Paper 1.4
West Nile Virus surveillance in mosquitoes in Emilia-Romagna (Italy)
Risk assessment of the emergence of new arboviruses diseases transmitted by the Tiger Mosquito Aedes albopictus (diptera: culicidae) in the autonomous province of Trento
Roiz D.1*, Neteler M. 1, Rosà R. 1, Vazquez A. 2, Arnoldi D. 1, Castellani C. 1, Tenorio A. 2 & Rizzoli A. 1
1 Edmund Mach Foundation. Centre for Alpine Ecology. Trento, Italy
2 Arboviruses and imported diseases. National Centre of Microbiology. Majadahonda, Madrid, Spain. To whom
correspondence should be addressed.
The invasive vector Aedes albopictus has spread rapidly around the world implying risks for arboviruses transmission as the recent Chikungunya outbreak in Italy proved. The Risktiger Project
is being develop from 2007 to 2010 to evaluate and prevent the emergence of arboviruses cycles transmitted by the tiger mosquito in the Autonomous Province of Trento, Northern Italy.
This project implements a multidisciplinary approach including evaluation of optimal areas with remote sensing, ovitraps survey to evaluate current distribution, BG-trap intensive survey for
population characterization, molecular research of arbovirus with RT-PCR, and integration of all data to prevent arboviruses emergence in this area. Satellite data analysis combined with ovitraps surveys contribute as a new methodology to evaluate current and optimal distribution areas based in MODIS land surface temperatures in GRASS Open Source software, intensive BG-trap survey contribute as an useful tool for population characterization and for obtaining samples for arbovirusscreening, and generic RT-PCR contribute for the identification of a wide range of
arboviruses.
Preliminary results are presented including: detection of other mosquito species, screening for arbovirus, optimal and current distribution, competition with autochthonous species and influence
of climatic and ecological variables in distribution, density, sex-ratio, seasonality, hatching and diapausing of Aedes albopictus in Trentino.