Abstract
The increasing number of exotic arbovirus cases imported in Europe and the 2017 chikungunya outbreak in central/southern Italy highlight the urgency of evidence-based outbreak management plans to predict, prevent or interrupt spreading of these arboviruses to non-endemic countries in temperate regions. We here present the results of three mark-release-recapture experiments conducted in a peri-urban area of North-East Italy to estimate the spatio-temporal dynamics of the dispersal of Aedes albopictus females looking for oviposition sites. The Flight Range of 90% of the mosquito population (FR90) was found to exceed 200 m, consistently with data obtained from a previous study conducted in a highly urbanised area in Rome (Central Italy). Modelling results showed that dispersal can be so rapid that insecticide spraying within a 200m-radius around a potential infected case leaves >10% probability that a potentially infected mosquito escapes the treatment, even if this is carried out after only 2–3 days since the importation of a viremic case. These data provide evidence in favour of an update of guidelines for the control of exotic autochthonous arbovirus transmission in temperate areas and highlight the need of effective surveillance approaches and rapid response to contain the risks associated to imported viremic cases.
Highlights
Www.nature.com/scientificreports temperate regions due to the capacity to overcome the cold months in a state of embryonic hibernation[2]
This may be due to the larger sampling area and the higher number of STs used in the present study as opposed to Rome and/or to an inherent bias in using STs as recapture method
The first aim of the present work was to study active dispersal of blood-fed Ae. albopictus females in a peri-urban habitats in order to confirm or dispute that evidence obtained in a similar study carried out in a highly urbanized study area in Rome[17] can be generalised and represent a reliable estimate of Ae. albopictus female dispersal associated to search of an oviposition site in other temperate regions
Summary
Www.nature.com/scientificreports temperate regions due to the capacity to overcome the cold months in a state of embryonic hibernation[2] These capacities have turned the species into one of the most successful invasive animal species worldwide[3] and in a global public health threat due to its competence to transmit a large number of exotic arboviruses (such as Chikungunya (CHIKV), Dengue (DENV),[4] and Zika[5]). This is already testified by Ae. albopictus central role in large CHIKV epidemics in Indian Ocean in 2006–076 and in the Caribbean and Americas since 20157 and in several cases of autochthonous transmission of CHIKV and DENV in temperate countries[8]. The recent cases of autochthonous CHIKV and DENV transmission in Europe[8] highlight the urgency and timeliness to improve preparedness to predict, prevent or interrupt spreading of these and other exotic tropical arboviruses to non-endemic northern countries
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