Multiple invasions, Wolbachia and human-aided transport drive the genetic variability of Aedes albopictus in the Iberian Peninsula

Abstract

The Asian tiger mosquito, Aedes albopictus, is one of the most invasive species in the world. Native to the tropical forests of Southeast Asia, over the past 30 years it has rapidly spread throughout tropical and temperate regions of the world. Its dramatic expansion has resulted in public health concerns as a consequence of its vector competence for at least 16 viruses. Previous studies showed that Ae. albopictus spread has been facilitated by human-mediated transportation, but much remains unknown about how this has affected its genetic attributes. Here we examined the factors that contributed to shaping the current genetic constitution of Ae. albopictus in the Iberian Peninsula, where the species was first found in 2004, by combining population genetics and Bayesian modelling. We found that both mitochondrial and nuclear DNA markers showed a lack of genetic structure and the presence of worldwide dominant haplotypes, suggesting regular introductions from abroad. Mitochondrial DNA showed little genetic diversity compared to nuclear DNA, likely explained by infection with maternally transmitted bacteria of the genus Wolbachia. Multilevel models revealed that greater mosquito fluxes (estimated from commuting patterns and tiger mosquito population distribution) and spatial proximity between sampling sites were associated with lower nuclear genetic distance, suggesting that rapid short- and medium-distance dispersal is facilitated by humans through vehicular traffic. This study highlights the significant role of human transportation in shaping the genetic attributes of Ae. albopictus and promoting regional gene flow, and underscores the need for a territorially integrated surveillance across scales of this disease-carrying mosquito.

Shedding light on the controversial taxonomic status of Culicoides jamaicensis and Culicoides paolae (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae): an overseas trip among continents

“…Our analysis also suggests that the sequences tend to separate based on their geographical origin (Dominican Republic, Mexico, and Europe). This regional variation has been observed in other invasive insects (Powell 2018, Lucati et al 2022).…”

Wolbachia Infection through Hybridization to Enhance an Incompatible Insect Technique-Based Suppression of Aedes albopictus in Eastern Spain

“…To confirm the introgression of the mtDNA together with Wolbachia in comparison with the original wild-type line, B N , Ae. albopictus lines B A , B N , AR w P L , AR w P BA , and AR w P BN were also characterized by targeting the cytochrome oxidase I (COI) gene as mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) marker, as previously performed in similar studies [ 59 ]. DNA from whole adult female mosquitoes (5 individuals per line) was extracted with the commercial DNeasy Blood + Tissue DNA Extraction Kit, Qiagen (Hilden, Germany) following the manufacturer’s instructions.…”

The effectiveness of mosquito-proof storm drains on adult mosquito and mosquito larvae abundance: protocol of the IDAlErt storm drAin randomiSed controlled trial (IDEAS) in Barcelona, Spain

“…Mosquito vectors, including Culex pipiens (4) and Aedes albopictus (9,10) species, are currently established in Europe's Mediterranean countries, Switzerland, Germany, Hungary, Romania, Moldova, Bulgaria, Serbia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Ukraine, Russia, Georgia, and Armenia (11). In Spain, these species were first detected in 2004 near Barcelona (12) and have spread into eastern and northern provinces and farther inland (11,(13)(14)(15). Despite active monitoring and control efforts, mosquito populations continue to proliferate.…”