| Abstract |
Aedes albopictus is a mosquito, which causes concerns regarding the public health the last decades. It has been found to transmit dengue fever and chikungunya (Leroy et al., 2009) (Angelini et al., 2007) and it is also a potent vector of other arboviruses, as reviewed in Moore et al., 1997.
Dengue fever is a rapidly spreading disease, which causes major public health and economic problems in many countries, especially those located around the tropics. Among the symptoms are high fever, headache, pain in the muscles and the joints, vomiting, leukopenia and plasma leakage. If plasma leakage is severe then bleeding and organ impairment may occur, which could be fatal. Over 50 million cases of dengue fever occur annually (World Health Organization, Dengue and dengue haemorrhagic fever) and the economic impact is high. During the years 2000-2007 the annual cost due to dengue was US$2.1 billion only in Americas (Shepard 2011).
Chikungunya occurs mainly in Africa, Asia and India and has similar symptoms with dengue fever, as for example pain in the joints, headaches, fever, rash and nausea (World Health Organization, Chikungunya). Major outbreaks have taken place, as for example during 2005-2006 in La Reunion Island, where 30% of the whole population got infected (Vazeille et al., 2007) and in Italy in 2007. Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus are the main vectors of Dengue fever and Chikungunya.
As far as the origin of Aedes albopictus is concerned, it was first found in South-East Asia and has from there on quickly invaded many countries, all over the world. Human activities are the main reason of its spread. The international trade and especially the tire trade has proven to be the reason for the introduction of Aedes albopictus in many countries (Reiter et al., 1987). This is because used tires and other goods may serve as breeding sites or container for eggs. Especially Aedes albopictus eggs are resistant against drought and can hatch after a long time, when found in proper conditions. Human migration is also implicated in the mosquito spread. It is worth mentioning that Aedes albopictus is found not only in the tropical and subtropical zone, but also in areas with temperate climate. The ability to survive during cold winters is possibly due to its efficient synthesis of high amounts of lipids (Briegel et al., 2001) and the entrance of its eggs in a metabolically dormant stage called diapause (Nawrocki et al., 1987).
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Molecular characterization of temephos resistance in the major dengue and chikungunya vector Aedes albopictus
