Health: Korean mosquitoes run out of ‘West Nile cruises on locals’

Milan 2.9. (Adnkronos Salute) – Why the increase in West Nile cases seen in parts of Italy like Padua and Veneto this year? Always keep an eye on mosquitoes as the virus spreads for fear of new vectors arriving. Will it be? Currently, the Korean mosquito is exonerated (pending proof to the contrary). Fearing due to its resistance to cold, they first saw it in 2011 in the province of Belluno, and then intercepted it elsewhere, for example in Trentino, which is not new to Switzerland either. At the end of 2021, a team of scientists from Milan State University has collected numerous evidence of its existence in Lombardy, where it appears to be settling rapidly, especially in the foothills of the province of Bergamo (much among the hypothesis that it was recognized that the plane “arrived via Orio al Serio” “).

But this time she is not the “defendant” in the West Nile case. “In Italy – explains Adnkronos Salute Sergio Zanzani, researcher at the University of Milan, expert in veterinary parasitology from the Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Sciences – there is sufficient evidence to confirm that the West Nile transmission occurs through a native vector, mosquitoes, which have always been in Italy and which Human bites: “Culex pipiens, a group of species. It is the mosquito we always had before the arrival of the tiger mosquito that stings in the evening and at night.” While regarding koreicus, “So far, it appears that field data from those who have seen Aedes koreicus in areas of West Nile do not attach much importance to this new species. Evidence for the spread of West Nile virus in areas where Coreicus is present does not seem to support its significant transmissibility. “.

And then the cold-loving mosquito, which has been a beacon shining on it for some time, will have an “excuse”. The Korean bumblebee has gradually spread throughout our country, but it seems to be more prevalent in the pre-alpine plains, than a mosquito that grew up in cooler, more adaptable climates – my cell confirms – rather than in a location west of the Nile. If the study is also this year in the lower Po Valley.” In other words, the Koreans will be stationed elsewhere. The original “colleagues” are the ones who continue to “transfer the West Nile to Italian territory” this year. “Culex pipiens is a competent vector, so there is nothing new on this front. Aedes albopictus, the real name of the tiger mosquito that has ‘permanently and extensively colonized Italy’, does not appear to be a good vector capable of transmitting this virus. Even the most recent sightings appear to be It has nothing to do with West Nile.”

This new mosquito, continues the expert, “affected mainly the northeast: Aedes koreicus, which first settled in the province of Genoa, now includes the canton of Ticino, the province of Como, the province of Sondrio from the arc where they reached the province. From Bergamo and closed the province of Trento and the provinces of Treveneto , but the distribution of Korean mosquitoes with that of West Nile does not correspond well, so one must look at the original mosquito. Finally – smile. – Mosquitoes are a typical product of the Po Valley.”

Can others become carriers of this virus? “At the moment this cannot be said with certainty – warns Zanzani – they have done very rigorous scientific work on this in Switzerland. They have focused particularly on Aedes japonicus, the ‘Japanese mosquito’, which arrived from Slovenia and Austria, in the region of Friuli. And maybe also towards the west it will gradually spread.When they saw in Switzerland that it had landed on their land, without knowing if it was suitable as a vector, they started experimental tests and tried to kill this mosquito to infect it when they saw if they could transmit the pathogen and yes, they saw that this could be Mosquitoes are efficient vectors, so they now know that if the West Nile virus appears on Swiss soil, they may have an efficient vector and even something to worry about.”

On Koreicus “This kind of work is not done yet. And now it has also reached Switzerland, among other places I think it is now spreading from Ticino to other cantons, to more central areas of the country. It is therefore possible – the researcher concludes – that the same tests to verify the efficiency of the carrier are also performed on these new invasive species, and this would provide us with objective scientific data “on their capabilities”.