Discovery of a Widespread Infestation of Aedes albopictus in the Torres Strait, Australia

Abstract

Aedes albopictus is a container-breeding Stegomyia mosquito that has dispersed widely from its origins in Southeast Asia. Because Ae. albopictus is a known dengue vector and a potential vector of a variety of arboviruses and it can tolerate cooler climates than Aedes aegypti, Australian quarantine and health authorities have strategies to detect and eliminate it from international ports. Following the detection of 42 adult Ae. albopictus in BG-Sentinel traps set on Yorke island in the Torres Strait of Australia in April 2005, extensive surveys were conducted to determine the distribution of Ae. albopictus in the Torres Strait and adjoining Cape York Peninsula. A total of 17 islands and the northern peninsula area of Cape York Peninsula were surveyed by collection of larvae and pupae from flooded containers and human bait collections of adult mosquitoes with aspirators and sweep nets. Aedes albopictus was detected on 10 islands and comprised 100% of the day-biting container-breeding mosquitoes on Yorke and Stephens Islands. No Ae. albopictus were detected in the mainland sites on Cape York. Retrospective genetic analysis of larvae collected in April 2004 and April 2005 on Yorke Island indicated that Ae. albopictus was present in low densities in 2004 and that there were 3 genetically distinct mitochondrial haplotypes on Yorke Island in April 2005. Additionally, on Yorke Island there is evidence that Ae. albopictus is displacing Aedes scutellaris.

Bacillus thuringiensis var. israelensis Misting for Control of Aedes in Cryptic Ground Containers in North Queensland, Australia

“…Ten 2nd-3rd instar Ae. aegypti larvae were [0][1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15]. Data were counts (dead mosquito larvae) measured at 48 hr (for Weeks 0-2 only 24 hr data were available) and a total of 10 dead larvae were placed in each cup.…”

“…6 In Australia, the principal dengue vector mosquito Ae. aegypti exists only in the northern Queensland FNQ 3,7 ; however, a secondary dengue vector Aedes albopictus (Skuse), the Asian tiger mosquito, is now considered endemic in the Torres Strait, 8 the series of islands between FNQ and Papua New Guinea. Aedes aegypti, is anthropophilic, feeding almost exclusively on humans, 9 and as such has a close association with urban settings, preferentially using water-filled artificial containers as larval habitat such as tires, buckets, birdbaths, and pot plant bases.…”

Aedes albopictus(Diptera: Culicidae) as a Potential Vector of Endemic and Exotic Arboviruses in Australia

“…albopictus recently has colonized the islands of the Torres Strait, the region that separates northern Australia from southern Papua New Guinea (Ritchie et al 2006, Beebe et al 2013. Considering its importance in DENV and CHIKV transmission cycles throughout the world, there is concern that if introduced to the Australian mainland, Ae.…”

Land Use Influences Mosquito Communities and Disease Risk on Remote Tropical Islands: A Case Study Using a Novel Sampling Technique

“…quinquefasciatus, and the recently arrived Ae. albopictus 26,36 were almost exclusively trapped in villages. Similarly, in Thailand, the same three species were also least abundant in undisturbed compared with disturbed areas.…”

“…Human settlements provide these mosquitoes with suitable larval habitats (artificial containers), blood meal resources, and resting sites (around houses and often indoors). 38 Comparative adult mosquito community studies in natural vegetations in the tropics are rare (although see 37,39 ) as most studies concentrate on single-vector species, such as dengue vectors 36,40,41 or periurban areas. [42][43][44][45] Mosquito community composition not only differed between habitats, but also varied across the studied Torres Strait Islands.…”