Mosquitoes and Public Health

One important research topic of the Research and Innovation Centre (CRI) of Fondazione Edmund Mach (FEM) is the study of mosquito species acting as vectors of pathogens, especially in Trentino and northern Italy. In particular, we are currently studying various mosquito species: a native species (Culex pipiens), two invasive species (Aedes albopictus and Aedes koreicus), and potential malaria vectors (Anopheles spp.).

Cx. pipiens is an endemic mosquito to Italy and carries the zoonotic West Nile Virus (WNV), which can have serious or even fatal outcomes in humans and domestic livestock. This mosquito recently hit the headlines due to the high number of WNV cases last summer (more than 500, mainly in northern Italy, although not Trentino). Given the relevance for public and animal health, CRI has a longstanding commitment to the study of the ecology of this mosquito species and the pathogens it carries. Our most important recent results are summarized in three scientific papers published in prestigious peer reviewed journals, and present methods for WNV risk assessments using quantitative models to generate estimates of both the risk of transmission and the annual re-occurrence of infections.

The ecological interaction between the native Cx. pipiens with the invasive mosquito species Ae. albopictus has also been investigated. Ae. albopictus, better known as Tiger mosquito, was introduced to Europe and Italy several decades ago, and is particularly annoying due to its daytime biting behavior. This species represents a new potential health risk, as it is a competent vector of arboviruses such as dengue, chikungunya e zika. Indeed, two outbreaks of chikungunya virus have already occurred in Italy, one in 2007 in Castiglione di Cervia (Emilia Romagna) and one in 2017 in Anzio (Lazio), resulting in about 200 and 400 cases, respectively. Following the last outbreak, CRI carried out a study on the risk of chikungunya transmission, clearly placing CRI researchers among the top European experts in the field of eco-epidemiology of Ae. albopictus

We are currently developing extend- ing these quantitative and predictive models to the biology, future colonization and establishment of the invasive species, Ae. koreicus

Thanks to CRI expertise, FEM is one of the leading institutions developing guidelines for the monitoring and control of Ae. albopictus in the Province of Trento (in collaborazione con FBK, Azienda Provinciale per i Servizi Sanitari, Fondazione Museo Civico di Rovereto, e MUSE).