Conveners
Session 12: Vectors
- Sven Poppert
- Stefanie Becker
The epidemiological and geographical co-circulation of West Nile virus (WNV) and Usutu virus (USUV) poses the risk of potential co-infection in mosquito vectors. To investigate possible effects of co-infections in mosquitoes on the transmission of both viruses, a laboratory colony of Cx. pipiens biotype molestus was co-infected with WNV lineage 2 and USUV Europe 3, either simultaneously or...
The emergence of mosquito-borne viruses is linked to land-use change and biodiversity loss, yet the ecological mechanisms driving these interactions remain poorly understood. This study aimed to identify common drivers for mosquito-borne virus emergence by studying the impact of land-use change on mosquito and virus community dynamics across lowland and montane rainforests and savannah.
A...
Ixodes ricinus is the main vector of several zoonotic pathogens in Central Europe, including Tick-Borne Encephalitis Virus (TBEV) and Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato. Both are of major public health concern and call for integrated One Health surveillance. While co-circulation is known, co-localization in individual ticks remains largely unexplored.
In this study, 4587 ticks were collected...
Due to global warming, vector-borne diseases are spreading worldwide. West Nile virus (WNV) outbreaks in Germany have increased since 2019, typically linked to hot summers. The main vector of WNV in Central Europe is the Culex pipiens species complex. While its role in transmission is well known, little is understood regarding how Culex pipiens responds physiologically and metabolically to...
Changing temperatures and climate conditions led to expanding distribution areas and endemization of alien species in recent years. Rhipicephalus sanguineus s.l. is globally distributed and endemic in the Mediterranean region in Europe. Due to its close contact to dogs as hosts and its adaptation to dry and warm areas R. sanguineus s.l. is frequently introduced to Germany by vacationers...
Ticks are important vectors of emerging viruses, including the Jingmenvirus Alongshan virus strain Harz Mountain (ALSV_HM), recently identified in Ixodes ricinus ticks collected from game animals in Lower Saxony, Germany. To investigate the transcriptomic impact of ALSV_HM, adult I. ricinus were experimentally infected via intrathoracic injection and incubated for seven days. Subsequently, RNA...
