Aedes aegypti Mosquitoes Imported into the Netherlands, 2010

Julia E. Brown

, Ernst-Jan Scholte, Marian Dik, Wietse Den Hartog, Jacob Beeuwkes, and Jeffrey R. Powell

Author affiliations: Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA (J.E. Brown, J.R. Powell); Dutch National Center for Monitoring of Vectors, Wageningen, the Netherlands (E.J. Scholte, M. Dik, W. Den Hartog, J. Beeuwkes)

Abstract

During summer 2010, Aedes aegypti mosquitoes were discovered in the Netherlands. Using genetic markers, we tracked the origin of these mosquitoes to a tire shipment from Miami, Florida, USA. Surveillance of tire exports from the United States should be included as part of a comprehensive surveillance system.

During summer 2010, national surveillance activities detected Aedes aegypti mosquitoes in 2 tire yards in the Netherlands (1,2). Ae. aegypti mosquitoes are the principal worldwide vectors of dengue and yellow fever viruses, which cause a wide range of illnesses varying from asymptomatic to life threatening (3). Typically, these mosquitoes are found in tropical and subtropical regions throughout the world and had not been found in Europe since they were eliminated in the region shortly after World War II (3).

In the Netherlands, a tire shipment from southern Florida, USA, was identified as a potential source of Ae. aegypti mosquitoes (1,2). Tires were received from Miami, Florida, USA, at the 2 affected tire yards during the months before the discovery. Tire transportation has not been considered to play a large role in recent invasions of Ae. aegypti mosquitoes, as it has been for the Asian tiger mosquito, Ae. albopictus (4). However, several decades ago, tires from the United States were implicated as a source of Ae. aegypti mosquitoes transported to Central and South America after abandonment of the Ae. aegypti mosquito eradication program (5).

Effective vector control and prevention measures require knowledge of the origin of invasive mosquitoes and how they are transported. Therefore, we set out to determine the origin of the Ae. aegypti mosquitoes in the Netherlands by using a genetic approach.

Suggested citation for this article: Brown JE, Scholte E-J, Dik M, Den Hartog W, Beeuwkes J, Powell JR. Aedes aegypti mosquitoes imported into the Netherlands, 2010. Emerg Infect Dis [serial on the Internet]. 2011 Dec [date cited]. http://dx.doi.org/10.3201/eid1712.110992