Continental mosquito with 'vector' potential found breeding in UK after 60 year absence

Public release date: 8-Feb-2012
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Contact: Barnaby Smith
bpgs@ceh.ac.uk
44-079-202-95384
Centre for Ecology & Hydrology

A species of mosquito has been discovered breeding in the UK that has not been seen in the country since 1945. Populations of the mosquito, found across mainland Europe and known only by its Latin name Culex modestus, were recorded at a number of sites in the marshes of north Kent and south Essex in 2010 and 2011.

The discovery was made by post-graduate student Nick Golding, and the mosquito was definitively identified by colleague Stefanie Schfer of the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology. The mosquito was also concurrently found by medical entomologists at the Health Protection Agency as part of their nationwide mosquito surveillance programme. Details of a collaborative study between CEH and HPA are published today (9 February 2012) in the journal Parasites and Vectors.

This particular species of mosquito is suspected to transmit (or vector) West Nile virus (WNV) to humans during sporadic epidemics in southern Europe. However, to date, WNV has never been found in the UK so there is no known current risk to humans living in the country. WNV primarily infects birds, but when the pathogen is transmitted from birds to humans by the bite of a mosquito it can very occasionally cause severe disease, although it usually causes only asymptomatic or mild infections.

Nick Golding said, "It is unclear how long Culex modestus has been breeding in the UK the new specimens were found during field studies in 2010 and 2011 - but it seems likely that the species has arrived fairly recently. A handful of individuals were collected on the south coast in the 1940s, but didn't appear to be an established population. Since those records the species hasn't been seen again in the UK, until now."

Nick Golding's doctoral supervisor, Dr Miles Nunn from the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology said, "Not all mosquito species can transmit West Nile virus to people. In continental Europe, Culex modestus is able to do because the virus can rep

Public release date: 8-Feb-2012
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Barnaby Smith
bpgs@ceh.ac.uk
44-079-202-95384
Centre for Ecology & Hydrology

A species of mosquito has been discovered breeding in the UK that has not been seen in the country since 1945. Populations of the mosquito, found across mainland Europe and known only by its Latin name Culex modestus, were recorded at a number of sites in the marshes of north Kent and south Essex in 2010 and 2011.

The discovery was made by post-graduate student Nick Golding, and the mosquito was definitively identified by colleague Stefanie Schfer of the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology. The mosquito was also concurrently found by medical entomologists at the Health Protection Agency as part of their nationwide mosquito surveillance programme. Details of a collaborative study between CEH and HPA are published today (9 February 2012) in the journal Parasites and Vectors.

This particular species of mosquito is suspected to transmit (or vector) West Nile virus (WNV) to humans during sporadic epidemics in southern Europe. However, to date, WNV has never been found in the UK so there is no known current risk to humans living in the country. WNV primarily infects birds, but when the pathogen is transmitted from birds to humans by the bite of a mosquito it can very occasionally cause severe disease, although it usually causes only asymptomatic or mild infections.

Nick Golding said, "It is unclear how long Culex modestus has been breeding in the UK the new specimens were found during field studies in 2010 and 2011 - but it seems likely that the species has arrived fairly recently. A handful of individuals were collected on the south coast in the 1940s, but didn't appear to be an established population. Since those records the species hasn't been seen again in the UK, until now."

Nick Golding's doctoral supervisor, Dr Miles Nunn from the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology said, "Not all mosquito species can transmit West Nile virus to people. In continental Europe, Culex modestus is able to do because the virus can rep

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-02/cfe-cmw020712.php

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