Illegal waste sites as a potential micro foci of mediterranean leishmaniasis

Apart from being against the law, illegal waste dumping also poses a threat to human health and to the environment. Solid and decomposing waste is an ideal breeding ground for a number of rodents, insects, and other vermin that pose a health risk through the spread of infectious diseases. The main objective of this study was to survey disease vectors and rodents for the presence of Leishmania sp. from waste sites along the Istrian Peninsula in Slovenia and Croatia

Female reproductive characteristics of the Horvath's rock lizard (Iberolacerta horvathi) from Slovenia

In this paper, we present data on the female reproductive traits of the Horvath’s rock lizard from Slovenia. The clutch, egg and hatchling characteristics were investigated based on clutches laid in laboratory conditions by pregnant females collected from a natural population. A female lays one clutch of eggs annually with an average number of three (range 1-5) eggs. We found a significant positive correlation between female size and egg width and volume. The mean egg length and volume in a clutch decreased significantly with clutch size independently of female size. The incubation period averaged 44 days. Significant positive correlations were found between the hatchling total length and mass, and egg mass. There was a significant negative relationship between the egg mass and incubation duration. The life-history strategy of the Horvath’s rock lizard appeared to be shaped by several factors, such as the constraints of a high-altitude environment, flattened body morphology and possibly phylogenetic background.Projekat ministarstva br. 17304

Recently discovered Aedes japonicus japonicus (Diptera: Culicidae) populations in The Netherlands and northern Germany resulted from a new introduction event and from a split from an existing population

BACKGROUND: Originally native to East Asia, Aedes japonicus japonicus, a potential vector of several arboviruses, has become one of the most invasive mosquito species in the world. After having established in the USA, it is now spreading in Europe, with new populations emerging. In contrast to the USA, the introduction pathways and modes of dispersal in Europe are largely obscure. METHODS: To find out if two recently detected populations of Ae. j. japonicus in The Netherlands and northern Germany go back to new importations or to movements within Europe, the genetic makeup of mosquito specimens from all known European populations was compared. For this purpose, seven microsatellite loci from a representative number of mosquito specimens were genotyped and part of their mitochondrial nad4 gene sequenced. RESULTS: A novel nad4 haplotype found in the newly discovered Dutch population of Ae. j. japonicus suggests that this population is not closely related to the other European populations but has emanated from a further introduction event. With five nad4 haplotypes, the Dutch population also shows a very high genetic diversity indicating that either the founder population was very large or multiple introductions took place. By contrast, the recently detected North German population could be clearly assigned to one of the two previously determined European Ae. j. japonicus microsatellite genotypes and shows nad4 haplotypes that are known from West Germany. CONCLUSION: As the European populations of Ae. j. japonicus are geographically separated but genetically mixed, their establishment must be attributed to passive transportation. In addition to intercontinental shipment, it can be assumed that human activities are also responsible for medium- and short-distance overland spread. A better understanding of the processes underlying the introduction and spread of this invasive species will help to increase public awareness of the human-mediated displacement of mosquitoes and to find strategies to avoid it

Female reproductive characteristics of the Horvath's rock lizard (Iberolacerta horvathi) from Slovenia

In this paper, we present data on the female reproductive traits of the Horvath’s rock lizard from Slovenia. The clutch, egg and hatchling characteristics were investigated based on clutches laid in laboratory conditions by pregnant females collected from a natural population. A female lays one clutch of eggs annually with an average number of three (range 1-5) eggs. We found a significant positive correlation between female size and egg width and volume. The mean egg length and volume in a clutch decreased significantly with clutch size independently of female size. The incubation period averaged 44 days. Significant positive correlations were found between the hatchling total length and mass, and egg mass. There was a significant negative relationship between the egg mass and incubation duration. The life-history strategy of the Horvath’s rock lizard appeared to be shaped by several factors, such as the constraints of a high-altitude environment, flattened body morphology and possibly phylogenetic background.Projekat ministarstva br. 17304

Aedes koreicus, a vector on the rise: Pan-European genetic patterns, mitochondrial and draft genome sequencing

