Filarial worm circulation by mosquitoes along an urbanization gradient in southern Spain

Abstract

Mosquitoes are the main vectors of pathogens affecting wild animals, livestock and humans. Here, we used molecular tools to assess the local circulation of filarial parasites in mosquitoes collected during 2013 from natural, rural and urban habitats from southern Spain. We screened parasites in 22,791 female mosquitoes of the genera Aedes, Culex and Culiseta. Filarial worms were only detected in two mosquito pools. An Ae. caspius pool was positive for Setaria equina and an unidentified worm related to Onchocerca was detected in a Cx. pipiens pool. None of the mosquito pools were positive for Dirofilaria. These results underlay the role of Ae. caspius in the transmission of Setaria parasites among livestock and/or wildlife to humans in southern Spain.

What Has Happened to Heartworm Disease in Europe in the Last 10 Years?

“…pipiens and Cx. theileri as potential vectors was reported in two endemic regions of the Iberian Peninsula [148,149]. In Italy, several studies have continued to demonstrate the existence of culicid vectors of Dirofilaria in different regions of the country, such as Cx.…”

Mosquito-borne parasites in the Great Plains: searching for vectors of nematodes and avian malaria parasites

“…The change of those two factors most likely contributed to the lack of infected pools detected in 2017 (Carlson et al 2015). The addition of CO 2 with BG Sentinel traps, as occurs in Europe (Schoener et al, 2017;Übleis et al, 2018;Martínez-de la Puente et al, 2019), may have enhanced the collection of Culex spp. in the study.…”

“…While these parasite-vector relationships may not be considered as important as those related to public health, there is a need to identify what other parasites are inhabiting the mosquito species within particular regions. As recent studies in Europe have reported, filarioid nematodes, known (Setaria sp) or unknown, are circulating in mosquitoes and wildlife in varied environments (Czajka et al, 2012;Kemenesi et al, 2015;Übleis et al, 2018;Martínez-de la Puente et al, 2019;Netherlands et al, 2020). Some may have an impact on the health of livestock or cervids while others may provide a means for an arbovirus to escape a midgut barrier and develop to infectious levels in the salivary glands (Vaughan et al, 2007;Vaughan and Turell, 2017).…”

“…are mainly found in bovids and cervids and can be transmitted by different species of mosquitoes (Cancrini et al, 1995(Cancrini et al, , 1997Ubleis et al, 2018). Recently identified in European mosquitoes (Czajka et al, 2012;Kemenesi et al, 2015;Ubleis et al, 2018;Martínez-de la Puente et al, 2019), little is known regarding filarioid nematodes circulating in mosquitoes in the United States. For example, the only information regarding mosquito vectors of filarioid nematodes in Oklahoma is from several heartworm studies in one county (Afolabi et al, 1989;Paras et al, 2014).…”