Abstract
Mosquito-borne arboviruses are increasing due to human disturbances of natural ecosystems and globalization of trade and travel. These anthropic changes may affect mosquito communities by modulating ecological traits that influence the “spill-over” dynamics of zoonotic pathogens, especially at the interface between natural and human environments. Particularly, the global invasion of Aedes albopictus is observed not only across urban and peri-urban settings, but also in newly invaded areas in natural settings. This could foster the interaction of Ae. albopictus with wildlife, including local reservoirs of enzootic arboviruses, with implications for the potential zoonotic transfer of pathogens. To evaluate the potential of Ae. albopictus as a bridge vector of arboviruses between wildlife and humans, we performed a bibliographic search and analysis focusing on three components: (1) The capacity of Ae. albopictus to exploit natural larval breeding sites, (2) the blood-feeding behaviour of Ae. albopictus, and (3) Ae. albopictus’ vector competence for arboviruses. Our analysis confirms the potential of Ae. albopictus as a bridge vector based on its colonization of natural breeding sites in newly invaded areas, its opportunistic feeding behaviour together with the preference for human blood, and the competence to transmit 14 arboviruses.
Highlights
The human alteration of Earth’s natural systems has become a great concern and a threat to human health
Based on the literature, we found 27 articles that quantified the number and type of natural breeding sites exploited by Ae. albopictus in areas where the species is considered native (n = 10 articles) or invasive (n = 17 articles)
Ae. albopictus as a bridge vector that might favour the transfer of zoonotic arboviruses from enzootic or domestic hosts to humans and vice-versa
Summary
The human alteration of Earth’s natural systems has become a great concern and a threat to human health. These changes are likely to drive most of the global disease burden over the coming century [1]. The burden of emerging infectious diseases has increased to represent a substantial threat to global health, security, and economy growth. About 75% of emerging infectious diseases are zoonotic diseases, mostly of wildlife origin [2,3]. The risk of zoonotic emergences is considered high in tropical forest regions associated with a range of facilitating factors, high vertebrate species diversity and agricultural land use changes [4]. Understanding the mechanisms of disease emergence allows the development of early detection and control programs for reducing disease incidence and economic burden [5]
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