Microsatellite typing of Aedes albopictus (Diptera: Culicidae) populations from Germany suggests regular introductions

Lühken, Renke; Heitmann, Anna; Jansen, Stéphanie; Schmidt‐Chanasit, Jonas; Börstler, Jessica; Werner, Doreen; Kampen, Helge; Kuhn, Carola; Pluskota, Björn; Ferstl, Ina; Jöst, Artur; Becker, Norbert; Tannich, Egbert

doi:10.1016/j.meegid.2020.104237

Cited by 13 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 63 publications

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“…Surveillance of rest areas and camping grounds along the A5 motorway leading from Italy revealed a regular and increasing appearance of Ae. albopictus along the upper Rhine area during the summer months [ 2 , 16 , 17 ]. The first established population was reported in an allotment garden in Freiburg in September 2014 [ 18 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Integrated control of Aedes albopictus in Southwest Germany supported by the Sterile Insect Technique

Becker

Langentepe-Kong

Rodriguez³

et al. 2022

Parasites Vectors

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Background The invasive species Aedes albopictus, commonly known as the Asian tiger mosquito, has undergone extreme range expansion by means of steady introductions as blind passengers in vehicles traveling from the Mediterranean to south-west Germany. The more than 25 established populations in the State of Baden-Württemberg, Palatine and Hesse (south-west Germany) have become a major nuisance and public health threat. Aedes albopictus deserves special attention as a vector of arboviruses, including dengue, chikungunya and Zika viruses. In Germany, Ae. albopictus control programs are implemented by local communities under the auspices of health departments and regulatory offices. Methods The control strategy comprised three pillars: (i) community participation (CP) based on the elimination of breeding sites or improved environmental sanitation, using fizzy tablets based on Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis (fizzy Bti tablets; Culinex® Tab plus); (ii) door-to-door (DtD) control by trained staff through the application of high doses of a water-dispersible Bti granular formulation (Vectobac® WG) aimed at achieving a long-lasting killing effect; and (iii) implementation of the sterile insect technique (SIT) to eliminate remaining Ae. albopictus populations. Prior to initiating large-scale city-wide treatments on a routine basis, the efficacy of the three elements was evaluated in laboratory and semi-field trials. Special emphasis was given to the mass release of sterile Ae. albopictus males. Results More than 60% of the local residents actively participated in the first pillar (CP) of the large-scale control program. The most effective element of the program was found to be the DtD intervention, including the application of Vectobac® WG (3000 ITU/mg) to potential breeding sites (10 g per rainwater container, maximum of 200 l = maximum of approx. 150,000 ITU/l, and 2.5 g per container < 50 l) with a persistence of at least 3 weeks. In Ludwigshafen, larval source management resulted in a Container Index for Ae. albopictus of < 1% in 2020 compared to 10.9% in 2019. The mean number of Aedes eggs per ovitrap per 2 weeks was 4.4 in Ludwigshafen, 18.2 in Metzgergrün (Freiburg) (SIT area) and 22.4 in the control area in Gartenstadt (Freiburg). The strong reduction of the Ae. albopictus population by Bti application was followed by weekly releases of 1013 (Ludwigshafen) and 2320 (Freiburg) sterile Ae. albopictus males per hectare from May until October, resulting in a high percentage of sterile eggs. In the trial areas of Ludwigshafen and Frieburg, egg sterility reached 84.7 ± 12.5% and 62.7 ± 25.8%, respectively; in comparison, the natural sterility in the control area was 14.6 ± 7.3%. The field results were in line with data obtained in cage tests under laboratory conditions where sterility rates were 87.5 ± 9.2% after wild females mated with sterile males; in comparison, the sterility of eggs laid by females mated with unirradiated males was only 3.3 ± 2.8%. The overall egg sterility of about 84% in Ludwigshafen indicates that our goal to almost eradicate the Ae. albopictus population could be achieved. The time for inspection and treatment of a single property ranged from 19 to 26 min depending on the experience of the team and costs 6–8 euros per property. Conclusions It is shown that an integrated control program based on a strict monitoring scheme can be most effective when it comprises three components, namely CP, DtD intervention that includes long-lasting Bti-larviciding to strongly reduce Ae. albopictus populations and SIT to reduce the remaining Ae. albopictus population to a minimum or even to eradicate it. The combined use of Bti and SIT is the most effective and selective tool against Ae. albopictus, one of the most dangerous mosquito vector species. Graphical Abstract

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Integrated control of Aedes albopictus in Southwest Germany supported by the Sterile Insect Technique

Becker

Langentepe-Kong

Rodriguez³

et al. 2022

Parasites Vectors

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“…In Europe, this mosquito was first detected in 1979 in Albania, then in Italy in 1990, from where it was able to colonize most of Italy and spread eastwards and westwards along the Mediterranean coast assisted by road transport. It is currently established along the entire coast of Southern Europe and is gradually expanding northwards [101] (Fig 6A ), with repeated introductions detected in Northern European countries such as the Netherlands [102], Germany [103] and the UK [104]. As a result of established populations of Ae.…”

