From a long-distance threat to the invasion front: a review of the invasive Aedes mosquito species in Belgium between 2007 and 2020

Abstract

Invasive mosquito species (IMS) and their associated mosquito-borne diseases are emerging in Europe. In Belgium, the first detection of Aedes albopictus (Skuse 1894) occurred in 2000 and of Aedes japonicus japonicus (Theobald 1901) in 2002. Early detection and control of these IMS at points of entry (PoEs) are of paramount importance to slow down any possible establishment. This article reviews the introductions and establishments recorded of three IMS in Belgium based on published (2007–2014) and unpublished (2015–2020) data collected during several surveillance projects. In total, 52 PoEs were monitored at least once for the presence of IMS between 2007 and 2020. These included used tyre and lucky bamboo import companies, airports, ports, parking lots along highways, shelters for imported cutting plants, wholesale markets, industrial areas, recycling areas, cemeteries and an allotment garden at the country border with colonised areas. In general, monitoring was performed between April and November. Mosquitoes were captured with adult and oviposition traps as well as by larval sampling. Aedes albopictus was detected at ten PoEs, Ae. japonicus at three PoEs and Aedes koreicus (Edwards 1917) at two PoEs. The latter two species have established overwintering populations. The percentage of PoEs positive for Ae. albopictus increased significantly over years. Aedes albopictus is currently entering Belgium through lucky bamboo and used tyre trade and passive ground transport, while Ae. japonicus through used tyre trade and probably passive ground transport. In Belgium, the import through passive ground transport was first recorded in 2018 and its importance seems to be growing. Belgium is currently at the invasion front of Ae. albopictus and Ae. japonicus. The surveillance and control management actions at well-known PoEs associated to long-distance introductions are more straightforward than at less-defined PoEs associated with short-distance introductions from colonised areas. These latter PoEs represent a new challenge for IMS management in Belgium in the coming years. Aedes albopictus is expected to become established in Belgium in the coming years, hence increasing the likelihood of local arbovirus transmission. The implementation of a sustainable, structured and long-term IMS management programme, integrating active and passive entomological surveillance, vector control and Public Health surveillance is therefore pivotal. Graphical Abstract

Predicting the time of arrival of the Tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus) to new countries based on trade patterns of tyres and plants

“…The year of first record of the species in each country, integrated as dependent variable in the training model, is also not fully consensual among existing databases and the literature. The recorded year in each country depends on the existence of monitoring measures that can detect the mosquito at several potential entry points (Deblauwe et al, 2022; Kraemer, Golding, et al, 2019; Kraemer, Reiner, et al, 2019); therefore, the precise year of introduction may differ from existing records.…”

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

“…A total of 932 georeferenced occurrence records of Ae. koreicus collected since 2000 were sourced from various resources, including research papers (Wang et al 2003, Shi et al 2004, Liu et al 2005, 2014, Zhang 2007, Guo et al 2009, Capelli et al 2011, Versteirt et al 2012a, 2012b, Zhang and Chen 2012, Yang et al 2014, Zamburlini and Cargnus 2014, Mu et al 2015, Suter et al 2015, Ganushkina et al 2016, 2020, Kurucz et al 2016, 2020, 2022, Baldacchino et al 2017a, 2017b, Fuehrer et al 2020, Lu et al 2018, Pfitzner et al 2018, Alfano et al 2019, Ballardini et al 2019, Kovalenko and Tikhonov 2019, Steinbrink et al 2019, Bahk et al 2020, Cao et al 2020, Shin and Jung 2020, Andreeva et al 2021, Bang et al 2021, Gradoni et al 2021, Negri et al 2021, Deblauwe et al 2022, Montarsi et al 2022, Seok et al 2022, Vojtíšek et al 2022), biodiversity databases (Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) 2023), (National Institute of Biological Resources (NIBR) 2023: https://species.nibr.go.kr), and Korea University Collection collected from the Korean Peninsula and Jeju Island by Seok. Korea University samples consisted of 2 records of larvae in 2017 and 4 records of adults in 2019 and 2020.…”

The updated genome of the Hungarian population of Aedes koreicus

“…Despite its continuous presence, Ae. koreicus has managed to colonize the surrounding areas to a limited extent 13 . In 2011, this species was found in north-eastern Italy, more precisely in the province of Belluno in the Veneto region, and rapidly expanded its range over the following ten years.…”