title: First record of Stegomyia albopicta (= Aedes albopictus) in Morocco: a major threat to public health in North Africa?
abstract: The Asian tiger mosquito Stegomyia albopicta (= Aedes albopictus) (Diptera: Culicidae), native to Asian forests, is a nuisance mosquito and is responsible for the transmission of arboviruses of public health importance, such as dengue, chikungunya and Zika viruses. It has colonized parts of all continents, except Antarctica, over the past 30-40 years. However, to date, the only records of S. albopicta in North Africa refer to occasional collections in 2010 and 2014 in Algeria. In early September 2015, S. albopicta larvae and adults were collected in a district of Rabat, Morocco. Morphological identification was confirmed by molecular analysis. This is the first record of this invasive mosquito in Morocco. A national surveillance programme will be implemented in 2016 to establish its geographical distribution in Morocco and to instigate control measures to prevent the establishment of new populations and the transmission of arboviruses.
authors: Microbiology, Immunology and Infectious Diseases Unit, Department of Animal Pathology and Public Health, Institute of Agronomy and Veterinary Medicine Hassan II, Rabat, Morocco.
authors: A
authors: A
authors: Bennouna
authors: Microbiology, Immunology and Infectious Diseases Unit, Department of Animal Pathology and Public Health, Institute of Agronomy and Veterinary Medicine Hassan II, Rabat, Morocco.|Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement (CIRAD), Unité Mixte de Recherche (UMR) 15, Contrôle des Maladies Animales, Exotiques et Émergentes (CMAEE), Montpellier, France.
authors: T
authors: T
authors: Balenghien
authors: Biosafety Level 3 and Research Laboratory, Mohammed V Military Teaching Hospital, University of Mohammed V at Souissi, Rabat, Morocco.
authors: H
authors: H
authors: El Rhaffouli
authors: Francis Schaffner Consultancy, Riehen, Switzerland.|Institute of Parasitology, National Centre for Vector Entomology, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland.
authors: F
authors: F
authors: Schaffner
authors: Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement (CIRAD), Unité Mixte de Recherche (UMR) 15, Contrôle des Maladies Animales, Exotiques et Émergentes (CMAEE), Montpellier, France.
authors: C
authors: C
authors: Garros
authors: Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement (CIRAD), Unité Mixte de Recherche (UMR) 15, Contrôle des Maladies Animales, Exotiques et Émergentes (CMAEE), Montpellier, France.
authors: L
authors: L
authors: Gardès
authors: Office National de Sécurité Sanitaire des Produits Alimentaires (ONSSA), Rabat, Morocco.
authors: Y
authors: Y
authors: Lhor
authors: Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution de Montpellier, UMR 226 IRD-CNRS-UM2, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD), Montpellier, France.
authors: S
authors: S
authors: Hammoumi
authors: Département de Production, Protection et Biotechnologies Végétales, Unité de Zoologie, Institute of Agronomy and Veterinary Medicine Hassan II, Rabat, Morocco.
authors: G
authors: G
authors: Chlyeh
authors: Microbiology, Immunology and Infectious Diseases Unit, Department of Animal Pathology and Public Health, Institute of Agronomy and Veterinary Medicine Hassan II, Rabat, Morocco.
authors: O
authors: O
authors: Fassi Fihri
mesh_terms: D000330:Aedes / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology*; D063147:Animal Distribution; D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D007303:Insect Vectors / Q000502:physiology*; D007814:Larva / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D009018:Morocco; D011634:Public Health
keywords: Asian tiger mosquito; Morocco; Stegomyia albopicta; arbovirus; vector