Distribution of Anopheles daciae and other Anopheles maculipennis complex species in Serbia

Mihaela Kavran,Christina Manz,Marija Zgomba,Thomas Weitzel,Dusan Petric,Norbert Becker

doi:10.1007/s00436-018-6028-y

Mihaela Kavran, Christina Manz + Show 4 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-018-6028-y

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Abstract

Malaria is one of the most severe health problems facing the world today. Until the mid-twentieth century, Europe was an endemic area of malaria, with the Balkan countries being heavily infested. Sibling species belonging to the Anopheles maculipennis complex are well-known as effective vectors of Plasmodium in Europe. A vast number of human malaria cases in the past in the former Yugoslavia territory have stressed the significance of An. maculipennis complex species as primary and secondary vectors. Therefore, the present study evaluates the species composition, geographic distribution and abundance of these malaria vector species. Mosquitoes were collected in the northern Serbian province of Vojvodina and analysed by PCR-RFLP, multiplex PCR and sequencing of the ITS2 intron of genomic rDNA. Four sibling species of the An. maculipennis complex were identified. Both larvae and adults of the recently described species An. daciae were identified for the first time in Serbia. In 250 larval samples, 109 (44%) An. messeae, 90 (36%) An. maculipennis s.s., 33 (13%) An. daciae and 18 (7%) An. atroparvus were identified. In adult collections, 81 (47%) An. messeae, 55 (32%) An. daciae, 33 (19%) An. maculipennis s.s., and 3 (2%) An. atroparvus were recorded. The most abundant species in Vojvodina was An. messeae, whereas An. atroparvus was confirmed a rare species in all parts. Since this species is a potentially, highly competent malarial vector, low population density could be crucial to prevent a new establishment of endemic malaria transmission in Serbia.

Highlights

The discovery that mosquitoes can transmit microfilariae and malarial protozoa at the end of the nineteenth century initiated the collection, naming and classification of Anopheles species after the genus was introduced by Johann Wilhelm Meigen in 1818
At the territory of Sava river basin near Belgrade (Serbia) following An. maculipennis complex (AMC), species have been recorded so far: An. atroparvus, An. labranchiae, An. maculipennis s.s., An. melanoon, An. messeae and An. sacharovi, of which An. atroparvus, An. maculipennis s.s., An. melanoon and An. messeae are present in Vojvodina Province, formerly an area of widespread endemic malaria (Zgomba et al 2002; Kostić 1946)
There has been a substantial number of imported tropical malaria (P. falciparum) which accounts for about 77% of tropical disease cases in Europe (65,596 infections reported between 2000 and 2009, TropNetEurop 2010)

Summary

Introduction

The discovery that mosquitoes can transmit microfilariae and malarial protozoa at the end of the nineteenth century initiated the collection, naming and classification of Anopheles species after the genus was introduced by Johann Wilhelm Meigen in 1818. Eleven species of the An. maculipennis complex (AMC) are formally considered in the Palaearctic region: Anopheles artemievi Gordeyev, Zvantsov, Goryacheva, Shaikevich and Yezhov, 2005; Anopheles atroparvus van Thiel, 1927; Anopheles beklemishevi Stegnii & Kabanova (1976); Anopheles daciae Linton, Nicolescu and Harbach, 2004; Anopheles labranchiae Falleroni, 1926; Anopheles maculipennis s.s. Meigen, 1818; Anopheles martinius Shinagarev, 1926; Anopheles melanoon Hackett, 1934; Anopheles messeae Falleroni, 1926, Anopheles persiensis Linton, Sedaghat and Harbach, 2003 and Parasitol Res (2018) 117:3277–3287. At the territory of Serbia following AMC, species have been recorded so far: An. atroparvus, An. labranchiae, An. maculipennis s.s., An. melanoon, An. messeae and An. sacharovi, of which An. atroparvus, An. maculipennis s.s., An. melanoon and An. messeae are present in Vojvodina Province (north Serbia), formerly an area of widespread endemic malaria (Zgomba et al 2002; Kostić 1946). There has been a substantial number of imported tropical malaria (P. falciparum) which accounts for about 77% of tropical disease cases in Europe (65,596 infections reported between 2000 and 2009, TropNetEurop 2010)

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