Abstract
Purpose of ReviewArboviruses, viruses transmitted by arthropods such as mosquitoes, ticks, sandflies, and fleas are a significant threat to public health because of their epidemic and zoonotic potential. The geographical distribution of mosquito-borne diseases such as West Nile (WN), Rift Valley fever (RVF), Dengue, Chikungunya, and Zika has expanded over the last decades. Countries of the Mediterranean and Black Sea regions are not spared. Outbreaks of WN are repeatedly reported in the Mediterranean basin. Human cases of RVF were reported at the southern borders of the Maghreb region. For this reason, establishing the basis for the research to understand the potential for the future emergence of these and other arboviruses and their expansion into new geographic areas became a public health priority. In this context, the European network “MediLabSecure” gathering laboratories in 19 non-EU countries from the Mediterranean and Black Sea regions seeks to improve the surveillance (of animals, humans, and vectors) by reinforcing capacity building and harmonizing national surveillance systems to address this important human and veterinary health issue. The aim of this review is to give an exhaustive overview of arboviruses and their vectors in the region.Recent FindingsThe data presented underline the importance of surveillance in the implementation of more adapted control strategies to combat vector-borne diseases. Partner laboratories within the MediLabSecure network present a wide range of infrastructures and have benefited from different training programs.SummaryAlthough reporting of arboviral presence is not carried out in a systematic manner, the expansion of the area where arboviruses are present cannot be disputed. This reinforces the need for increasing surveillance capacity building in this region to prevent future emergences.
Highlights
Vector Borne and Parasitic Diseases Epidemiology Department, National Center for Diseases Control and Prevention, Yerevan, Armenia
The entomologists target mosquitoes identified as present threats or with potential risk of emergence in the concerned region: Aedes mosquitoes (Aedes aegypti (=Stegomyia aegypti) and Aedes albopictus (=Stegomyia albopicta)) responsible for transmission of Dengue virus (DENV) and Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) to humans and Culex mosquitoes (e.g., Culex pipiens) implicated in the transmission of West Nile virus (WNV)
Other arboviruses transmitted by sandflies or ticks (e.g., Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) virus transmitted by Hyalomma tick bites) are considered in the MediLabSecure program activities
Summary
Aedes aegypti: This mosquito was common in southern Europe and the Middle East at the beginning of twentieth century [6, 11]. Major outbreaks associated with Ae. aegypti may occur in South Europe as this mosquito was responsible for large epidemics of Dengue in Greece in 1927–1928 [5] This species is a vector of CHIKV and ZIKV. The species was recorded for the first time in Europe in Albania in 1979 [18], in Italy in 1990 [19, 20], and is present in 20 European countries [21]. Today, it is established in most countries of the Mediterranean Sea, including Lebanon, Syria, and Israel. They were located in the coastal and in the central parts of Albania [45]
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