Estudio poblacional de Aedes (Stegomyia) albopictus (Skuse, 1894) en España: distribución, genética y alternativas de control biológico de la especie

Aedes (Stegomyia) albopictus (Skuse, 1894), conocido comúnmente como mosquito tigre asiático, está reconocido como una de las especies más invasivas del mundo. Se registró por primera vez en España en 2004, cerca de la ciudad de Barcelona. Desde entonces, su distribución en nuestro país ha ido en aumento. Dado su papel como vector en los recientes brotes de arbovirus reemergentes en Europa y la creciente introducción de patógenos en España por viajeros, el Ministerio de Sanidad estableció un Plan Nacional de Vigilancia Entomológica. En el presente trabajo de tesis se han caracterizado las poblaciones de mosquito tigre en España en el periodo 2011-2016.En primer lugar, se ha estudiado su distribución, principalmente mediante la colocación de trampas de oviposición. Se ha observado una aceleración del proceso de ocupación del territorio por esta especie y se ha identificado su periodo anual de actividad en distintos municipios españoles.En segundo lugar, se ha realizado un estudio genético de las poblaciones detectadas durante los últimos años de dispersión por el país. Mediante la utilización de dos marcadores moleculares (COI e ITS2), se ha podido determinar que existe una gran variabilidad genética poblacional en España y que la expansión geográfica ha tenido lugar tras múltiples y continuados procesos de colonización desde distintos orígenes, tanto nacionales como internacionales. Concretamente, los análisis de historia demográfica de la especie sugieren que la dispersión por España, ha tenido lugar a nivel local mediante procesos naturales y acelerada de manera artificial a escala nacional. Finalmente, dado que actualmente se trata de realizar un manejo integrado de los vectores, se han realizado pruebas de susceptibilidad de Ae. albopictus a la aplicación de distintas cepas de Metarhizium anisopliae y Beauveria bassiana, que han mostrado su potencial como agentes de control biológico de esta especie.<br /

First confirmed outdoor winter reproductive activity of Asian tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus) in Europe

Es la primera vez que se registra la continuidad en invierno del ci- clo reproductivo de Aedes albopictus en Europa. Se discute sobre el empleo de la variable precipitación en los modelos de riesgo de implantación de mosquito tigre. Pensamos que la disponibilidad lo- cal de agua para estos insectos no depende siempre de la lluvia

A randomized, blinded, controlled trial to assess sand fly mortality of fluralaner administered orally in dogs

Background: Leishmania infantum is the parasite responsible for the disease in humans known as zoonotic visceral leishmaniasis (ZVL). Dogs are considered the main domestic reservoir of ZVL and sand flies are the proven vectors. The use of systemic insecticides in dogs has been studied as an alternative strategy to control ZVL in endemic areas. One systemic insecticide in dogs, fluralaner, has a proven anti-sand fly effect in membrane-fed studies. However, the efficacy and duration on sand flies directly feeding from dogs treated with fluralaner remains unknown. Methods: Direct feeding bioassays were performed on 10 beagle dogs that had been randomly assigned to two groups: one with five dogs orally treated with Bravecto® (fluralaner) and other five as a control. About 30 females of Phlebotomus papatasi were allowed to directly feed from dogs at seven days before the administration of the treatment and Days 3, 17, 31, 45 and 73 post-treatment. Sand fly mortality after feeding was observed every 24 h for 5 days. The Kaplan-Meyer method, Henderson-Tilton formula and a negative binomial mixed model were used to respectively calculate: (i) mortality and its 95% confidence interval (CI); (ii) efficacy of the insecticide at killing sand flies in 24 h; and (iii) differences in the risk of sand fly death at 24 h after feeding. Results: Control sand fly mortality 24 h after feeding was always ≤ 20% and mortality in the fluralaner group ranged from 2% (95% CI: 0–4%) 7 days before treatment to 100% at 3 days post-treatment. Fluralaner efficacy was 100, 93, 94 and 75% at Days 3, 17, 31 and 45, respectively (P < 0.0001). The increase in the risk of sand fly death was 32.9 (95% CI: 4–263), 76 (95% CI: 8–705), 95.8 (95% CI: 9–1029) and 10.6 times (95% CI: 1.43–79) on Days 3, 17, 31 and 45, respectively Conclusions: The efficacy of fluralaner, orally administered to dogs, against sand-flies was above 90% for 31 days. Fluralaner administered to dogs should be further evaluated as a control strategy in ZVL endemic areas

Progressive invasion of Aedes albopictus in Northern Spain in the period 2013–2018 and a possible association with the increase in insect bites

1) Background: Aedes albopictus has rapidly expanded throughout Europe, becoming a public health concern in the Mediterranean Basin. 2) Methods: Following the detection of Ae. albopictus in the southwestern French region of Aquitaine in 2012, an entomological surveillance programme was implemented in the Basque Country (Northern Spain) in 2013. 3) Results: Ae. albopictus eggs were first detected in 2014 in a transited parking area in the northeastern sampling point, 22 km away from the nearest French site with recorded presence of tiger mosquito. At this site, eggs were found throughout the study (2014–2018). Other western and southern municipalities became positive in 2017 and 2018. Ae. albopictus adults were first captured in 2018 by aspiration of the vegetation in an area where eggs had been detected since 2015, suggesting a progressive establishment of a self-sustained population. Incidence of insect bites in humans was roughly constant over the study period except for a significant increase in 2018 in the Health County where eggs had been detected since 2014. Densities of Ae. albopictus eggs in positive areas remained at similar levels over the years. 4) Conclusion: Multiple approaches and standardized methods are necessary to successfully control this vector

