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ARCHIVED - Mutant insecticide-resistant tiger mosquitoes discovered in Spain
The tiger mosquito has caused seven outbreaks of dengue fever in Spain in recent years
An extensive international study has detected tiger mosquitoes in Spain that are immune to pyrethroids, the only authorised insecticides in the EU, for the first time ever. This development has greatly worried the scientific community, since these insects are known to carry several deadly diseases such as dengue, Zika and chikungunya.
Before now, the only European country this mutant mosquito had been located in was Italy, but the discovery of adult specimens in Bizkaia in Spain indicates that it is probably more widespread. Samples from Catalonia, the Balearic Islands, the Valencian Community, Andalusia, Extremadura and Madrid all tested negative for the critters, but the researchers believe this may be due only to the low numbers analysed.
Urban areas are sprayed with insecticides by the local authorities each year to kill off the larvae of the tiger mosquito, but if this mutation can’t be controlled then the only answer will be to increase the amount of pyrethroids used. Not only will this cause untold damage to the environment and other insect species, but it’s likely that in a few years all mosquitoes will become immune.
During the summers of 2018 and 2019, Spain suffered through no fewer than seven dengue fever outbreaks thanks to bites from tiger mosquitoes. Italy, Croatia and France also reported cases while the latter registered two local infections of Zika three years ago.
“We have to carefully monitor the presence of the tiger mosquito and control resistance to pyrethroids,” Daniel Bravo, leader of the study explained. “It is very likely that there will be outbreaks of these diseases again and, if we do not do so, the risk is that the insecticides we need will not be effective,” he concluded.
Tiger mosquitoes can be identified by their distinctive black and white striped bodies. They are smaller and more skittish that their common mosquito cousins and don’t make the characteristic buzzing sound when they fly. They also prefer to bite during the day.
Image: Flickr
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