Recently, Italy-particularly the Emilia-Romagna region-was the location of consecutive outbreaks of human diseases caused by the arboviruses chikungunya virus and West Nile virus. The two outbreaks, spread by different species of mosquitoes, were not related, but pointed out the lack of an arboviral surveillance program in this region. Beginning in 2007 entomological surveillance was initiated in the Emilia-Romagna region, and in 2008 the program was improved and extended at Lombardia region. Using CO(2)-baited traps, 65,292 mosquitoes were collected; pooled by date of collection, location, and species; macerated manually; and tested by reverse transcription (RT)-polymerase chain reaction for the presence of alphaviruses, orthobunyaviruses, and flaviviruses. Amplicons were sequenced and employed for identification of viral RNA by basic local alignment search tool search in GenBank. Results of these assays showed (1) the presence of West Nile virus in two pools of Culex pipiens mosquitoes, (2) the presence of RNA of two orthobunyaviruses, Tahyna virus in a pool of Ochlerotatus caspius mosquitoes and Batai virus in a pool of Anopheles maculipennis mosquitoes, and (3) the presence of flavivirus RNAs in pools of Oc. caspius, Aedes albopictus, and Aedes vexans mosquitoes; the sequences of these amplicons were most closely related to flaviviruses that have been detected only in mosquitoes and had no recognized vertebrate host (Aedes flavivirus, Culex flavivirus, and Kamiti River virus).

Mating competitiveness trials have been conducted in large net-screened enclosures (8 by 5 by 2.8 m) built in a natural shaded environment, in the summers of 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2009 in northern Italy. Aedes albopictus (Skuse) males were radio-sterilized by applying gamma radiations at doses in the range 30-60 Gy. Gamma radiation was administered to aged pupae at the rate of 2.3 Gy/min. Reared radiated males (originally collected in Rimini, Forli, Bologna, Matera, Pinerolo) and hybrid radiated males were tested against wild fertile males (originated from eggs collected in Rimini and Cesena) and reared fertile males, in multiple comparisons for mating competitiveness with reared or wild females. The ratio was kept constant at 100-100_100 (fertile males-radiated males_virgin females). Mating competitiveness was estimated through the calculation of the hatching rate of the eggs laid in oviposition traps positioned inside enclosures. No clear effect of the strains tested (reared, wild, or hybrid) was found. Results demonstrated that reducing the radiation dose from 60 to 30 Gy increases males' competitiveness. Laboratory investigations conducted after controversial results in the 2006 preliminary trials, showed that radiation induces precociousness in adult male emergence.

This study reports the first evidence of resistance to pyrethroids in adult Italian Ae. albopictus populations. Results refer to the season preceding the Chikungunya 2017 outbreak in central Italy and highlight the need to increase efforts to monitor the spread of insecticide resistance and the need to develop strategies to limit the spread of insecticide resistance, particularly in areas where extensive treatments have been carried out to contain disease outbreaks. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry.

The increasing concern about vector-borne diseases such as West Nile disease in northern Italy motivated our analysis of data on the mosquito fauna and the seasonal and daily flight patterns collected in 1998 in the Po Valley. Collections were performed once a week from May to November, with human landing collections and CO 2 traps. Culex pipiens was present from July to October and showed a clearly unimodal nocturnal flight habit. Culex modestus appeared in July-August and showed a bimodal flight pattern, (main peak during the evening and a minor one in the morning). Aedes caspius was present from May to November (highest densities in July-August) and showed a bimodal flight pattern with a major crepuscular peak and a minor dawn peak in the morning. Aedes detritus was the most abundant species in May, with a crepuscular sharply bimodal flight pattern, particularly according to human landing collections. Sunset and sunrise time, in combination with the solar phase (that determines daylight duration and its trend of changing) were the main factors affecting flight behavior. Temperature, relative humidity, and wind speed differently affected the flight behavior of mosquito females according to the species. Journal of Vector Ecology 37 (1): 49-61. 2012.

The aim of our study was to assess the potential of Macrocyclops albidus as a biological control agent against the 1st and 2nd instars of Culex pipiens and Aedes albopictus. Under laboratory conditions of prey saturation (50 1st instars/copepod), an average of 58.98% of Cx. pipiens and 54.99% of Ae. albopictus larvae were killed by 1 copepod in 24 h. Trials run in big drums containing 200 liters of water showed that the M. albidus population, inoculated in April, efficiently controlled the mosquito population for the entire season. The predator was particularly effective against Ae. albopictus, as only 2 larvae of this species were found in the treated drums, compared to 814 larvae in untreated control drums throughout the study period. No difference was observed in the control efficacy between the 2 initial densities of copepods used. The reduction in Ae. albopictus density in the drums with 100 and 500 M. albidus with respect to the control drums was 99.90 ± 0.35% and 100.0 ± 0.0%, respectively. For Cx. pipiens, the reduction in density was 88.69 ± 13.51% and 84.65% in drums inoculated with 100 and 500 copepods, respectively. Macrocyclops albidus populations survived through the winter and continued to keep the mosquito population under control during the 2008 season. The M. albidus population developed very well both in drums placed in sunny and shaded areas and proved to be tolerant to both high (summer) and low (winter) temperatures. Trials performed on M. albidus survival in catch basins showed that after a few weeks, the copepod population dramatically decreased and subsequently disappeared. The main problem for copepod survival in catch basins seemed to be the low oxygen tension and accumulation of toxic substances, rather than copepods being flushed out in heavy rainfall episodes. During the period when copepods were present, they maintained the mosquito population under control; their partial disappearance from the catch basins, however, would require more recolonization intervention to maintain mosquito control during the season.