scholarly journals Local extinction of the Asian tiger mosquito ( Aedes albopictus ) following rat eradication on Palmyra Atoll

2018 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 20170743 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin D. Lafferty ◽  
John P. McLaughlin ◽  
Daniel S. Gruner ◽  
Taylor A. Bogar ◽  
An Bui ◽  
...  

The Asian tiger mosquito, Aedes albopictus, appears to have been extirpated from Palmyra Atoll following rat eradication. Anecdotal biting reports, collection records, and regular captures in black-light traps showed the species was present before rat eradication. Since then, there have been no biting reports and no captures over 2 years of extensive trapping (black-light and scent traps). By contrast, the southern house mosquito, Culex quinquefasciatus, was abundant before and after rat eradication. We hypothesize that mammals were a substantial and preferred blood meal for Aedes , whereas Culex feeds mostly on seabirds. Therefore, after rat eradication, humans and seabirds alone could not support positive population growth or maintenance of Aedes . This seems to be the first documented accidental secondary extinction of a mosquito. Furthermore, it suggests that preferred host abundance can limit mosquito populations, opening new directions for controlling important disease vectors that depend on introduced species like rats.

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Vittoria Mancini ◽  
Christie S. Herd ◽  
Thomas H. Ant ◽  
Shivan M. Murdochy ◽  
Steven P. Sinkins

AbstractThe global incidence of arboviral diseases transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes, including dengue, chikungunya, yellow fever, and Zika, has increased dramatically in recent decades. The release of Aedes aegypti carrying the maternally inherited symbiont Wolbachia as an intervention to control arboviruses is being trialled in several countries. However, these efforts are compromised in many endemic regions due to the co-localization of the secondary vector Aedes albopictus, the Asian tiger mosquito. Ae. albopictus has an expanding global distribution following incursions into a number of new territories. To date, only the wMel and wPip strains of Wolbachia have been reported to be transferred into and characterized in this vector. A Wolbachia strain naturally infecting Drosophila simulans, wAu, was selected for transfer into a Malaysian Ae. albopictus line to create a novel triple-strain infection. The newly generated line showed self-compatibility, moderate fitness cost and complete resistance to Zika and dengue infections.Author summaryAedes albopictus, the invasive Asian tiger mosquito, is responsible for numerous outbreaks of important viruses such as dengue and Zika in various regions of the world. The need for alterative control interventions propelled the development of a novel approach that exploits a natural insect symbiont, Wolbachia; when transferred into non-native hosts, these maternally-inherited bacteria are able to interfere with the transmission of mosquito-borne viruses, and also provide reproductive advantages to the host, offering a promising tool for self-sustaining field applications. Currently, several field trials are ongoing for the primary vector of dengue and several other arboviruses, Aedes aegypti, providing encouraging results. In this study, Ae. albopictus has been targeted for a similar approach: this mosquito species naturally carries two strains of Wolbachia. The artificial introduction of a third, non-native strain made this line less able to transmit dengue and Zika viruses and had an impact on its fitness.


2020 ◽  
Vol 35 ◽  
pp. 101691 ◽  
Author(s):  
Romeo Bellini ◽  
Antonios Michaelakis ◽  
Dušan Petrić ◽  
Francis Schaffner ◽  
Bulent Alten ◽  
...  

2020 ◽  
Vol 122 ◽  
pp. 103386 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mi Young Noh ◽  
Sung Hyun Kim ◽  
Maureen J. Gorman ◽  
Karl J. Kramer ◽  
Subbaratnam Muthukrishnan ◽  
...  

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