First record of the West Nile virus bridge vector Culex modestus Ficalbi (Diptera: Culicidae) in Belgium, validated by DNA barcoding

Abstract: A thorough knowledge of the presence and spatio-temporal distribution patterns of vector species are pivotal to assess the risk of mosquito-borne diseases in Europe. In 2018, a Culex larva was collected during routine monitoring activities to intercept exotic Aedes mosquito species in the port of Antwerp (Kallo, Belgium). The larva, collected from a pond in mid-September, was morphologically identified as Culex modestus, and this identification was subsequently confirmed by COI barcoding. It is the first confirmed record of this West Nile virus bridge vector in Belgium. The present s... Mehr ...

Verfasser: de Wolf, Katrien
Vanderheyden, Ann
Deblauwe, Isra
Smitz, Nathalie
Gombeer, Sophie
Vanslembrouck, Adwine
Meganck, Kenny
Dekoninck, Wouter
de Meyer, Marc
Backeljau, Thierry
Mueller, Ruth
Van Bortel, Wim
Dokumenttyp: Artikel
Erscheinungsdatum: 2021
Schlagwörter: Biology
Sprache: Englisch
Permalink: https://search.fid-benelux.de/Record/base-26599965
Datenquelle: BASE; Originalkatalog
Powered By: BASE
Link(s) : https://hdl.handle.net/10067/1767050151162165141

Abstract: A thorough knowledge of the presence and spatio-temporal distribution patterns of vector species are pivotal to assess the risk of mosquito-borne diseases in Europe. In 2018, a Culex larva was collected during routine monitoring activities to intercept exotic Aedes mosquito species in the port of Antwerp (Kallo, Belgium). The larva, collected from a pond in mid-September, was morphologically identified as Culex modestus, and this identification was subsequently confirmed by COI barcoding. It is the first confirmed record of this West Nile virus bridge vector in Belgium. The present study also demonstrates the value of DNA-based identification techniques to validate the presence of potential vector species.