The worldwide spread of Aedes albopictus: New insights from mitogenomes

Battaglia, Vincenza; Agostini, Vincenzo; Moroni, Elisabetta; Colombo, Giulia; Lombardo, Gianluca; Migliore, Nicola Rambaldi; Gabrieli, Paolo; Gagliardi, Stella; Gomulski, Ludvik; Ferretti, Luca; Semino, Ornella; Malacrida, Anna R.; Gasperi, Giuliano; Achilli, Alessandro; Torroni, Antonio; Olivieri, Anna

doi:10.3389/fgene.2022.931163

Cited by 10 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 59 publications

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“…Socio-economic factors such as urbanization and globalization of trade, along with changes in climate conditions, are facilitating the spread of mosquito vectors beyond their native ranges [ 4 ]. This is the case of Aedes albopictus Skuse, 1894, the Asian tiger mosquito, native to Southeast Asia and now common in Europe [ 5 ]. This species is a highly efficient vector of several arboviruses to vertebrates, including humans [ 6 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Aedes albopictus microbiota: Differences between wild and mass-reared immatures do not suggest negative impacts from a diet based on black soldier fly larvae and fish food

Polidori,

Ferrari,

Borruso

et al. 2023

PLoS ONE

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The “Sterile Insect Technique” (SIT), a promising method to control Aedes albopictus, the Asian tiger mosquito, is gaining increasing interest. Recently, the role of microbiota in mosquito fitness received attention, but the link between microbiota and larval diet in mass rearing programs for SIT remains largely unexplored. We characterized the microbiota of four larval instars, pupae and eggs of non-wild (NW) lab-reared Ae. albopictus fed with a diet based on Black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) larvae powder and fish food KOI pellets. We compared it with wild (W) field-collected individuals and the bacterial community occurring in rearing water-diet (DIET). A total of 18 bacterial classes with > 0.10% abundance were found overall in the samples, with seven classes being especially abundant. Overall, the microbiota profile significantly differed among NW, W and DIET. Verrucomicrobiae were significantly more abundant in W and DIET, Bacteroidia were more abundant in NW and DIET, and Gammaproteobacteria were only more abundant in W than in DIET. W-eggs microbiota differed from all the other groups. Large differences also appeared at the bacterial genus-level, with the abundance of 14 genera differing among groups. Three ASVs of Acinetobacter, known to have positive effects on tiger mosquitoes, were more abundant in NW than in W, while Serratia, known to have negative or neutral effects on another Aedes species, was less abundant in NW than in W. The bacterial community of W-eggs was the richest in species, while dominance and diversity did not differ among groups. Our data show that the diet based on Black soldier fly powder and fish food KOI influences the microbiota of NW tiger mosquito immature stages, but not in a way that may suggest a negative impact on their quality in SIT programs.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Aedes albopictus microbiota: Differences between wild and mass-reared immatures do not suggest negative impacts from a diet based on black soldier fly larvae and fish food

Polidori,

Ferrari,

Borruso

et al. 2023

PLoS ONE

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“…As one of the vectors of arbovirus, Ae. albopictus has spread from south Asia to at least 70 countries worldwide in recent decades [ 25 , 26 ]. SIT helps suppress mosquito populations, thereby reducing the spread of mosquito-borne diseases [ 27 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sterility of Aedes albopictus by X-ray Irradiation as an Alternative to γ-ray Irradiation for the Sterile Insect Technique

