MEMO: Monitoring of exotic mosquitoes in Belgium

Deblauwe, Isra; Brosens, Dimitri; Wolf, Katrien De; Smitz, Nathalie; Vanslembrouck, Adwine; Schneider, Anna; Witte, Jacobus De; Verlé, Ingrid; Dekoninck, Wouter; Meyer, M. De; Backeljau, Thierry; Gombeer, Sophie; Meganck, Kenny; Vanderheyden, Ann; Müller, Ruth; Bortel, Wim Van

doi:10.46471/gigabyte.59

Cited by 6 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 15 publications

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“…Mosquitoes were collected with BG-Sentinel, Mosquito Magnet® or the Frommer Updraft Gravid traps across Belgium between 2019 and 2020 in the framework of the MEMO project (Monitoring of Exotic MOsquito species in Belgium (25); Institute of Tropical Medicine) and a collection program of the Mosquito Virology team at KU Leuven. After collection, mosquitoes were stored dry at -80°C in single tubes until further processing.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Lack of abundant core virome inCulexmosquitoes from a temperate climate region despite a mosquito species-specific virome

De Coninck,

Soto,

Wang

et al. 2023

Preprint

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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 andWolbachia, and the identification of novel viruses. Contrary to expectations, no abundant core virome was observed inCulexmosquitoes 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, becauseWolbachiahas previously been observed to influence arbovirus transmission, we report the prevalence ofWolbachiain Belgian mosquitoes and the detection of severalWolbachiamobile genetic elements. The observed prevalence ranged from 83% to 92% in members from theCulex pipienscomplex.ImportanceCulex pipiensmosquitoes are important vectors for arboviruses like West Nile virus and Usutu virus.Culex pipiensvirome studies, and virome studies on mosquitoes from theCulexgenus in general, are underrepresented in publications about the mosquito virome. To mitigate this, we sequenced the virome of 190 individualCulexand eight individualAedes japonicusmosquitoes. 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 ISVs and the mosquito virome in general in relation to mosquito physiology and mosquito population dynamics.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Lack of abundant core virome inCulexmosquitoes from a temperate climate region despite a mosquito species-specific virome

De Coninck,

Soto,

Wang

et al. 2023

Preprint

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Publishing data to support the fight against human vector-borne diseases

Edmunds¹,

Fouque

Copas

et al. 2022

gigaScience

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Establishment ofCulex modestusin Belgium and a glance into the virome of Belgian mosquito species

Wang

Rosas

Coninck

et al. 2020

Preprint

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Culex modestus is a mosquito species with a relevant role in the transmission of West Nile virus and Usutu virus. Its presence has been reported across Europe, yet it is absent in Belgium. Field mosquitoes in the city of Leuven and surroundings were collected in the summer of 2019 and 2020. Species identification was performed by morphological features and partial sequences of the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 (COI) gene. In order to examine the genetic structure of the Cx. modestus population found in Leuven, mitochondrial sequences of Cx. modestus mosquitoes collected in other 8 countries across Europe were retrieved from GenBank and confronted to the COI sequences from Belgian mosquitoes to construct a haplotype network.Hereby, we confirmed the new establishment of Cx. modestus in the surroundings of Leuven, Belgium. Haplotype network analysis showed that the Belgian population is rather diverse, suggesting that it must have been establish in Belgium for some time. The Belgian population was most closely related to Cx. modestus populations from the UK and Germany. The NetoVIR protocol was used to study the virome of 8 pools of mosquitoes. At least 33 eukaryotic viral species were identified. Nine (near-)complete genomes belonging to 6 viral species were identified, named Culex totivirus Leu1, Leu2 and Leu3, Alphamesonivirus Leu4, Iflavirus Leu5 and Leu6, Negevirus Leu7 and Leu8, and Rhabdovirus Leu9, all of which were closely related to known viruses. In conclusion, with the introduction of Cx. modestus in Belgium, the evaluation of its potential role in the transmission of arboviruses that could cause disease in animals and humans is necessary.Importance for non-specialistCulex modestus is a mosquito species that plays a role in nature as a ‘bridge’ vector, being able to transmit pathogens between birds, as well as from birds to mammals, including humans. In Belgium, this species was considered absent. Field mosquitoes were collected in urban, peri-urban and wetland areas in the summer of 2019 and 2020 in Leuven, and morphological and molecular methods were performed to confirm the presence of Cx. modestus in this region. The ability of mosquitoes to transmit pathogens can depend on a lot of factors, one of them being the natural virus composition in their bodies. For this purpose, we aimed to identify the whole virus group harbored by Belgian mosquitoes. This could provide more insight for mosquito and, therefore, disease control. Besides, the introduction of Cx. modestus may increase the risk of disease transmission. It is advisable to implement mosquito surveillance programs monitoring this species.

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MEMO: Monitoring of exotic mosquitoes in Belgium

Cited by 6 publications

References 15 publications

Lack of abundant core virome inCulexmosquitoes from a temperate climate region despite a mosquito species-specific virome

Lack of abundant core virome inCulexmosquitoes from a temperate climate region despite a mosquito species-specific virome

Publishing data to support the fight against human vector-borne diseases

Establishment ofCulex modestusin Belgium and a glance into the virome of Belgian mosquito species

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