25openYesBackground The mosquito Aedes koreicus (Edwards, 1917) is a recent invader on the European continent that was introduced to several new places since its first detection in 2008. Compared to other exotic Aedes mosquitoes with public health significance that invaded Europe during the last decades, this species’ biology, behavior, and dispersal patterns were poorly investigated to date. Methodology/Principal findings To understand the species’ population relationships and dispersal patterns within Europe, a fragment of the cytochrome oxidase I (COI or COX1) gene was sequenced from 130 mosquitoes, collected from five countries where the species has been introduced and/or established. Oxford Nanopore and Illumina sequencing techniques were combined to generate the first complete nuclear and mitochondrial genomic sequences of Ae. koreicus from the European region. The complete genome of Ae. koreicus is 879 Mb. COI haplotype analyses identified five major groups (altogether 31 different haplotypes) and revealed a large-scale dispersal pattern between European Ae. koreicus populations. Continuous admixture of populations from Belgium, Italy, and Hungary was highlighted, additionally, haplotype diversity and clustering indicate a separation of German sequences from other populations, pointing to an independent introduction of Ae. koreicus to Europe. Finally, a genetic expansion signal was identified, suggesting the species might be present in more locations than currently detected. Conclusions/Significance Our results highlight the importance of genetic research of invasive mosquitoes to understand general dispersal patterns, reveal main dispersal routes and form the baseline of future mitigation actions. The first complete genomic sequence also provides a significant leap in the general understanding of this species, opening the possibility for future genome-related studies, such as the detection of ‘Single Nucleotide Polymorphism’ markers. Considering its public health importance, it is crucial to further investigate the species’ population genetic dynamic, including a larger sampling and additional genomic markers.Kurucz, Kornélia; Zeghbib, Safia; Arnoldi, Daniele; Marini, Giovanni; Manica, Mattia; Michelutti, Alice; Montarsi, Fabrizio; Deblauwe, Isra; Van Bortel, Wim; Smitz, Nathalie; Pfitzner, Wolf Peter; Czajka, Christina; Jöst, Artur; Kalan, Katja; Šušnjar, Jana; Ivović, Vladimir; Kuczmog, Anett; Lanszki, Zsófia; Tóth, Gábor Endre; Somogyi, Balázs A; Herczeg, Róbert; Urbán, Péter; Bueno-Marí, Rubén; Soltész, Zoltán; Kemenesi, GáborKurucz, K.; Zeghbib, S.; Arnoldi, D.; Marini, G.; Manica, M.; Michelutti, A.; Montarsi, F.; Deblauwe, I.; Van Bortel, W.; Smitz, N.; Pfitzner, W.P.; Czajka, C.; Jöst, A.; Kalan, K.; Šušnjar, J.; Ivović, V.; Kuczmog, A.; Lanszki, Z.; Tóth, G.E.; Somogyi, B.A.; Herczeg, R.; Urbán, P.; Bueno-Marí, R.; Soltész, Z.; Kemenesi, G

AIMSurv: First pan-European harmonized surveillance of Aedes invasive mosquito species of relevance for human vector-borne diseases

Human and animal vector-borne diseases, particularly mosquito-borne diseases, are emerging or re-emerging worldwide. Six Aedes invasive mosquito (AIM) species were introduced to Europe since the 1970s: Aedes aegypti, Ae. albopictus, Ae. japonicus, Ae. koreicus, Ae. atropalpus and Ae. triseriatus. Here, we report the results of AIMSurv2020, the first pan-European surveillance effort for AIMs. Implemented by 42 volunteer teams from 24 countries. And presented in the form of a dataset named “AIMSurv Aedes Invasive Mosquito species harmonized surveillance in Europe. AIM-COST Action. Project ID: CA17108”. AIMSurv2020 harmonizes field surveillance methodologies for sampling different AIMs life stages, frequency and minimum length of sampling period, and data reporting. Data include minimum requirements for sample types and recommended requirements for those teams with more resources. Data are published as a Darwin Core archive in the Global Biodiversity Information Facility- Spain, comprising a core file with 19,130 records (EventID) and an occurrences file with 19,743 records (OccurrenceID). AIM species recorded in AIMSurv2020 were Ae. albopictus, Ae. japonicus and Ae. koreicus, as well as native mosquito species

Dispersial capacity of Asian tiger mosquito, Aedes albopictus (Diptera: Culicidae), an invasive species in Slovenia

