Asian tiger mosquito ( Aedes albopictus) as a potential vector of diseases and a threat to public health in Poland

Abstract

Introduction and Objective. The A. albopictus mosquito, commonly known as the Asian tiger mosquito, is a vector of many infectious diseases that have been transferred from south-east Asia to many European countries. For this reason, the monitoring of this species in Europe is necessary to control its occurrence and prevent the development of mosquito-borne diseases. The aim of the study was to analyze the occurrence of the Aedes albopictus mosquito in Poland and Europe as vectors of biological factors threatening public health, based. on available literature data and reports from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), available online. Brief description of the state of knowledge. Aedes albopictus is an invasive insect, native to tropical rainforests in Asia. It is capable of transmitting Viral Haemorrhagic Fevers and nematodes Dirofilaria spp. In the last 30 years, the mosquito has been expanding to Europe, North and South America and Asia, and monitoring by the ECDC has shown the presence of mosquitoes in more than 20 European countries. The insect can adapt to moderate climate conditions due to egg diapause, which may result in the passive settlement of new areas. A further consideration is that these invasive mosquitoes can be affected by global warming, the increasing average annual air temperatures, and thus by adjusting optimal survival conditions for A. albopictus. Summary. Global expansion of A. albopictus in the last 30 years has caused a growing interest in the protection of public health, measures to prevent its further spread and closer monitoring. Since there are no vaccines or drugs against dengue and chikungunya viruses, the main diseases transmitted by A. albopictus, vector control remains the basis for the prevention and control of these diseases. It is expected that the geographical expansion of A. albopictus will continue.