Abstract
Arboviral diseases such as chikungunya, dengue, and Zika viruses have been threatening the European countries since the introduction in 1979 of the major vector Aedes albopictus. In 2017, more than three hundred of CHIKV autochthonous cases were reported in Italy, highlighting the urgent need for a risk assessment of arboviral diseases in European countries. In this study, the vector competence for three major arboviruses were analyzed in eight Ae. albopictus populations from Europe. Here we show that Southern European Ae. albopictus were susceptible to CHIKV, DENV-1 and ZIKV with the highest vector competence for CHIKV. Based on vector competence data and vector distribution, a prediction risk map for CHIKV was generated stressing the fear of CHIKV and to a lesser extent, of other arboviruses for Europe, calling us for new public health strategies.
Highlights
Arboviral diseases such as chikungunya, dengue, and Zika viruses have been threatening the European countries since the introduction in 1979 of the major vector Aedes albopictus
Southern European Ae. albopictus are highly susceptible to chikungunya and to a lesser extent, to dengue, and Zika viruses
The number of viral particles was estimated in the body, head, and saliva at 7 and 14 days post-infection for CHIKV and 7, 14, and 21 dpi for DENV-1 and ZIKV (Table 2)
Summary
Arboviral diseases such as chikungunya, dengue, and Zika viruses have been threatening the European countries since the introduction in 1979 of the major vector Aedes albopictus. A total of 337 infections were reported, 61 of which occurred in the capital city of Rome[16] This outbreak exemplifies that the presence of Ae. albopictus in Italy favors the occurrence of CHIKV epidemics[16]. A vector competence analysis of European Ae. albopictus populations is critical for assessing the risk of arboviral diseases outbreaks as the establishment of competent mosquitoes can become the breeding ground for various arboviruses. To this aim, we collected eight European Ae. albopictus populations from Croatia, Greece, Italy, Montenegro, and Switzerland, and experimentally infected them with three arboviruses, CHIKV (Alphavirus, Togaviridae), and DENV and ZIKV (Flavivirus, Flaviviridae).
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