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Culex pipiens s.l. and Culex torrentium (Culicidae) in Wrocław area (Poland): occurrence and breeding site preferences of mosquito vectors

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Abstract

Both ornithophilic mosquito species, Culex pipiens s.l. (L.) and Culex torrentium (Martini, 1925), occur sympatric in temperate Europe. They are presumed to be primary vectors of West Nile and Sindbis viruses. Differentiation of these morphologically similar Culex species is essential for evaluation of different vector roles, for mosquito surveillance and integrated control strategies. Cx. torrentium has been neglected or erroneously determined as Cx. pipiens s.l. in some previous studies, because only males of both species can be diagnosed reliably by morphology. Thus, knowledge about species abundance, geographical distribution, breeding site preferences and the zoonotic risk assessment is incomplete also in Poland. In Wrocław area (Silesian Lowland), besides typical urban breeding sites, huge sewage irrigation fields provide suitable breeding conditions for Culex species. They are also inhabited by 180 resident and migratory bird species serving as potential virus reservoirs. In this study, morphology of larvae and males as well as species diagnostic enzyme markers, namely adenylate kinase (AK) and 2-hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase (HBDH), were used to discriminate Cx. pipiens s.l. and Cx. torrentium. In a total of 650 Culex larvae from 24 natural and artificial breeding sites, Cx. pipiens s.l. had a proportion of 94.0 % and Cx. torrentium only 6.0 %. It could be shown that both species are well adapted to various breeding site types like ditches, catch basins, flower pots and buckets with diverse water quality. Cx. torrentium preferred more artificial water containers in urban surrounding (12 % species proportion), whereas in semi-natural breeding sites, Cx. torrentium was rare (3 %). In 12 of 24 breeding sites, larvae of both species have been found associated.

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Notes

  1. This mosquito-borne zoonotic flavivirus causing neuroinvasive disease in temperate and tropical regions of the world was also spread to Europe, beyond the Mediterranean Basin, and a new strain of the virus was identified in Italy only in 2012. The main mode of WNV transmission is via various species of mosquitoes, which are the prime vector, with birds being the most commonly infected animals and serving as the prime reservoir host, especially passerines. WNV also infects various mammal species, including humans, and has been identified in reptilian species, including alligators and crocodiles, and also in amphibians.

  2. Sindbis complex (Sindbis/subtypes Ockelbo, Whataroa, Babanki and Kyzylagach viruses. SINV, a member of the western equine encephalomyelitis complex of the genus Alphavirus in the family Togaviridae), detected in Culex mosquitos in 1952, is widely spread in the Old World and identified in birds, representatives of order Passeriformes, Galliformes (chicken), Anseriformes and Ciconiiformes, and also in domestic and wild mammal species, and humans (Kurkela et al. 2008).

  3. We wish to express our sincere thanks to Department and Observatory of Climatology and Meteorology of the Wroclaw University for providing meteorological data relating to the years 2002–2012.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. German Mosquito Control Association (GMCA/KABS), Georg-Peter-Süß-Str. 3, 67346, Speyer, Germany

    Thomas Weitzel, Elzbieta Lonc & Norbert Becker

  2. Department of Microbial Ecology and Environmental Protection Institute of Genetics and Microbiology, University of Wrocław, Przybyszewskiego 63, 51-148, Wrocław, Poland

    Piotr Jawień & Katarzyna Rydzanicz

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  1. Thomas Weitzel
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  2. Piotr Jawień
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  3. Katarzyna Rydzanicz
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  4. Elzbieta Lonc
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  5. Norbert Becker
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Correspondence to Thomas Weitzel.

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Weitzel, T., Jawień, P., Rydzanicz, K. et al. Culex pipiens s.l. and Culex torrentium (Culicidae) in Wrocław area (Poland): occurrence and breeding site preferences of mosquito vectors. Parasitol Res 114, 289–295 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-014-4193-1

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