Molecular Characterization of <i>Anopheles algeriensis</i> Theobald, 1903 (Diptera: Culicidae) Populations from Europe
<i>Anopheles algeriensis</i> Theobald, 1903, considered a competent vector of <i>Plasmodium</i> parasites, is a mosquito species widely distributed in the Mediterranean area but rare in Northern and Central Europe. The disappearance of its suitable breeding sites in Italy is...
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| Format: | Article |
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MDPI AG
2022-08-01
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| Series: | Pathogens |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0817/11/9/990 |
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| author | Michela Menegon Alexandru Tomazatos Francesco Severini Donato Antonio Raele Tobias Lilja Doreen Werner Daniela Boccolini Luciano Toma Ilaria Vasco Renke Lühken Helge Kampen Maria Assunta Cafiero Marco Di Luca |
| author_facet | Michela Menegon Alexandru Tomazatos Francesco Severini Donato Antonio Raele Tobias Lilja Doreen Werner Daniela Boccolini Luciano Toma Ilaria Vasco Renke Lühken Helge Kampen Maria Assunta Cafiero Marco Di Luca |
| author_sort | Michela Menegon |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <i>Anopheles algeriensis</i> Theobald, 1903, considered a competent vector of <i>Plasmodium</i> parasites, is a mosquito species widely distributed in the Mediterranean area but rare in Northern and Central Europe. The disappearance of its suitable breeding sites in Italy is having a detrimental effect on the occurrence of this species once common along the Southern coasts and on the islands. Recently, molecular investigations have renewed interest in this species, highlighting a genetic heterogeneity among European populations. In this study, <i>An. algeriensis</i> populations from Italy, Germany, Romania, and Sweden were analyzed by molecular typing of the intergenic transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2). The mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) was also analyzed from specimens collected in Southern Italy. With the aim of investigating the population structure of this species, the obtained data were compared to all publicly available ITS2 and COI sequences of <i>An. algeriensis</i>, adding specimens from Spain and Portugal. The analyses of both markers indicate a split between Iberian populations (Spain for ITS2 and Spain/Portugal for COI) and those from the rest of Europe, revealing two cryptic species. The analysis of the COI barcode revealed a third clade representing a cryptic species present in Danube Delta (Romania). The high levels of genetic divergence among the clades of <i>An. algeriensis</i> indicate that this taxon represents a species complex, potentially harboring several distinct cryptic species. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T22:52:58Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-241eb89fd6fa490682d1608eaaeb48b7 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-0817 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T22:52:58Z |
| publishDate | 2022-08-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Pathogens |
| spelling | doaj.art-241eb89fd6fa490682d1608eaaeb48b72023-11-23T18:15:34ZengMDPI AGPathogens2076-08172022-08-0111999010.3390/pathogens11090990Molecular Characterization of <i>Anopheles algeriensis</i> Theobald, 1903 (Diptera: Culicidae) Populations from EuropeMichela Menegon0Alexandru Tomazatos1Francesco Severini2Donato Antonio Raele3Tobias Lilja4Doreen Werner5Daniela Boccolini6Luciano Toma7Ilaria Vasco8Renke Lühken9Helge Kampen10Maria Assunta Cafiero11Marco Di Luca12Dipartimento Malattie Infettive, Reparto Malattie Trasmesse da Vettori, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, 00161 Rome, ItalyDepartment of Arbovirology, Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, 20359 Hamburg, GermanyDipartimento Malattie Infettive, Reparto Malattie Trasmesse da Vettori, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, 00161 Rome, ItalyLaboratorio di Entomologia Sanitaria, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Puglia e della Basilicata, 71121 Foggia, ItalyDepartment of Microbiology, National Veterinary Institute, 75189 Uppsala, SwedenLeibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF), 15374 Müncheberg, GermanyDipartimento Malattie Infettive, Reparto Malattie Trasmesse da Vettori, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, 00161 Rome, ItalyDipartimento Malattie Infettive, Reparto Malattie Trasmesse da Vettori, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, 00161 Rome, ItalyLaboratorio di Entomologia Sanitaria, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Puglia e della Basilicata, 71121 Foggia, ItalyDepartment of Arbovirology, Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, 20359 Hamburg, GermanyFriedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, 17493 Greifswald, GermanyLaboratorio di Entomologia Sanitaria, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Puglia e della Basilicata, 71121 Foggia, ItalyDipartimento Malattie Infettive, Reparto Malattie Trasmesse da Vettori, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, 00161 Rome, Italy<i>Anopheles algeriensis</i> Theobald, 1903, considered a competent vector of <i>Plasmodium</i> parasites, is a mosquito species widely distributed in the Mediterranean area but rare in Northern and Central Europe. The disappearance of its suitable breeding sites in Italy is having a detrimental effect on the occurrence of this species once common along the Southern coasts and on the islands. Recently, molecular investigations have renewed interest in this species, highlighting a genetic heterogeneity among European populations. In this study, <i>An. algeriensis</i> populations from Italy, Germany, Romania, and Sweden were analyzed by molecular typing of the intergenic transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2). The mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) was also analyzed from specimens collected in Southern Italy. With the aim of investigating the population structure of this species, the obtained data were compared to all publicly available ITS2 and COI sequences of <i>An. algeriensis</i>, adding specimens from Spain and Portugal. The analyses of both markers indicate a split between Iberian populations (Spain for ITS2 and Spain/Portugal for COI) and those from the rest of Europe, revealing two cryptic species. The analysis of the COI barcode revealed a third clade representing a cryptic species present in Danube Delta (Romania). The high levels of genetic divergence among the clades of <i>An. algeriensis</i> indicate that this taxon represents a species complex, potentially harboring several distinct cryptic species.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0817/11/9/990<i>Anopheles algeriensis</i>barcodingmitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit Iintergenic transcribed spacer 2phylogenetic analysiscryptic species |
| spellingShingle | Michela Menegon Alexandru Tomazatos Francesco Severini Donato Antonio Raele Tobias Lilja Doreen Werner Daniela Boccolini Luciano Toma Ilaria Vasco Renke Lühken Helge Kampen Maria Assunta Cafiero Marco Di Luca Molecular Characterization of <i>Anopheles algeriensis</i> Theobald, 1903 (Diptera: Culicidae) Populations from Europe Pathogens <i>Anopheles algeriensis</i> barcoding mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I intergenic transcribed spacer 2 phylogenetic analysis cryptic species |
| title | Molecular Characterization of <i>Anopheles algeriensis</i> Theobald, 1903 (Diptera: Culicidae) Populations from Europe |
| title_full | Molecular Characterization of <i>Anopheles algeriensis</i> Theobald, 1903 (Diptera: Culicidae) Populations from Europe |
| title_fullStr | Molecular Characterization of <i>Anopheles algeriensis</i> Theobald, 1903 (Diptera: Culicidae) Populations from Europe |
| title_full_unstemmed | Molecular Characterization of <i>Anopheles algeriensis</i> Theobald, 1903 (Diptera: Culicidae) Populations from Europe |
| title_short | Molecular Characterization of <i>Anopheles algeriensis</i> Theobald, 1903 (Diptera: Culicidae) Populations from Europe |
| title_sort | molecular characterization of i anopheles algeriensis i theobald 1903 diptera culicidae populations from europe |
| topic | <i>Anopheles algeriensis</i> barcoding mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I intergenic transcribed spacer 2 phylogenetic analysis cryptic species |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0817/11/9/990 |
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