First record of Stegomyia albopicta (= Aedes albopictus) in Morocco: a major threat to public health in North Africa?

• Published in: Medical and Veterinary Entomology
• Main Authors: Bennouna, A., Balenghien, Thomas, El Rhaffouli, H., Schaffner, Francis, Garros, Claire, Gardes, Laetitia, Lhor, Youssef, Hammoumi, Saliha, Chlyeh, G., Fassi Fihri, O.
• Other Authors: Department of Animal Pathology and Public Health, Microbiology, Immunology and Infectious Diseases Unit, Institut Agronomique et Vétérinaire Hassan II (IAV Hassan II), Animal, Santé, Territoires, Risques et Ecosystèmes (UMR ASTRE), Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement (Cirad)-Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA), Mohammed V Military Teaching Hospital, Biosafety Level 3 and Research Laboratory, Université Mohammed V de Rabat Agdal (UM5), Chercheur indépendant, Institute of Parasitology, National Centre for Vector Entomology, University of Zurich, Office National de Sécurité Sanitaire des Produits Alimentaires Maroc (ONSSA), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Unité de Zoologie, Département de Production, Protection et Biotechnologies Végétales, European Project: 613996
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: HAL CCSD 2017
• Subjects: morocco; vector; disease vector; arthropod-borne viruses; asian tiger mosquito; système de surveillance; problème de santé publique; maroc; arbovirus; vecteur de maladies; transmission des maladies; culicidae; aedes albopictus; stegomyia albopicta; [SDV.SPEE]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Santé publique et épidémiologie; Antarc*; Antarctica
• Online Access: https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01512009; https://doi.org/10.1111/mve.12194

The Asian tiger mosquito Stegomyia albopicta (= Aedes albopictus) (Diptera: Culicidae), native to Asian forests, is a nuisance mosquito and is responsible for the transmission of arboviruses of public health importance, such as dengue, chikun- gunya and Zika viruses. It has colonized parts of all continents, except Antarctica, over the past 30–40 years. However, to date, the only records of S. albopicta in North Africa refer to occasional collections in 2010 and 2014 in Algeria. In early September 2015, S. albopicta larvae and adults were collected in a district of Rabat, Morocco. Morpho- ogical identfication was confirmed by molecular analysis. This is the first record of this invasive mosquito in Morocco. A national surveillance programme will be imple- mented in 2016 to establish its geographical distribution in Morocco and to instigate control measures to prevent the establishment of new populations and the transmission of arboviruses.