An unwanted companion reaches the country: the first record of the alien mosquito Aedes japonicus japonicus (Theobald, 1901) in Slovakia

Viktória Čabanová,Boris Klempa,Tomáš Derka,Kristína Boršová,Eva Barbušinová,Ivana Svitková,Monika Sláviková,Jozef Oboňa,Marek Svitok

doi:10.1186/s13071-021-05062-0

Abstract

BackgroundInvasive mosquitoes of the genus Aedes are quickly spreading around the world. The presence of these alien species is concerning for both their impact on the native biodiversity and their high vector competence. The surveillance of Aedes invasive mosquito (AIM) species is one of the most important steps in vector-borne disease control and prevention.MethodsIn 2020, the monitoring of AIM species was conducted in five areas (Bratislava, Zvolen, Banská Bystrica, Prešov, Košice) of Slovakia. The sites were located at points of entry (border crossings with Austria and Hungary) and in the urban and rural zones of cities and their surroundings. Ovitraps were used at the majority of sites as a standard method of monitoring. The collected specimens were identified morphologically, with subsequent molecular identification by conventional PCR (cox1) and Sanger sequencing. The phylogenetic relatedness of the obtained sequences was inferred by the maximum likelihood (ML) method. The nucleotide heterogeneity of the Slovak sequences was analysed by the index of disparity.ResultsA bush mosquito, Aedes japonicus japonicus, was found and confirmed by molecular methods in three geographically distant areas of Slovakia—Bratislava, Zvolen and Prešov. The presence of AIM species is also likely in Košice; however, the material was not subjected to molecular identification. The nucleotide sequences of some Slovak strains confirm their significant heterogeneity. They were placed in several clusters on the ML phylogenetic tree. Moreover, Ae. j. japonicus was discovered in regions of Slovakia that are not close to a point of entry, where the mosquitoes could find favourable habitats in dendrothelms in city parks or forests.ConclusionDespite being a first record of the Ae. j. japonicus in Slovakia, our study indicates that the established populations already exist across the country, underlining the urgent need for intensified surveillance of AIM species as well as mosquito-borne pathogens.Graphical

Highlights

Invasive mosquitoes of the genus Aedes are quickly spreading around the world
We describe the first results of target surveillance of Aedes invasive species in Slovakia
The invasive mosquito Ae. j. japonicus was trapped in three monitored cities of Slovakia: Bratislava, Zvolen and Prešov

Summary

Introduction

Invasive mosquitoes of the genus Aedes are quickly spreading around the world. The presence of these alien species is concerning for both their impact on the native biodiversity and their high vector competence. In the era of the re-emerging vector-borne diseases, the expansion and establishment of Aedes invasive mosquitoes (AIMs) as competent vectors of arboviral and filarial infections represent threats to human and animal health. Since their first introduction to Europe in the late 1970s, these AIMs have been considered responsible for several disease outbreaks in Europe, such as chikungunya in Italy and dengue in France [1, 2]. Japonicus, was introduced to North America through imported tyres in the 1990s and began to invade the East Coast. It is widely distributed in the eastern USA and Canada [6,7,8]

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