title: Invasion of Aedes albopictus (Diptera: Culicidae) into central Africa: what consequences for emerging diseases?
abstract: Aedes albopictus, a mosquito native to Asia, has invaded all five continents during the past three decades. It was reported in central Africa in the 2000s, first in Cameroon, and, since then, has colonised almost all countries of the region. The species, originally considered a secondary vector of dengue viruses, has been showed to play a major role in transmission of chikungunya virus in numerous countries, including in the central African region. We review the current spread of Ae. albopictus in central Africa, its larval ecology and its impact on indigenous species such as Ae. aegypti. We explore the potential of Ae. albopictus to affect the epidemiology of emerging or re-emerging arboviruses and discuss the conventional means for its control, while emphasizing the importance of data on its susceptibility to insecticides to cope with potential outbreaks.
authors.affiliation: Institut Pasteur de Bangui, Bangui, Central African Republic. ngoagounic@yahoo.fr.
authors.forename: Carine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ngoagouni
authors.affiliation: Institut Pasteur de Bangui, Bangui, Central African Republic. kamgang_d@yahoo.fr.
authors.forename: Basile
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Kamgang
authors.affiliation: Institut Pasteur de Bangui, Bangui, Central African Republic. enakouney@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Emmanuel
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Nakouné
authors.affiliation: Centre International de Recherches Médicales de Franceville (CIRMF), BP 769, Franceville, Gabon. Christophe.paupy@ird.fr.|Laboratoire des Maladies Infectieuses et Vecteurs: Ecologie, Génétique, Evolution et Contrôle, UMR 224-5290, CNRS-IRD-UM1-UM2, IRD, Montpellier, France. Christophe.paupy@ird.fr.
authors.forename: Chistophe
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Paupy
authors.affiliation: Institut Pasteur de Bangui, Bangui, Central African Republic. mirdad.kazanji@pasteur.fr.
authors.forename: Mirdad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kazanji
mesh_terms: D000330:Aedes / Q000254:growth & development*; D000350:Africa, Central / Q000453:epidemiology; D000828:Animal Population Groups; D000818:Animals; D001102:Arbovirus Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000635:transmission; D021821:Communicable Diseases, Emerging / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000635:transmission; D017753:Ecosystem; D007303:Insect Vectors