species now at 44
The mosquito species Culex modestus has been found in Finland for the
first time. In Southern Europe it is known to spread West Nile virus, but it is highly unlikely for the disease to occur in Finland

Date:
June 29, 2023
Source:
University of Helsinki
Summary:
The mosquito species Culex modestus has been found in Finland for
the first time. In Southern Europe it is known to spread West
Nile virus, but it is highly unlikely for the disease to occur
in Finland. Culex modestus has become the 44th mosquito species
found in Finland, and the northernmost record of the species in
Europe. The previous findings closest to Finland, but further south,
have been made in the Leningrad Province in Russia and in Skaane
in Sweden.


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==========================================================================
FULL STORY ==========================================================================
A species of mosquito not previously recorded from Finland has been
discovered in the coastal municipality of Pori. Culex modestus has become
the 44th mosquito species found in Finland, and the northernmost record
of the species in Europe. The previous findings closest to Finland,
but further south, have been made in the Leningrad Province in Russia
and in Skaane in Sweden.

The discovery was made by researcher Lorna Culverwell from the Department
of Virology at the University of Helsinki. The new species was found
amongst mosquito samples collected by Culverwell in summer 2022 in
the coastal areas of Finland. One male specimen was identified after
examining the genitalia and performing a DNA analysis.

"Only one specimen of this species was found, but I believe it to be
unlikely that it would be the only one of its species in Finland,"
says Culverwell.

No risk of infection in Finland According to Culverwell, this discovery is
an important addition to the mosquitoes recorded from Finland. Up-to-date knowledge about the different mosquito species and their distributions increases our understanding of which, if any, potential pathogens
(e.g. viruses or parasites), the mosquitoes could spread now or in
the future.

Culex modestus is known to spread West Nile virus, a flavivirus, in
southern Europe, between birds and humans or birds and horses. In most
human cases West Nile virus causes a mild infection with symptoms such
as fever, headache and muscle pain. In some cases the virus may cause neurological disease. For now, West Nile virus has not been discovered
in Finland.

"Finns shouldn't be concerned about this mosquito discovery at this
point. To date, no infections acquired in Finland have been discovered in humans or horses, but this finding is a reminder that we should be aware
of which mosquito species are here. Knowing potential mosquito-borne
diseases that these species are linked to elsewhere in the world helps
us to better investigate how likely it would be for these infections to
occur in the future," says Culverwell.

Warming climate increases the need for insect information Several
mosquitoes in genus Culex maintain West Nile virus in bird populations, including Culex pipiens and Culex modestus. For transmission to humans to occur, usually a mosquito would first have to bite a bird carrying the
virus, wait several days for the virus to enter their saliva, and then
bite a human when they are infected. Sometimes the virus is inherited
from female mosquitoes via their eggs.

"At present it is very unlikely for transmission of the virus to humans
or horses as several species are required for a disease transmission
cycle to occur. Firstly, there would need to be West Nile virus already
present in the local or migratory birds in Finland. No virus has so far
been reported, despite small scale screening of birds at some sites in
Finland. Secondly, only one specimen of Culex modestus is so far known
from one location in Finland. For transmission to occur, larger numbers
of mosquitoes would be needed for the possibility of some of them to
meet any infected birds, and then survive to bite any humans or horses
several days afterwards," says Culverwell.

Culverwell has collected more than 111,000 mosquito samples in Finland
since 2012. According to her, it is uncertain how long Culex modestus
has potentially occurred in Finland. It is also still unknown whether
the area of discovery has a more established population of Culex modestus mosquitoes.

According to Culverwell, further research is now required on both bird
and mosquito populations to assess both the short-term and long-term
impacts of the discovery.

"A solid foundation of mosquito research in Finland is important because climate change will likely alter the number of mosquito species in the
longer- term. Some may die out, but the chance of species from further
south invading Finland will increase if the climate warms and winters
become milder. Several species from southern Europe are able to transmit
other disease-causing pathogens which are not yet found in Finland,
so research should be kept up to maintain an understanding of which
pathogens are found where, and whether they are a real or potential risk
to human or animal health."
* RELATED_TOPICS
o Plants_&_Animals
# New_Species # Virology # Invasive_Species #
Pests_and_Parasites
o Earth_&_Climate
# Exotic_Species # Environmental_Awareness # Rainforests
# Environmental_Policy
* RELATED_TERMS
o Taiga o West_Nile_virus o Mosquito o Malaria o Maple_tree
o Vector_(biology) o European_Rabbit o Gorilla

========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by University_of_Helsinki. Note:
Content may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. C.L. Culverwell, O. Vapalahti. First record of Culex modestus
in Finland.

Journal of the European Mosquito Control Association, 2023; 1 DOI:
10.52004/JEMCA2023.0003 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/06/230629125737.htm

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