Parasites and Vectors (2017) 10 (452) - West Nile virus in ...

Ivo Rudolf, Lenka Betásová, Hana Blazejová, Kristyna Venclíková, Petra Straková, Oldrich Sebesta, Jan Mendel, Tamás Bakonyi, Francis Schaffner, Norbert Nowotny and Zdenek Hubálek (2017)
West Nile virus in overwintering mosquitoes, central Europe
Parasites and Vectors 10 (452)
Abstract:
Background
West Nile virus (WNV) is currently the most important mosquito-borne pathogen spreading in Europe. Data on overwintering of WNV in mosquitoes are crucial for understanding WNV circulation in Europe; nonetheless, such data were not available so far.
Results
A total of 28,287 hibernating mosquitoes [27,872 Culex pipiens, 73 Anopheles maculipennis (sensu lato), and 342 Culiseta annulata], caught in February or March between 2011 and 2017 in a WNV-endemic region of South Moravia, Czech Republic, were screened for the presence of WNV RNA. No WNV positive pools were found from 2011 to 2016, while lineage 2 WNV RNA was detected in three pools of Culex pipens mosquitoes collected in 2017 at two study sites.
Conclusions
To the best of our knowledge, this is the first record of WNV RNA in overwintering mosquitoes in Europe. The data support the hypothesis of WNV persistence in mosquitoes throughout the winter season in Europe.
(The abstract is excluded from the Creative Commons licence and has been copied with permission by the publisher.)
Full text of article
Database assignments for author(s): Francis Schaffner, Zdenek Hubálek

Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
general biology - morphology - evolution

---

Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Culex pipiens		Czech Republic
	Anopheles maculipennis		Czech Republic
	Culiseta annulata		Czech Republic