Wang

Ren

et al. 2023

Pathogens

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The mosquito Aedes albopictus can transmit various arboviral diseases, posing a severe threat to human health. As an environmentally friendly method, sterile insect technology (SIT) is considered an alternative to traditional methods such as chemical pesticides to control Ae. albopictus. In SIT, the sterility of male mosquitoes can be achieved by γ-ray or X-ray radiation. Compared with γ-rays, X-rays are easier to obtain, cheaper, and less harmful. However, there is a lack of comparative assessment of these two types of radiation for SIT under the same controlled conditions. Here, we compared the effects of X-ray and γ-ray radiation on the sterility of Ae. albopictus males under laboratory-controlled conditions. Neither type of radiation affected the number of eggs but significantly reduced the survival time and hatch rate. The same dose of γ-rays caused a higher sterility effect on males than X-rays but had a more significant impact on survival. However, X-rays could achieve the same sterility effect as γ-rays by increasing the radiation dose. For example, X-rays of 60 Gy induced 99% sterility, similar to γ-rays of 40 Gy. In the test of male mating competitiveness, the induced sterility and the male mating competitiveness index were also identical at the same release ratio (sterile males/fertile males). At a release ratio of 7:1, nearly 80% of eggs failed to hatch. Sterile males produced by X-ray and γ-ray radiation had similar male competitiveness in competition with field males. In conclusion, a higher dose of X-rays is required to achieve the same sterility effect, compared to γ-rays. When γ-rays are not readily available, high-dose X-rays can be used instead. This study provides data supporting the selection of more suitable radiation for the field release of sterile male mosquitoes.

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“…In Europe, the Asian tiger mosquito was first found in Albania in 1979 and later in Italy in 1990/1991. Since then, it has spread to more than 25 European countries [ 15 – 18 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparison of a multiplex PCR with DNA barcoding for identification of container breeding mosquito species

Reichl,

Prossegger,

Petutschnig

et al. 2024

Parasites Vectors

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Background Identification of mosquitoes greatly relies on morphological specification. Since some species cannot be distinguished reliably by morphological methods, it is important to incorporate molecular techniques into the diagnostic pipeline. DNA barcoding using Sanger sequencing is currently widely used for identification of mosquito species. However, this method does not allow detection of multiple species in one sample, which would be important when analysing mosquito eggs. Detection of container breeding Aedes is typically performed by collecting eggs using ovitraps. These traps consist of a black container filled with water and a wooden spatula inserted for oviposition support. Aedes mosquitoes of different species might lay single or multiple eggs on the spatula. In contrast to Sanger sequencing of specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR) products, multiplex PCR protocols targeting specific species of interest can be of advantage for detection of multiple species in the same sample. Methods For this purpose, we adapted a previously published PCR protocol for simultaneous detection of four different Aedes species that are relevant for Austrian monitoring programmes, as they can be found in ovitraps: Aedes albopictus, Aedes japonicus, Aedes koreicus, and Aedes geniculatus. For evaluation of the multiplex PCR protocol, we analysed 2271 ovitrap mosquito samples from the years 2021 and 2022, which were collected within the scope of an Austrian nationwide monitoring programme. We compared the results of the multiplex PCR to the results of DNA barcoding. Results Of 2271 samples, the multiplex PCR could identify 1990 samples, while species determination using DNA barcoding of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I gene was possible in 1722 samples. The multiplex PCR showed a mixture of different species in 47 samples, which could not be detected with DNA barcoding. Conclusions In conclusion, identification of Aedes species in ovitrap samples was more successful when using the multiplex PCR protocol as opposed to the DNA barcoding protocol. Additionally, the multiplex PCR allowed us to detect multiple species in the same sample, while those species might have been missed when using DNA barcoding with Sanger sequencing alone. Therefore, we propose that the multiplex PCR protocol is highly suitable and of great advantage when analysing mosquito eggs from ovitraps. Graphical Abstract

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The worldwide spread of Aedes albopictus: New insights from mitogenomes

Cited by 10 publications

References 59 publications

Aedes albopictus microbiota: Differences between wild and mass-reared immatures do not suggest negative impacts from a diet based on black soldier fly larvae and fish food

Aedes albopictus microbiota: Differences between wild and mass-reared immatures do not suggest negative impacts from a diet based on black soldier fly larvae and fish food

Sterility of Aedes albopictus by X-ray Irradiation as an Alternative to γ-ray Irradiation for the Sterile Insect Technique

Comparison of a multiplex PCR with DNA barcoding for identification of container breeding mosquito species

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