The Introduction and Establishment of Four Invasive Insect Species in Serbia.

Urban areas are often populated by specific species of insects, some colorful and appealing, such as ladybugs and butterflies, and others irritating as nuisance bitters or as vectors of pathogens of public health importance. Mosquitoes in urban areas often utilize habitats adjacent to human residences, while phytophagous insect species such as stink bugs often colonize ornamental plants and utilize human-made structures including houses as overwintering shelters. This article discusses the early detection and the current distribution of two invasive mosquito species, Aedes albopictus Skuse 1894 and Ae. japonicus (Theobald 1901), in Serbia, introduced in 2009 and 2018, respectively. From the first findings until today, regular monitoring has been carried out and the establishment of both species in the newly invaded areas has been confirmed. Both species can become nuisance species, especially at high population densities, but more importantly, they are capable of transmitting a wide variety of arboviruses of public health importance. This article also discusses two invasive stink bug species Halyomorpha halys Stål 1855 and Nezara viridula Linnaeus 1758, introduced in Serbia in 2015 and 2008, respectively. These two stink bug species have also been monitored, and the establishment of their populations in the country has been confirmed. Both species have caused damage to a wide range of crops and ornamental plants and sometimes become nuisance pests in urban areas.

Bio-efficacy of permethrin/tetramethrin and lambda-cyhalothrin treatments in habitats of hard ticks (Acari, Ixodidae) populations with confirmed Borrelia spp. infection.

The aim of the study was to evaluate the bio-efficacy of two different acaricides against mobile stages of hard ticks Ixodes ricinus, Dermacentor marginatus, and Haemaphysalis punctata in their natural habitats. The study was conducted during 2020 and 2021 at localities populated by I. ricinus as the predominant species, at which the presence of Borrelia afzelii, Borrelia garinii, and Borrelia lusitaniae was confirmed. During the first investigation year, a combination of two pyrethroids, permethrin, and tetramethrin, with an insecticide synergist piperonyl butoxide (trade name: Perme Plus®) was tested. At the first evaluation, 24 h after the treatment with Perme Plus®, the efficacy expressed as a reduction rate of the population density was within the interval of satisfying performance (70-90%) at all localities, while the highest efficacy (97.8%) was recorded on the 14th post-treatment day. In the second investigation year, the formulation based on lambda-cyhalothrin (trade name: Icon® 10CS) was used. On the first post-treatment evaluation day, satisfying effects were also demonstrated. The highest recorded efficacy rate of lambda-cyhalothrin (94.7%) was recorded on the 14th post-treatment day. Both tested acaricides manifested satisfying initial acaricidal effects against mobile stages of ticks and provided long-term effects. Comparison of the regression trend lines of population reduction revealed that satisfying effects of treatment with Perme Plus® lasted until the 17th post-treatment day, while in the case of Icon® 10CS, the residual effects were significantly prolonged (30 days).

Rapid spread and population genetics of Aedes japonicus japonicus (Diptera: Culicidae) in southeastern Europe (Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia).

The Asian bush mosquito, Aedes japonicus japonicus (Theobald, 1901), a potential vector of several pathogens, has recently established in North America and Central Europe. In 2013, it was found on the Slovenian-Croatian border, and during the following years, it emerged in more and more counties of northwestern Croatia. Surveillance of Ae. j. japonicus and other invasive mosquito species was subsequently extended both spatially and temporally in Croatia and neighbouring Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia. Mosquito collections were conducted in 2017 and 2018, based on adult trapping through dry ice-baited CDC traps and BG-Lure-baited BG-Sentinel traps, larval sampling through dippers and nets, and ovitrapping. Aedes j. japonicus specimens from collected samples were subjected to population genetic analysis by comparing microsatellite signatures and nad4 DNA sequences between sampled locations and with data previously obtained from more western European distribution areas. Aedes j. japonicus immature stages were found at 19 sites in Croatia, two sites in Bosnia and Herzegovina and one site in Serbia. In Croatia, four new counties were found colonised, two in the east and two in the south of the previously known distribution area. A spread of 250 km could thus be documented within five years. The findings in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia represent the first records of Ae. j. japonicus in these countries. Genetic analysis suggests at least two introduction events into the surveyed area. Among the locations analysed, Orahovica can be considered a genetic border. The individuals collected west of this point were found to be similar to samples previously collected in the border regions of Southeast Germany/Austria and Austria/Slovenia, while the specimens from more eastern Croatian localities, together with those from Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia, were genetically different and could not be assigned to a probable origin. Thus, introduction from Central Europe, possibly by vehicular traffic, into the study area is likely, but other origins, transportation routes and modes of entry appear to contribute. Further dispersal of Ae. j. japonicus to other parts of southeastern Europe is anticipated.

Hyperendemic Dirofilaria immitis infection in a sheltered dog population: an expanding threat in the Mediterranean region.

A study on the occurrence of Dirofilaria immitis and its vectors was carried out in order to assess the prevalence of the disease in dogs in previously non-endemic areas of southern Italy. Blood samples (n = 385) and mosquitoes (n = 1540) were collected in two dog shelters and analysed by Knott's test and duplex real-time PCR, respectively. Dirofilaria immitis was the most prevalent filarioid (44.2%), while Culex pipiens was the most prevalent mosquito species (68.8%). This high prevalence of D. immitis infection confirms this location as one of the most hyperendemic foci of dirofilariosis in Europe.

An update of the Culicoides (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) checklist for the Balkans.

BACKGROUND: The prime significance of species belonging to the genus Culicoides Latreille, 1809 (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) is their ability to transmit viruses such as bluetongue virus (BTV) to wild and domestic ruminants. Prior to 1998, BTV was considered exotic in Europe, but according to recent history of its outbreaks, it has become endemic in southern and eastern European countries circulating beyond its expected historical limits, into the Balkan region. The wind-borne long-distance dispersal of Culicoides spp. over water bodies and local spreading between farms emphasize the necessity of filling in the information gaps regarding vector species distribution. In most Balkan countries, data on Culicoides fauna and species distribution are lacking, or information is old and scarce. RESULTS: During this study, 8586 specimens belonging to 41 species were collected. We present the first faunistic data on Culicoides species in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), Kosovo, Montenegro and Serbia. For other countries (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria and Croatia), all historical records were compiled for the first time and then expanded with our findings to various extents. In all countries, confirmed or suspected BTV vector species belonging to the subgenera Avaritia and Culicoides were collected. The total number of species sampled during our field collections was 20 in Bosnia and Herzegovina (15 new records), 10 in Bulgaria (2 new records), 10 in Croatia (5 new records), 13 in FYROM, 9 in Kosovo, 15 in Montenegro, and 28 in Serbia. Of these, 14 species were registered for the first time in this part of the Balkans. CONCLUSIONS: This paper provides the first data about Culicoides fauna in FYROM, Kosovo, Montenegro and Serbia, as well as new records and an update on the checklists for Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria and Croatia. These findings provide preliminary insights into the routes of BTV introduction and spreading within the Balkans, and present a valuable contribution to further research related to Culicoides-borne diseases in Europe.

Tracking the vector of Onchocerca lupi in a rural area of Greece.

During a hot Mediterranean summer, an expedition brought parasitologists from Brazil, France, Greece, Italy, and Serbia to a wooded area near Xanthi, Thrace, northeastern Greece, near the Turkish border, on the track of the vector of the little-known nematode Onchocerca lupi. The scientific purposes of the expedition blended then with stories of humans, animals, and parasites in this rural area.