Range expansion of the Bluetongue vector, Culicoides imicola, in continental France likely due to rare wind-transport events.
The role of the northward expansion of Culicoides imicola Kieffer in recent and unprecedented outbreaks of Culicoides-borne arboviruses in southern Europe has been a significant point of contention. We combined entomological surveys, movement simulations of air-borne particles, and population genetics to reconstruct the chain of events that led to a newly colonized French area nestled at the northern foot of the Pyrenees. Simulating the movement of air-borne particles evidenced frequent wind-transport events allowing, within at most 36 hours, the immigration of midges from north-eastern Spain and Balearic Islands, and, as rare events, their immigration from Corsica. Completing the puzzle, population genetic analyses discriminated Corsica as the origin of the new population and identified two successive colonization events within west-Mediterranean basin. Our findings are of considerable importance when trying to understand the invasion of new territories by expanding species.
Cirad, UMR15 CMAEE, 34398; INRA, UMR1309 CMAEE, 34398 Montpellier, France.|CNRS, Université de Montpellier, UMR 5290 Maladies Infectieuses &Vecteurs-Ecologie, Génétique, Ecologie, Contrôle (MIVEGEC), Montpellier, France.|IRD, UR 224 MIVEGEC, BP 64501, Agropolis, 34 394 Montpellier cedex 5, France.
Stéphanie
S
Jacquet
INRA, UMR1309 CMAEE,34398; Cirad, UMR15 CMAEE, 34398 Montpellier, France.
Karine
K
Huber
Cirad, UMR15 CMAEE, 97170 Petit-Bourg, France; INRA, UMR1309 CMAEE 34398 Montpellier, France.|Centre de Recerca en Sanitat Animal (CReSA), UAB-IRTA, Campus de la Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra (Cerdanyola del Vallès), Spain.
Nonito
N
Pagès
Centre de Recerca en Sanitat Animal (CReSA), UAB-IRTA, Campus de la Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra (Cerdanyola del Vallès), Spain.
Sandra
S
Talavera
Met Office, Exeter, UK.
Laura E
LE
Burgin
Vector-borne Viral Diseases Programme, The Pirbright Institute, Pirbright, UK.
Simon
S
Carpenter
Vector-borne Viral Diseases Programme, The Pirbright Institute, Pirbright, UK.
Christopher
C
Sanders
West African Science Service on Climate Change and Adapted Land Use, Climate Change Economics Research Program, Cheikh Anta Diop University, Sénégal.
Ahmadou H
AH
Dicko
Institut National de la Médecine Vétérinaire (IMV), Laboratoire vétérinaire régional, Tizi Ouzou, Algeria.
Mouloud
M
Djerbal
Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell'Abruzzo e del Molise 'G. Caporale', 64100 Teramo, Italy.
Maria
M
Goffredo
Office National de Sécurité Sanitaire des produits Alimentaires (ONSSA), Rabat, Morocco.
Youssef
Y
Lhor
Faculdad de Veterinaria, University of Zaragoza (UZ), Zaragoza, Spain.
Javier
J
Lucientes
Laboratory of Zoology, University of Balearics (UIB), Palma de Mallorca, Spain.
Miguel A
MA
Miranda-Chueca
CIISA, Faculdade de Medecina Veterinaria, Universidade de Lisboa (FMV-ULisboa), Lisboa, Portugal.
Isabel
I
Pereira Da Fonseca
CIISA, Faculdade de Medecina Veterinaria, Universidade de Lisboa (FMV-ULisboa), Lisboa, Portugal.
David W
DW
Ramilo
Entente interdépartementale pour la démoustication-Méditerranée (EID-Méd), Montpellier, France.
Marie-Laure
ML
Setier-Rio
Cirad, UMR15 CMAEE, 34398; INRA, UMR1309 CMAEE, 34398 Montpellier, France.|Institut Sénégalais de Recherches Agricoles (ISRA), Laboratoire National de l'Elevage et de Recherches Vétérinaires, Dakar, Sénégal.
Jérémy
J
Bouyer
CNRS, Université de Montpellier, UMR 5290 Maladies Infectieuses &Vecteurs-Ecologie, Génétique, Ecologie, Contrôle (MIVEGEC), Montpellier, France.|IRD, UR 224 MIVEGEC, BP 64501, Agropolis, 34 394 Montpellier cedex 5, France.
Christine
C
Chevillon
Cirad, UMR15 CMAEE, 34398; INRA, UMR1309 CMAEE, 34398 Montpellier, France.
Thomas
T
Balenghien
Cirad, UMR15 CMAEE, 34398; INRA, UMR1309 CMAEE, 34398 Montpellier, France.
Hélène
H
Guis
Cirad, UMR15 CMAEE, 34398; INRA, UMR1309 CMAEE, 34398 Montpellier, France.
Claire
C
Garros
D000818:Animals; D001819:Bluetongue / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000635:transmission*; D002519:Ceratopogonidae / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology* / Q000821:virology; D004247:DNA / Q000235:genetics; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D004772:Entomology; D005060:Europe; D005602:France; D014644:Genetic Variation; D005828:Genetics, Population; D007303:Insect Vectors / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology* / Q000821:virology; D015810:Linkage Disequilibrium; D058974:Phylogeography; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D012756:Sheep; D013030:Spain; D014919:Wind
D004247:DNA