Mosquitoes are one of the less beautiful sides of summer. With her itchy stitches you can quickly spoil the great time outside. But not only that: some species are even carriers of dangerous infectious diseases. According to current developments, Asian mosquito species are increasingly spreading in Europe. In Germany this was noticed some time ago. According to a new study, the Asian tiger mosquito and the Japanese as well as the Korean bush mosquito are said to have increasingly settled in Tyrol. This also increases Risk of infectious diseases.
Mosquito occurrence observed at 67 locations
A research team from the Institute of Parasitology at the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna (Vetmeduni Vienna) has this as part of a scientific mosquito monitoring program Occurrence of different mosquito species examined at 67 locations. For this purpose, so-called ovitraps were set up weekly from May to October 2018. These are special devices on which mosquitoes lay their eggs. The tests were carried out in rural and urban areas, but especially on motorways. The latter are considered hot spots of the mosquito invasion. “Non-resident mosquito species are mainly brought in by goods transfer, but they can also simply travel by car. That is why motorways are the most important entry points for invasive mosquito species, ”explains student author Hans-Peter Führer.
Non-native mosquito species detected
The result of the investigation: At 18 of the 67 sites, the researchers were able to locate eggs from non-native mosquitoes. These include the Asian tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus) and the Japanese bush mosquito (Aedes japonicus) in East and North Tyrol. Both are already at home in Tyrol. In addition, the Korean bush mosquito (Aedes koreicus) was detected for the first time in East Tyrol. The latter had already appeared in Hessen in 2019. The research team published these observations in the journal “Parasitology Research”.
Increased risk of transmission of dangerous diseases
However, the study results available are not exactly gratifying. “The detection of the Asian tiger mosquito, the Japanese mosquito and the Korean mosquito is of great importance for the population, for public health and for the relevant decision-makers,” warns Hans-Peter Führer. The latter can transmit the virus of Japanese encephalitis, for example, but is also considered a carrier of the Chikungunya virus and roundworms. But the tiger mosquito is particularly problematic. Because she can dangerous pathogens like dengue, Carrying Chikungunya and Zika. New diseases are threatening to develop in Europe. Against this background, the director of studies calls for “continuous monitoring of new mosquito species.”
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