Galectin-1 Deactivates Classically Activated Microglia and Protects from Inflammation-Induced Neurodegeneration

SummaryInflammation-mediated neurodegeneration occurs in the acute and the chronic phases of multiple sclerosis (MS) and its animal model, experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE). Classically activated (M1) microglia are key players mediating this process. Here, we identified Galectin-1 (Gal1), an endogenous glycan-binding protein, as a pivotal regulator of M1 microglial activation that targets the activation of p38MAPK-, CREB-, and NF-κB-dependent signaling pathways and hierarchically suppresses downstream proinflammatory mediators, such as iNOS, TNF, and CCL2. Gal1 bound to core 2 O-glycans on CD45, favoring retention of this glycoprotein on the microglial cell surface and augmenting its phosphatase activity and inhibitory function. Gal1 was highly expressed in the acute phase of EAE, and its targeted deletion resulted in pronounced inflammation-induced neurodegeneration. Adoptive transfer of Gal1-secreting astrocytes or administration of recombinant Gal1 suppressed EAE through mechanisms involving microglial deactivation. Thus, Gal1-glycan interactions are essential in tempering microglial activation, brain inflammation, and neurodegeneration, with critical therapeutic implications for MS

Asociación de vector del VNO e hidrófito invasor: Culex pipiens Linnaeus, 1758 y Ludwigia grandiflora (Michaux) Greuter & Burdet en el marjal de Xeraco-Xeresa, Valencia

Se reporta la estrecha relación entre uno de los principales vec- tores del virus del Nilo Occidental (VNO), Culex pipiens (Diptera, Culicidae), y la planta invasora acuática Ludwigia grandiflora (Spermatophyta, Onagraceae) en el marjal de Xeraco-Xeresa, un humedal al sur de la provincia de Valencia. Los hidrófitos alóctonos desempeñan en ocasiones un papel primordial en la proliferación descontrolada de poblaciones de mosquitos y, en consecuencia, también en la transmisión y propagación de muchas enfermedades emergentes y reemergentes transmitidas por estos dípteros. Teniendo en cuenta la situación geográfica de este humedal y los diferentes factores climáticos y biológicos, la aparición de una epi- demia del VNO con incidencia humana es un hecho más que prob- able en esta vertiente mediterránea del país

Primera cita de mosquito tigre, Aedes albopictus (Diptera, Culicidae), para Andalucía y primera corroboración de los datos de la aplicación Tigatrapp

A partir de los datos proporcionados por los ciudadanos sobre la posible presencia de mosquito tigre a través de la innovadora apli- cación Tigatrapp del proyecto AtrapaelTigre.com, se ratifica la pre- sencia de esta especie invasora en el municipio de Alhaurín de la Torre (Málaga). Este trabajo representa la primera cita del vector potencial Aedes albopictus para la Comunidad Autónoma de Anda- lucía. Aparte de las molestias que causa como insecto fuertemente antropófilo y agresivo, esta especie invasora es un importante vec- tor epidémico de chikungunya, dengue y Zika virus. Mediante su dispersión y establecimiento, aparece el riesgo real de transmisión autóctona a partir de casos importados de estas enfermedades desde zonas endémicas

Primeros hallazgos de Aedes (Stegomyia) albopictus (Skuse, 1894) en la provincia de Valencia, España

Enmarcado dentro del proyecto “Vigilancia entomológica en aero- puertos y puertos frente a vectores importados de enfermedades infecciosas exóticas, y vigilancia de potenciales vectores autócto- nos de dichas enfermedades”, en septiembre de 2013 se detecta por primera vez la presencia de Aedes albopictus (Diptera, Culici- dae) en la provincia de Valencia en las localidades costeras de Sueca, Cullera y Gandía, gracias a la utilización de trampas de ovi- posición

Modelling the spatial risk of malaria through probability distribution of Anopheles maculipennis s.l. and imported cases

Malaria remains one of the most important infectious diseases globally due to its high incidence and mortality rates. The influx of infected cases from endemic to non-endemic malaria regions like Europe has resulted in a public health concern over sporadic local outbreaks. This is facilitated by the continued presence of competent Anopheles vectors in non-endemic countries. We modelled the potential distribution of the main malaria vector across Spain using the ensemble of eight modelling techniques based on environmental parameters and the Anopheles maculipennis s.l. presence/absence data collected from 2000 to 2020. We then combined this map with the number of imported malaria cases in each municipality to detect the geographic hot spots with a higher risk of local malaria transmission. The malaria vector occurred preferentially in irrigated lands characterized by warm climate conditions and moderate annual precipitation. Some areas surrounding irrigated lands in northern Spain (e.g. Zaragoza, Logroño), mainland areas (e.g. Madrid, Toledo) and in the South (e.g. Huelva), presented a significant likelihood of A. maculipennis s.l. occurrence, with a large overlap with the presence of imported cases of malaria. While the risk of malaria re-emergence in Spain is low, it is not evenly distributed throughout the country. The four recorded local cases of mosquito-borne transmission occurred in areas with a high overlap of imported cases and mosquito presence. Integrating mosquito distribution with human incidence cases provides an effective tool for the quantification of large-scale geographic variation in transmission risk and pinpointing priority areas for targeted surveillance and prevention