The Asian tiger mosquito Aedes albopictus (Skuse) in Kosovo: First record

Abstract

The Asian tiger mosquito, Aedes albopictus, is an invasive mosquito species that is considered a potential vector of about 22 arboviruses, among which dengue, chikungunya and Zika. Here we report the first record of Aedes albopictus in the territory of the Republic of Kosovo. The first finding, in July 2020, was driven by a photo of an adult mosquito published by a citizen in social media. The subsequent field investigation in July 2020 confirmed the presence of adult mosquitoes by human landing catch and collection of eggs in ovitraps at the village Zhur. Monitoring was performed for 7 weeks with ovitraps and BG-Sentinel adult traps at 36 sampling stations from 7 localities, in the Southern part of Kosovo, on the border with Albania. Fifty-two out of 81 ovitrap samples resulted positive for the presence of Ae. albopictus. A total of 2,711 eggs are collected in 22 out 36 stations and a total of 78 adults from 4 out 4 stations with BG Sentinel trap and 15 adults with handled electric aspirator. Our finding shows that the tiger mosquito is expanding its geographical range in the Balkans, southeastern Europe.

Occupational exposure to malaria, leishmaniasis and arbovirus vectors in endemic regions: A systematic review

“…Aedes albopictus , also known as the Asian tiger mosquito, is among the world’s most invasive vector species because of its high ecological and physiological plasticity, including multiple breeding habitat types, drought-resistant eggs and adaptation to cold ( Benelli et al, 2020 ). Aedes albopictus is competent for several arboviruses, including all four serotypes of dengue ( Gratz, 2004 ), chikungunya and West Nile virus ( Benedict et al, 2007 ; Muja-Bajraktari et al, 2022 ).…”

Molecular identification of Aedes albopictus (Skuse, 1894) of Chidambaram strain from inferred mitochondrial gene COI in dengue infested sentinel site, Tamil Nadu, India

“…Its occurrence in different parts of the globe is mainly due to international trade and the mobilization of individuals overseas [5] . Today, Aedes albopictus is popularly known to cause dengue, chikungunya, and zika virus infections [6] and is well fitted to tropical and sub-tropical climatic conditions [7,8] . Despite relentless efforts to clean up the occurrence, their natural adaptation to breeding in human habitats has flourished, signalling a vicious threat to public health.…”