Invasive mosquito species in Europe and Serbia, 1979 – 2011

Abstract

People’s increased mobility and international trade play important roles in the dissemination of vectors and the pathogens that they could transmit. Climate change is likely to become another important consideration in the near future. The responses of insects to these changes (in addition to potential for increased vector capacity) could allow for a broadening of their colonized areas and the invasion of new sites. In the last couple of years a number of pathogen introductions into Europe have been recorded. The latest (Ravenna, Italy, 2007) was caused by the tropical Chikungunya virus, which is transmitted by the “Asian tiger mosquito”, a species introduced into Europe in 1979 (Albania), and then Italy in 1990. Invasion continued to France in 1999 and until present, Belgium, Montenegro, Greece, Switzerland, Croatia, Spain, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Netherlands, Slovenia, Germany, Serbia, Bulgaria and Turkey have been invaded. Deciphering the true cause of changes in the distribution of mosquitoes is difficult and complex and depends, to a great extent, on the availability of data obtained by monitoring. In order to assist in vector-borne disease preparedness, distribution of the most important invasive species St. albopicta in Europe and particulars of findings in Serbia are conferred