KU Leuven Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, Rega Institute for Medical Research, Laboratory of Virology and Chemotherapy, Leuven, Belgium.
Laboratory of Viral Metagenomics, Rega Institute for Medical Research, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
mSphere. 2021 Apr 21;6(2):e01229-20. doi: 10.1128/mSphere.01229-20.
mosquitoes are considered potential transmission vectors of West Nile virus and Usutu virus. Their presence has been reported across several European countries, including one larva detected in Belgium in 2018. In this study, mosquitoes were collected in the city of Leuven and surrounding areas in the summers of 2019 and 2020. Species identification was performed based on morphological features and partial sequences of the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) gene. The 107 mosquitoes collected in 2019 belonged to eight mosquito species, (24.3%), (48.6%), (0.9%), (0.9%), (0.9%), (14.0%), (9.3%), and (0.9%), suggesting the presence of an established population in Belgium. The collection of mosquitoes at the same locations in 2020 confirmed their establishment in the region. Haplotype network analysis of the COI sequences for showed that the Belgian population is rather diverse, suggesting that it may have been established in Belgium for some time. The Belgian population was most closely related to populations from the United Kingdom and Germany. Characterization of the virome of the collected mosquitoes resulted in the identification of at least 33 eukaryotic viral species. Nine (nearly) complete genomes belonging to 6 viral species were identified, all of which were closely related to known viruses. In conclusion, here, we report the presence of in the surrounding areas of Leuven, Belgium. As this species is considered to be a vector of several arboviruses, the implementation of vector surveillance programs to monitor this species is recommended. mosquitoes are considered to be a potential "bridge" vector, being able to transmit pathogens between birds as well as from birds to mammals, including humans. In Belgium, this mosquito species was considered absent until the finding of one larva in 2018 and subsequent evidence of a large population in 2019 to 2020 described here. We collected mosquitoes in the summers of 2019 and 2020 in the city of Leuven and surrounding areas. The mosquito species was identified by morphological and molecular methods, demonstrating the presence of in this region. The ability of mosquitoes to transmit pathogens can depend on several factors, one of them being their natural virus composition. Therefore, we identified the mosquito-specific viruses harbored by Belgian mosquitoes. As is able to transmit viruses such as West Nile virus and Usutu virus, the establishment of this mosquito species may increase the risk of virus transmission in the region. It is thus advisable to implement mosquito surveillance programs to monitor this species.
蚊子被认为是西尼罗河病毒和乌苏图病毒的潜在传播媒介。它们已经在几个欧洲国家被发现，包括 2018 年在比利时发现的一只幼虫。在这项研究中，蚊子是在 2019 年和 2020 年的夏季在鲁汶市和周边地区收集的。根据形态特征和线粒体细胞色素氧化酶亚基 I（COI）基因的部分序列对物种进行了鉴定。2019 年收集的 107 只蚊子属于 8 种蚊子，（24.3%）、（48.6%）、（0.9%）、（0.9%）、（0.9%）、（14.0%）、（9.3%）和（0.9%），表明在比利时已经建立了一个稳定的种群。2020 年在同一地点收集的蚊子证实了它们在该地区的建立。对 COI 序列进行的分析表明，比利时的种群相当多样化，这表明它可能已经在比利时存在了一段时间。比利时种群与英国和德国的种群最为密切相关。收集的蚊子的病毒组特征鉴定出至少 33 种真核病毒。确定了属于 6 种病毒的 9 个（近）完整基因组，它们都与已知病毒密切相关。总之，在这里，我们报告了在比利时鲁汶市周边地区存在。由于这种物种被认为是几种虫媒病毒的媒介，建议实施媒介监测计划来监测这种物种。蚊子被认为是一种潜在的“桥梁”媒介，能够在鸟类之间以及从鸟类传播到哺乳动物，包括人类。在比利时，这种蚊子物种直到 2018 年发现一只幼虫，随后在 2019 年至 2020 年发现大量种群，直到 2018 年才被认为不存在。我们在 2019 年和 2020 年的夏季在鲁汶市和周边地区收集蚊子。通过形态和分子方法鉴定蚊子种类，证明了该地区存在。蚊子传播病原体的能力可能取决于几个因素，其中之一是它们的天然病毒组成。因此，我们鉴定了比利时蚊子携带的蚊子特异性病毒。由于能够传播西尼罗河病毒和乌苏图病毒等病毒，这种蚊子物种的建立可能会增加该地区病毒传播的风险。因此，建议实施蚊子监测计划来监测这种物种。