Tigrasti komar, Aedes albopictus (Skuse, 1895), je invazivna tujerodna vrsta komarjev, ki je v Sloveniji prisotna že 16 let. Zaradi svojega hitrega širjenja, sposobnosti izkoraiščanja umetnih vodnih habitatov za svoj razvoj, nadležnosti za prebivalstvo ter predvsem nevarnosti prenosa različnih zoonoz ima izjemen pomen za javno zdravje. Namen doktorske disertacije je bil določiti razširjenost tigrastega komarja v celotni državi ter preučiti njegovo potencialno razširjenost v bližnji prihodnosti. Popisi komarjev so temeljili na iskanju ličink v različnih vodnih habitatih. Komarje smo do vrste določili na podlagi morfoloških znakov ter s pomočjo DNA (deoksiribonukleinska kislina) črtnih kod. V dveh letih vzorčenja smo ugotovili stabilno populacijo tigrastega komarja na Primorskem, v Ljubljani in širši okolici ter na Dolenjskem. Ob popisu tigrastega komarja smo naleteli še na dve invazivni vrsti, japonskega komarja, Ae. japonicus japonicus, ter korejskega komarja, Ae. koreicus. Zaradi hitro rastoče populacije, pomena za javno zdravje ter nejasnih ekspanzijskih mehanizmov japonskega komarja v Evropi smo dodatno opravili populacijsko študijo te vrste na osnovi genetskih markerjev. Genotipizirali smo sedem mikrosatelitnih lokusov na reprezentativnem številu vzorcev in obenem sekvenirali del njihovega mitohondrijskega gena za nikotin-dehidrogenazoNAD4. Rezultati so pokazali, da so populacije v Sloveniji najbolj podobne populacijam, ki naseljujo območje Nemčije. S to raziskavo smo dokazali, da sta populaciji tigrastega in japonskega komarja simpatrični na velikem delu Slovenije. Na podlagi zbranih podatkov o njuni razširjenosti, različnih kombinacij bioklimatskih spremenljivk iz dveh baz, WorldClim in CHELSA, in nadmorske višine smo v računalniškem programu MaxEnt izdelali različne modele potencialne razširjenosti za obe vrsti. Najboljši modeli so bili izbrani na podlagi AIC in AUC vrednosti. Kot primernejši za napovedi razširjenost obeh vrst se izkazali modeli s spremenljivkami iz baze CHELSA, kar smo potrdili tudi s terenskimi podatki. Tigrati komar lahko po napovedih modelov potencialno naseli še območje v severovzhodni Sloveniji, zato bi morali v prihodnosti temu nameniti pozornost, da bi preprečili naselitev in ustalitev vrste. Populacija japonskega komarja se je v primerjavi s tigrastim komarjem v času vzorčenja razširila na večino države, kar so predvedili tudi izdelani modeli. S študijo smo potrdili, da so modeli uporabno orodje za predvidevanje razširjenosti invazivnih vrst komarjev in bi jih lahko uporabili za preprečevanje širjenja invazivnih komarjev v prihodnosti v drugih državah s podobnimi bioklimatskimi pogoji.The invasive Asian tiger mosquito, Aedes albopictus (Skuse, 1895), is present in Slovenia for 16 years. It is of great concern for public health due to its rapid spreading, easy exploitation of new habitats, its painful bites and the ability to transfer various diseases. The aim of this study was to determine the presence of Asian tiger mosquitoes throughout the country and to examine its potential distribution in near future. We based mosquito catches on the search for their larvae in various water contaitners. Caught mosquitoes were determined to the species level according to their morphological character or with the help of DNA barcoding. During the two years of sampling, we found an established population of Asian tiger mosquitoes in the Primorska and Dolenjska regions and in Ljubljana and its surroundings. Apart from Asian tiger mosquito, we confirmed the presence of two additional invasive mosquito species, i.e. Asian bush mosquito Ae. japonicus japonicus and Ae. koreicus. Because of rapidly expanding Asian bush mosquito\u27s population, its importance for public health and unclear paths of spread in Europe, we additionally carried out a population study of this species. We genotyped seven microsatellite loci from a representative number of specimens and sequenced part of their mitochondrial gene NAD4. According to obtained results Slovenian populations are linked to the German ones. Our study confirms that the Asian tiger mosquito and Asian bush moquito are co-occuring in a large part of the country area. Based on collected data on their presence, various combinations of variables from two sets of bioclimatic layers, WorldClim in CHELSA, and altitude, we produced different models of potential distribution for both species. We used MaxEnt for the production of models. The best modeks were selected according to AIC in AUC values. Produced models with variables from the CHELSA database proved to be more suitable for the prediction of both species distribution, which was confirmed by field data. According to the models, the Asian tiger mosquito can potentially become established additionally in the North-Eastern Slovenia. In order to prevent its establishment, in the future special attention on its occurence and control should be made in this area. The population of Asian bush mosquito expanded to almost whole country during the study, which was anticipated by produced models. We proved that the models are a reliable tool to predict the expansion of invasive mosquito species and they could be used for future prevention of invasive mosquitoes spreading in other countries with similar bioclimatic conditions