Tracking Asian tiger mosquito introductions in the Netherlands using Nextstrain

Authors: IBÁÑEZ-JUSTICIA, ADOLOFO - Netherlands Food And Consumer Production Safety Authority(NVWA); VAN DE VOSSENBERG, BART - Netherlands Food And Consumer Production Safety Authority(NVWA); WARBROEK, TIM - Netherlands Food And Consumer Production Safety Authority(NVWA); TEEKEMA, STEFFANIE - Netherlands Food And Consumer Production Safety Authority(NVWA); JACOBS, FRANS - Netherlands Food And Consumer Production Safety Authority(NVWA); ZHAO, TONGYAN - Beijing Institute Of Microbiology And Epidemiology; BUENO-MARI, RUBEN - Lokimica Laboratory; ARANDA, CARLES - Mosquito Control Service; FLACIO, ELEONORA - University Of Switzerland; CHASKOPOULOU, ALEXANDRA - European Biological Control Laboratory (EBCL); ALBIERI, ALESSANDRO - Caa G Nicoli; STROO, ARJAN - Netherlands Food And Consumer Production Safety Authority(NVWA)

Submitted to: Journal of the Mosquito Control Association
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/24/2022
Publication Date: 9/2/2022
Citation: Ibáñez-Justicia, A., Van De Vossenberg, B., Warbroek, T., Teekema, S., Jacobs, F., Zhao, T., Bueno-Mari, R., Aranda, C., Flacio, E., Chaskopoulou, A., Albieri, A., Stroo, A. 2022. Tracking Asian tiger mosquito introductions in the Netherlands using Nextstrain. Journal of the Mosquito Control Association. 40 (1):11-21. https://doi.org/10.52004/JEMCA2021.0006.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.52004/JEMCA2021.0006

Interpretive Summary: Knowledge about the genetic diversity and the genetic structure of the Asian tiger mosquito, one of the most notorious invasive mosquitoes species worldwide, can help researchers identify the origins and the frequency of invasions. Throughout the world, many attempts have been made in order to investigate the genetic structure of native and invasive populations of Ae. albopictus using different techniques and molecular markers and providing public available genetic reports. To the best of our knowledge, this study is one of the first large trials that has implemented Illumina sequencing for a Ae. albopictus population-level study. Instead of sequencing only a small part of the genome, Illumina DNAseq data allows the assembly of the (near) complete Ae. albopictus genome. We used Nextstrain to create a public interactive webpage in which mitogenomic diversity is visualized in context of finding sites and epidemiological traits such as pathways. Sharing data for inclusion in this interactive online tool shall enable the vector entomology field to better understand and communicate the diversity and spread of this important invasive mosquito species. Organizations across the world are invited to share data or materials for inclusion in our database.

Technical Abstract: The Asian tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus) is an invasive mosquito species (IMS) that causes considerable nuisance through its biting behavior, and has been proven to transmit more than 22 different viruses under laboratory conditions. Human aided transportation, the capacity of winter diapause, and possibly global warming have contributed to the global invasion of Ae. albopictus. Aedes albopictus was found for the first time in the Netherlands in 2005, and since 2010 has been detected at many locations throughout the country. Elucidating the origin of these introduced mosquitoes could help the authorities on the planning and evaluation of risk-based surveillance activities targeting Aedes invasive mosquitoes. This study aims to determine the genomic diversity of Ae. albopictus that is represented within and between collection sites with a database consisting of Ae. albopictus specimens from past introductions in the Netherlands, specimens from populations from other regions in the world, and data from specimens present in databases. In this study, complete mitochondrial genomes were sequenced, a recommended marker for phylogeography analysis of Ae. albopictus. Metadata is presented in a Nextstrain build containing 254 Ae. albopictus genomes up to October 2020. Overall, the phylogeny results of the Nextstrain build reveals a low mitogenomic diversity within Ae. albopictus. Genomic diversity of Ae. albopictus specimens found in the Netherlands fall within one main cluster which is hypothesized to represent the globally invasive strain of the species. Other organizations are stimulated to share data or materials for inclusion and improvement of the Nextstrain build, which can be accessed at https://nextstrain.nrcnvwa.nl/Aedes/20210728.