title: Potential mosquito (Diptera:Culicidae) vector of Dirofilaria repens and Dirofilaria immitis in urban areas of Eastern Slovakia.
abstract: This paper follows the study from 2013 focused on the molecular screening of mosquitoes as vectors of Dirofilaria spp. which provided the information on Aedes vexans as a potential vector of Dirofilaria repens in Slovakia. Current entomological and molecular research indicates that Ae. vexans can participate also in the transmission of Dirofilaria immitis within the region. Using the standard PCR method, we examined 10,500 mosquitoes (Ae. vexans, Ae. rossicus, Anopheles maculipennis s.l., Ochlerotatus sticticus, Ochlerotatus cantans, Ochlerotatus caspius, Culex pipiens/Culex torrentium, Coquillettidia richiardii), collected using CO2-baited traps at six locations in the Eastern Slovakia. Out of 105 pools, 6 pools of mosquitoes Ae. vexans were positive for D. repens DNA (minimum infective rate in Ae. vexas was 6:6.900, i.e. 0.8 per 1.000 mosquitoes), within which 4 were concurrently positive for D. immitis (minimum infective rate in Ae. vexans was 4:6.900 i.e. 0.5 per 1.000 mosquitoes).
authors.affiliation: The Institute for Parasitology, The University of Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy in Košice, Komenského 73, 041 81, Košice, Slovak Republic. eva.bockova@uvlf.sk.
authors.forename: Eva
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bocková
authors.affiliation: The Institute of Breeding and Diseases of Game and Fish, The University of Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy in Košice, Komenského 73, 041 81, Košice, Slovak Republic.
authors.forename: Adriana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Iglódyová
authors.affiliation: The Institute for Parasitology, The University of Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy in Košice, Komenského 73, 041 81, Košice, Slovak Republic.
authors.forename: Alica
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kočišová
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D009033:Culicidae / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000469:parasitology* / Q000502:physiology; D004183:Dirofilaria immitis / Q000502:physiology*; D060348:Dirofilaria repens / Q000502:physiology*; D004184:Dirofilariasis / Q000469:parasitology / Q000635:transmission*; D005260:Female; D007303:Insect Vectors / Q000469:parasitology*; D008297:Male; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D018154:Slovakia
keywords: Aedes vexans; Dirofilaria immitis; Dirofilaria repens; Mosquito vectors; Slovakia