“Surveillance of Aedes albopictusin Albania.”

E. Velo1, K. Mersini2, S. Bino1, P. Kadriaj1, C. Venturelli3, P. Angelini4 and R. Bellini5.

1Institute of Public Health, Tirana, Albania2Institute of Food Safety and Veterinary

3Public Health Department, Local Health Unit of Cesena, Italy4Public Health Service, Emilia-Romagna Region, Italy

5Centro Agricoltura Ambiente “G.Nicoli”, Crevalcore, Italy

Latitude, 39°38’N to 42°39’N, longitude, 19°18’E to 21°04’E. Surface of 28,748 km2

Humid sub-tropical zone Mediterranean climatic zone The average altitude 708 meters Average annual rainfall is 1,300 mm The population 3,087,159 inhabitants

Albania

Mosquitoes Surveillance• No proper structured surveillance, study, or control

programmes have been implemented for mosquitoes during the last 20 years in Albania;

• however, passive and active targeted surveillance on Aedes albopictus was occasionally carried out. From the above, three sets of data have been generated for periods 1979, 2001 and 2006-2010.

Introduction of Ae. albopictus in Albania

Discovery: August 1979, Northern Albania (Laç) around a large pile of used tires; observation after several complaints of inhabitants.

. This record refers to the first occurrence of this species outside its endemic area. Adhami & Murati (1987); Adhami & Reiter (1998)

Pathway:imports from China, in cargo (not by tyres).

The principal trading partner China.Durrës, the principal point of entry for goodsfrom China, was the only seaport infested.

Subsequent surveys: presence of Ae. Albopictus in 6 towns during

1979. Tirana, Shkoder, Milot, Fushe-Krujë, Durrës and Elbasan.

At that time (1979), Ae. albopictus was found to be abundant;

it is believed that the species might have been introduced as early as in 1975;

Establishment

Following the first findings in 2001 was observed the presence of the species in south Albania in border with Greece in Himara town. Confirmation of the species is done in ISS, Rome.It is supposed that frequent transportation from Himarato Corfu via Ferries could have been the mean of speeding to Greece.

Corfu

Investigation in 2006-2010Entomological surveys were carried out to identify the spread of Aedesalbopictus in the country.Hundred eggs, larvae and adults have been collected in several districts by using: - oviposition traps; - Fay-Prince traps;- mechanical aspirator (HLC); - CDC light trap;-breeding site detection;-human landing catch

Breeding sites -used tires-water reservoirs and container -private water collection points

►standard Fay-Prince traps,

Difficulties: dry ice not available in districts.

Adult collection

Saranda

Corfu

The species were particularly common in tires left in the gardens of suburban and urban areas, water

containers, the public road drains.

Year 2006

Survey 2006

• The study have shown the tendency of this mosquito to spread to the whole country.

• In 2006 present in 20/36 districts

North Albania, Malesia e Madhe (Tamare), 11.07.2006

Survey 2009Since its introduction in Albania in 1979, Aedesalbopictus

- has spread across the northern and southern regions of the country

-very well established especially in the costal plain.

- able to survive the cold season maybe through the production of diapausingeggs.

Collaboration with RWG• December 2009 started a collaboration

between IPH, Lab of Med Ent. and “The Regional Working Group of Surveilance and Control of tiger mosquitoes Aedes albopoictus" of Emilia-Romagna Region.

Paola Angelini, Public Health Service, Emilia-Romagna Region, Italy.

Claudio VenturelliPublic Health Department, Local Health Unit of Cesena, Italy.

Romeo BelliniCentro Agricoltura Ambiente “G.Nicoli”, Crevalcore, Italy.

Structured survey of Ae. albopictusin Tirana 2010

The study aim:• to evaluate the length of the favorable season to the specie.

• to collect inferring data on relative density of adult population using standard oviptraps.

Ae. albopictus surveillance in Tirana

50 geo-referenced squares by 1.2 km^2 in urban and suburban areas of Tirana in 2010

Each quadrant was inspected and most suitable breeding sites have been identified. In each side an ovitrap was installed and geographic coordinates have been registered.

Some Eggs of Ae. albopictus in ovitraps

0 10045.45 54.55

25.92 74.0836.11 63.89

45.94 54.0650 5053.19 46.81

82.22 17.7889.58 10.42

73.47 26.5384.78 15.22

91.3 8.795.91 4.09

100091.11 8.8991.66 8.3491.48 8.52

93.75 6.2585.1 14.9

70 3078.72 21.28

67.34 32.6644 56

56.25 43.7550 50

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100Percentage (%)

49464342414039383736353433323130292827262524232221

Ovitrap Monitoring in Tirana during 2010

% of positive % of negative

Wee

ks (P

erio

d: M

ay 2

010

- Jan

201

1)

Success rate of ovitraps

0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 180 200 220Mean No.