Section: Plos Onementioning

confidence: 99%

Potential for online crowdsourced biological recording data to complement surveillance for arthropod vectors

Cull

2021

PLoS ONE

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Voluntary contributions by citizen scientists can gather large datasets covering wide geographical areas, and are increasingly utilized by researchers for multiple applications, including arthropod vector surveillance. Online platforms such as iNaturalist accumulate crowdsourced biological observations from around the world and these data could also be useful for monitoring vectors. The aim of this study was to explore the availability of observations of important vector taxa on the iNaturalist platform and examine the utility of these data to complement existing vector surveillance activities. Of ten vector taxa investigated, records were most numerous for mosquitoes (Culicidae; 23,018 records, 222 species) and ticks (Ixodida; 16,214 records, 87 species), with most data from 2019–2020. Case studies were performed to assess whether images associated with records were of sufficient quality to identify species and compare iNaturalist observations of vector species to the known situation at the state, national and regional level based on existing published data. Firstly, tick data collected at the national (United Kingdom) or state (Minnesota, USA) level were sufficient to determine seasonal occurrence and distribution patterns of important tick species, and were able to corroborate and complement known trends in tick distribution. Importantly, tick species with expanding distributions (Haemaphysalis punctata in the UK, and Amblyomma americanum in Minnesota) were also detected. Secondly, using iNaturalist data to monitor expanding tick species in Europe (Hyalomma spp.) and the USA (Haemaphysalis longicornis), and invasive Aedes mosquitoes in Europe, showed potential for tracking these species within their known range as well as identifying possible areas of expansion. Despite known limitations associated with crowdsourced data, this study shows that iNaturalist can be a valuable source of information on vector distribution and seasonality that could be used to supplement existing vector surveillance data, especially at a time when many surveillance programs may have been interrupted by COVID-19 restrictions.

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“…High polymorphism has been observed in some determined microsatellite loci of Ae . albopictus [ 32 ] and previous studies had successfully revealed local population structures in South-east Asian and Oceanic countries [ 33 , 34 ], USA [ 35 ], and European countries [ 36 ]. In Germany, repeated introduction of this species is suggested [ 36 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Searching for a sign of exotic Aedes albopictus (Culicidae) introduction in major international seaports on Kyushu Island, Japan

Yang

Sunahara

et al. 2021

PLoS Negl Trop Dis

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Background The Asian tiger mosquito, Aedes albopictus, has spread around the world. The migration was mainly mediated by maritime transportations. This species is known as an efficient vector for arboviruses, and it was responsible for the recent dengue outbreak in Tokyo, Japan. As the vector competence varies among geographical populations, and insecticide resistant populations have emerged, it is important to reveal their movements. The present study uses molecular techniques to search for a sign of introduction of an exotic population in three major international seaports on Kyushu Island. Methodology/principal findings Adults of Ae. albopictus were sampled around the international seaports of Fukuoka, Kitakyushu, and Nagasaki. Pairwise fixation indexes were estimated between the sampled populations based on 13 microsatellite markers. There was no clear genetic differentiation between distant and port populations in Kitakyushu and Nagasaki. However, the analysis found one distinct group near the container terminal in Fukuoka, which handles international freight containers mainly from adjacent countries. DNA samples were also obtained from Goto, Tsushima, Honshu, Ryukyu, Thailand, and the Philippines; and a cluster analysis and discriminant analysis revealed that the distinct group in Fukuoka did not belong to these groups. Combined with the results of phylogenetic analysis based on CO1, these results implied that this group originated from one Asian temperate region outside of Japan. Neutrality test and mismatch distribution analysis suggested that the establishment of this group was not recent. Conclusions/significance The present study found a sign of Ae. albopictus introduction from a temperate region of Asia through maritime freight container transportation. The genetically distinct group found in Fukuoka likely originated from a temperate region outside of Japan. Maritime container transportation may introduce to Japan mosquitoes with greater vector competence/insecticide resistance. This is the first study to describe the spatial population structure of Ae. albopictus in Japan using molecular techniques.

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Microsatellite typing of Aedes albopictus (Diptera: Culicidae) populations from Germany suggests regular introductions

Cited by 13 publications

References 63 publications

Integrated control of Aedes albopictus in Southwest Germany supported by the Sterile Insect Technique

Integrated control of Aedes albopictus in Southwest Germany supported by the Sterile Insect Technique

Potential for online crowdsourced biological recording data to complement surveillance for arthropod vectors

Searching for a sign of exotic Aedes albopictus (Culicidae) introduction in major international seaports on Kyushu Island, Japan

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