title: Mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) and their relevance as disease vectors in the city of Vienna, Austria.
abstract: Mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) are important vectors for a wide range of pathogenic organisms. As large parts of the human population in developed countries live in cities, the occurrence of vector-borne diseases in urban areas is of particular interest for epidemiologists and public health authorities. In this study, we investigated the mosquito occurrence in the city of Vienna, Austria, in order to estimate the risk of transmission of mosquito-borne diseases. Mosquitoes were captured using different sampling techniques at 17 sites in the city of Vienna. Species belonging to the Culex pipiens complex (78.8 %) were most abundant, followed by Coquillettidia richiardii (10.2 %), Anopheles plumbeus (5.4 %), Aedes vexans (3.8 %), and Ochlerotatus sticticus (0.7 %). Individuals of the Cx. pipiens complex were found at 80.2 % of the trap sites, while 58.8 % of the trap sites were positive for Cq. richiardii and Ae. vexans. Oc. sticticus was captured at 35.3 % of the sites, and An. plumbeus only at 23.5 % of the trap sites. Cx. pipiens complex is known to be a potent vector and pathogens like West Nile virus (WNV), Usutu virus (USUV), Tahyna virus (TAHV), Sindbis virus (SINV), Plasmodium sp., and Dirofilaria repens can be transmitted by this species. Cq. richiardii is a known vector species for Batai virus (BATV), SINV, TAHV, and WNV, while Ae. vexans can transmit TAHV, USUV, WNV, and Dirofilaria repens. An. plumbeus and Oc. sticticus seem to play only a minor role in the transmission of vector-borne diseases in Vienna. WNV, which is already wide-spread in Europe, is likely to be the highest threat in Vienna as it can be transmitted by several of the most common species, has already been shown to pose a higher risk in cities, and has the possibility to cause severe illness.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Veterinary Public Health, Department for Farm Animals and Veterinary Public Health, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Veterinärplatz 1, 1210, Vienna, Austria, Karin.Lebl@vetmeduni.ac.at.
authors.forename: Karin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Lebl
authors.forename: Carina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zittra
authors.forename: Katja
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Silbermayr
authors.forename: Adelheid
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Obwaller
authors.forename: Dominik
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Berer
authors.forename: Katharina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Brugger
authors.forename: Melanie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Walter
authors.forename: Beate
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Pinior
authors.forename: Hans-Peter
authors.initials: HP
authors.lastname: Fuehrer
authors.forename: Franz
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Rubel
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001317:Austria / Q000453:epidemiology; D002947:Cities; D009033:Culicidae / Q000145:classification* / Q000469:parasitology / Q000821:virology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007303:Insect Vectors / Q000145:classification* / Q000469:parasitology / Q000821:virology; D015995:Prevalence