49464342414039383736353433323130292827262524232221

Meen No. of Eggs per Ovitraps in Tirana during 2010

Mean No. of eggs per positive trapsMean of No. of eggs per active traps

Wee

ks (P

erio

d: M

ay 2

010

- Jan

201

1)

Result • A minimum value of mean eggs/positive and

active ovitraps (32.55 %) was reached during the (36w) 1st week of September.

• A new rise in egg hatching was recorded in end-September (week 38), probably because of the persistence of warm temperatures.

• Eggs completely stopped to hatch in early-December.

Peak period in August w31-w35

Standard deviation for stations

Mean no. of eggs

-200

020

040

060

080

010

0012

00

2010w22 2010w31 2010w40 2010w48 2011w5weeks

Dynamics of collected no. of eggs N

umbe

r of e

gs

Specific seasonal harmonics in % of variance for one year 58.4% (P = 0.000) in August.

Seasonality of Activity• 1979-1987 , Aedes albopictus development continued from

May to October with several generations. Adhami & Murati (1987)

• Adults female continued to bite until the beginning of October (Adhami 1987).

• No more eggs were found in ovitraps after the 18th of October (Adhami 1987) while in 2010 eggs hatching stopped in December 6.

• The first eggs were collected in ovitraps between 16th and the 20th of May. (Adhami & Reiter, 1998).

• The latest larvae of the season were on the 12th of December (1990). In the following year (1991) the first larvae appeared on April 30th, in tires exposed to sunshine.

• The first adult female was on May 21,2010 .

050

0010

000

No.

of e

ggs

1015

2025

3035

Tem

pera

ture

in C

2010

w22

2010

w26

2010

w31

2010

w35

2010

w40

2010

w44

2010

w48

2011

w1

Period in weeks

max.temp / min.temp mean.tempTotal no. of eggs per week

Total number of eggs and temperature per week

Fitted Model Plot

9.0010.17 11.33 12.50 13.67 14.83 16.00

Weekly mean lenght of day

10.0

13.0

15.9

18.9

21.824

.827.7

Weekly mean temp (C*)

0

2000

4000

6000

8000

10000

12000

Wee

kly

tota

l no.

of e

ggs

Total no. of eggs per week

Mean weekly day length -899.830(2.90)**

Mean weekly temp (C*) 865.343(6.20)**

Constant -2,895.485(1.19)

Observations 24R-squared 0.71

Absolute value of t stat in parentheses** significant at 1%

Results

• Ae albopictus seems to have found in Tirana, good environmental conditions for proliferating and extending its season of activity.

• has produced different numbers of summer eggs throughout the study

• has colonized the whole urban and suburban area of the city.

Risk assessment• infestation rates of Ae. albopictus are high in costal plain.• The presence of

- a huge amount of car washes without water drainage,- an enormous number of piles of tires left near garages, - the common practice of leaving bowls and tanks of water etc. outside private homes, gardens etc.,

increases the level of mosquito infestation because all those are potential breeding sites for tiger mosquitoes.

Water containers

Risk assessmentEgg-infested used tires are responsible for the further spread of Ae. albopictus in Albania. In 1979, IPH has recommended a series of measures to minimize its reproduction such as: - storage of used tires (to prevent accumulation of rainwater).This approach has succeeded in a obvious reduction of Ae. albopictus population until 1991.

Risk assessmentAe. albopictus from Albania is able to transmit the dengue virus (4 stereotypes) would be an adequate vector. (Maria Vazeille-Falcoz, Adhami J, Laurence Mousson & Farançois Rodhhain, J Am Mosq Control Assoc, 1999 15(4): 475-478).

Nevertheless, no cases of diseases transmitted by albopictus has been reported.

• The possibility of introducing pathogens potentially transmitted by Ae. albopictus need to be thoroughly evaluated but we have to underline that;

• the movement of people to and from Albania is directed to Europe.

• thus minimizing the risk of transmission from areas endemic for these pathogens.

Pest control:• The control of Ae. albopictus is exclusively

based on adulticides which are privately sprayed occasionally.

• Citizens and bussines voluntarily obtain the service from private companies, but it is not clear how many companies there are and what biocide compounds they use.

• The are no local government programes on Pest Control.

• Very few larvicide treatments are conducted.

Surveillance actions…..future

Entomological surveillance to gather information:

• on the distribution and abundance in different areas and seasons,• to understand relationships of Ae. albopictus with geographical and environmental features such as: altitude, temperature, photoperiod, rural/urban areas, wet/dry lands, vegetation etc.

• to identify breeding sites as a useful basis to organize adequate source for larval control programmes.

Monitoring by ovitraps should strongly taken in consideration to be extended to other districts.

Thank you