Hamburg, Germany.
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Heitmann A, Jansen S, Lühken R, Helms M, Pluskota B, Becker N, Kuhn C, Schmidt-Chanasit J, Tannich E. Experimental risk assessment for chikungunya virus transmission based on vector competence, distribution and temperature suitability in Europe, 2018. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2019; 23. [PMID: 30043726 PMCID: PMC6152202 DOI: 10.2807/1560-7917.es.2018.23.29.1800033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Over the last decade, the abundant distribution of the Asian tiger mosquito Aedes albopictus in southern Europe and the import of chikungunya virus (CHIKV) by infected travellers has resulted in at least five local outbreaks of chikungunya fever in France and Italy. Considering the ongoing spread of Ae. albopictus to central Europe, we performed an analysis of the Europe-wide spatial risk of CHIKV transmission under different temperature conditions. Methods:Ae. albopictus specimens from Germany and Italy were orally infected with CHIKV from an outbreak in France and kept for two weeks at 18 °C, 21 °C or 24 °C. A salivation assay was conducted to detect infectious CHIKV. Results: Analyses of mosquito saliva for infectious virus particles demonstrated transmission rates (TRs) of > 35%. Highest TRs of 50% for the mosquito population from Germany were detected at 18 °C, while the Italian population had highest TRs of 63% at 18 °C and 21 °C, respectively. Temperature data indicated a potential risk of CHIKV transmission for extended durations, i.e. sufficiently long time periods allowing extrinsic incubation of the virus. This was shown for areas already colonised by Ae. albopictus, as well as for large parts of central Europe that are not colonised. Conclusion: The current risk of CHIKV transmission in Europe is not primarily restricted by temperature, which allows extrinsic incubation of the virus, but rather by the vector distribution. Accordingly, all European countries with established populations of Ae. albopictus should implement respective entomological surveillance and monitoring systems, as basis for suitable control measures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Heitmann
- These authors contributed equally to this work.,Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Stephanie Jansen
- German Centre for Infection Research (DZIF), partner site Hamburg-Luebeck-Borstel-Riems, Hamburg, Germany.,These authors contributed equally to this work.,Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Renke Lühken
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Michelle Helms
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
| | | | - Norbert Becker
- University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany.,Institute for Dipterology (IfD), Speyer, Germany
| | - Carola Kuhn
- German Environment Agency (UBA), Berlin, Germany
| | - Jonas Schmidt-Chanasit
- German Centre for Infection Research (DZIF), partner site Hamburg-Luebeck-Borstel-Riems, Hamburg, Germany.,Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Egbert Tannich
- German Centre for Infection Research (DZIF), partner site Hamburg-Luebeck-Borstel-Riems, Hamburg, Germany.,Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
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Heitmann A, Jansen S, Lühken R, Leggewie M, Badusche M, Pluskota B, Becker N, Vapalahti O, Schmidt-Chanasit J, Tannich E. Experimental transmission of Zika virus by mosquitoes from central Europe. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2017; 22:30437. [PMID: 28106528 PMCID: PMC5404485 DOI: 10.2807/1560-7917.es.2017.22.2.30437] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2016] [Accepted: 01/10/2017] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Mosquitoes collected in Germany in 2016, including Culex pipiens pipiens biotype pipiens, Culex torrentium and Aedes albopictus, as well as Culex pipiens pipiens biotype molestus (in colony since 2011) were experimentally infected with Zika virus (ZIKV) at 18 °C or 27 °C. None of the Culex taxa showed vector competence for ZIKV. In contrast, Aedes albopictus were susceptible for ZIKV but only at 27 °C, with transmission rates similar to an Aedes aegypti laboratory colony tested in parallel.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Heitmann
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany.,These authors contributed equally to this work
| | - Stephanie Jansen
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany.,These authors contributed equally to this work.,German Centre for Infection Research (DZIF), partner site Hamburg-Luebeck-Borstel, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Renke Lühken
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Mayke Leggewie
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany.,German Centre for Infection Research (DZIF), partner site Hamburg-Luebeck-Borstel, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Marlis Badusche
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
| | | | - Norbert Becker
- Institute for Dipterology (IfD), Speyer, Germany.,University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Olli Vapalahti
- University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Jonas Schmidt-Chanasit
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany.,German Centre for Infection Research (DZIF), partner site Hamburg-Luebeck-Borstel, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Egbert Tannich
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany.,German Centre for Infection Research (DZIF), partner site Hamburg-Luebeck-Borstel, Hamburg, Germany
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Pluskota B, Jöst A, Augsten X, Stelzner L, Ferstl I, Becker N. Successful overwintering of Aedes albopictus in Germany. Parasitol Res 2016; 115:3245-7. [PMID: 27112761 DOI: 10.1007/s00436-016-5078-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2016] [Accepted: 04/19/2016] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The Asian tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus) is of great concern to public health authorities due to its vector competence and rapid spread across the globe. In 2015, two large local breeding populations of Ae. albopictus were discovered in southwest Germany. In spring 2016, we were able to demonstrate the first evidence of a successful overwintering in Germany of this originally tropical mosquito species in different research projects. Particularly noteworthy is the successful hatching of diapause eggs of an Italian strain (Calabria), which overwintered successfully in the field in St. Georgen im Schwarzwald (Baden-Wuerttemberg) at 820 m above sea level. Furthermore, within the scope of a larvae monitoring, the first larvae that hatched in the field were detected on the April 09, 2016 in a rain barrel within the Heidelberg population. Our first results show that self-extinction due to an unsuccessful overwintering cannot be assumed for populations of the Asian tiger mosquito which settled in Germany in previous years. The evidence of a successful overwintering of a large number of diapause eggs and the hatching of the first larvae in field conditions opens the control year against Ae. albopictus in southwest Germany.
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Affiliation(s)
- Björn Pluskota
- Institute for Dipterology, Georg-Peter-Süß-Str. 3, 67346, Speyer, Germany
| | - Artur Jöst
- Institute for Dipterology, Georg-Peter-Süß-Str. 3, 67346, Speyer, Germany
| | - Xenia Augsten
- Institute for Dipterology, Georg-Peter-Süß-Str. 3, 67346, Speyer, Germany.,Centre for Organismal Studies, University of Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 230, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Lilith Stelzner
- Institute for Dipterology, Georg-Peter-Süß-Str. 3, 67346, Speyer, Germany.,Centre for Organismal Studies, University of Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 230, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Ina Ferstl
- Institute for Dipterology, Georg-Peter-Süß-Str. 3, 67346, Speyer, Germany
| | - Norbert Becker
- Institute for Dipterology, Georg-Peter-Süß-Str. 3, 67346, Speyer, Germany. .,Centre for Organismal Studies, University of Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 230, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany.
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