Aedes koreicus, a vector on the rise: Pan-European genetic patterns, mitochondrial and draft genome sequencing

Abstract

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.

The potential invasion into North America and Europe by non-native mosquito, Aedes koreicus (Diptera: Culicidae)

“…Meanwhile, the Belgian and Italian populations likely originated from Jeju Island (Capelli et al 2011, Versteirt et al 2012b). These findings are consistent with those of Kurucz et al (2022), who analyzed mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I and found that Ae. koreicus populations in Belgium and Italy belong to the Jeju Island population.…”

“…In contrast, the German population came from the Korean Peninsula. Therefore, it appears that each population has invaded Europe at least once (Kurucz et al 2022).…”

De-novo genome assembly of the invasive mosquito speciesAedes japonicusandAedes koreicus

“…Although some information about genome organisation has been very partially provided for Ae. koreicus (Kurucz et al, 2022), a more detailed knowledge of the basic biology of the new European invasive species Ae. koreicus and Ae.…”

Investigation on key aspects of mating biology in the mosquito Aedes koreicus

“…After its first detection in Belgium in 2008 (Versteirt et al, 2012), the mosquito Aedes koreicus ( Hulecoetomyia koreica ), commonly known as the invasive Korean bush mosquito, has invaded and established in several states in Europe and European neighbouring countries (ECDC, 2022). In some areas, such as Italy, the species is currently expanding its distribution (Arnoldi et al, 2022), but in others, such as Germany, it has shown a relatively low tendency to spread despite suspected repeated introductions (Kurucz et al, 2022).…”