Abstract
Based primarily on nucleotide polymorphisms in the internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) of the ribosomal DNA, Anopheles daciae was recently described as an additional member of the Maculipennis Group of species, separate from Anopheles messeae with which it had previously been confused due to morphological and genetic similarity. Species differentiation between A. messeae and A. daciae was possible only by ITS2 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification followed by DNA sequencing or RFLP analysis. In addition to its siblings, Anopheles maculipennis, Anopheles atroparvus and A. messeae, A. daciae has been shown to occur in Germany, although with limited distribution. We here describe additional collection sites for this species in Germany, showing concentrations in East Germany and the northern Upper Rhine Valley in Southwest Germany. A species-specific multiplex PCR assay is presented that is able to differentiate the four Maculipennis Group sibling species occurring in Germany plus Anopheles sacharovi, Anopheles melanoon and Anopheles labranchiae. The correct identification and detailed knowledge of the biology of A. daciae are of relevance since it might be a vector of disease agents, as suggested by the vector potential of its siblings and the recent finding of an A. daciae female infected with Dirofilaria repens in southern Germany.
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Acknowledgments
This work was financially supported by the German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL) through the Federal Office for Agriculture and Food (BLE), grant number 2810HS022, and by the Robert Koch Institute, grant number 1362/1-982. We are grateful to Brigitte Dannenfeld (FLI), Christin Henke and Jutta Falland (ZALF), for excellent technical assistance in the laboratory, to Petra Kranz (ZALF) for preparing Fig. 3 and to Peter H. Adler (Clemson University, South Carolina, USA) for critically reading the manuscript.
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Kronefeld, M., Werner, D. & Kampen, H. PCR identification and distribution of Anopheles daciae (Diptera, Culicidae) in Germany. Parasitol Res 113, 2079–2086 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-014-3857-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-014-3857-1