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Population structure of the invasive Asian tiger mosquito, Aedes albopictus, in Europe
  • +45
  • Margaret Corley,
  • Luciano Cosme,
  • Peter Armbruster,
  • Maria Sharakhova,
  • Alessandra della Torre,
  • Beniamino Caputo,
  • VERENA PICHLER,
  • Anna Bega,
  • Sandra Urbanelli,
  • Ademir Martins,
  • Enkelejda Velo,
  • Perparim Kadriaj,
  • Roger Eritja,
  • Nigel Beebe,
  • Chun-Hong Chen,
  • Jacob Crawford,
  • Michael Fontaine,
  • Sebastien Boyer,
  • Richard Gill,
  • Trang Huynh,
  • Kevin Maringer,
  • Andrew Maynard,
  • Shomen Mukherjee,
  • Leonard Munstermann,
  • Sinnathamby Surendran,
  • Isra Wahid,
  • Francis Schaffner,
  • Rubén Bueno Marí,
  • Antonios Michaelakis,
  • Georgios Balatsos,
  • Mustafa Akiner,
  • Arianna Puggioli,
  • Cintia Horvath,
  • Daniel Bravo-Barriga,
  • Elton Rogozi,
  • Francisco Collantes,
  • Gilles Besnard,
  • Mihaela Kavran,
  • Ognyan Mikov,
  • Raquel Medialdea-Carrera,
  • Tanya Melillo,
  • Maria Louise Borg,
  • Thomas Johnson,
  • Kayleigh Hackett,
  • Tina Wu,
  • Joao Pinto,
  • Vera Valadas,
  • Adalgisa Caccone
Margaret Corley
Yale University

Corresponding Author:margaret.corley@yale.edu

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Luciano Cosme
University of California Riverside
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Peter Armbruster
Georgetown University
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Maria Sharakhova
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
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Alessandra della Torre
University of Rome La Sapienza
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Beniamino Caputo
University of Rome La Sapienza
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VERENA PICHLER
University of Rome La Sapienza
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Anna Bega
Federal State University of Education
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Sandra Urbanelli
University of Rome La Sapienza
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Ademir Martins
IOC-FIOCRUZ
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Enkelejda Velo
Institute of Public Health
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Perparim Kadriaj
Institute of Public Health
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Roger Eritja
Centre d'Estudis Avançats de Blanes (CEAB-CSIC)
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Nigel Beebe
The University of Queensland
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Chun-Hong Chen
National Health Research Institutes
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Jacob Crawford
Verily Life Sciences LLC
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Michael Fontaine
MIVEGEC
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Sebastien Boyer
Institut Pasteur du Cambodge
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Richard Gill
Imperial College London
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Trang Huynh
Pasteur Institute in Ho Chi Minh City
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Kevin Maringer
Pirbright Institute
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Andrew Maynard
University of Queensland
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Shomen Mukherjee
Ahmedabad University School of Arts and Sciences
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Leonard Munstermann
Yale University School of Public Health
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Sinnathamby Surendran
University of Jaffna
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Isra Wahid
Hasanuddin University Faculty of Medicine
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Francis Schaffner
Francis Schaffner Consultancy
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Rubén Bueno Marí
Laboratorios Lokímica
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Antonios Michaelakis
Benaki Phytopathological Institute
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Georgios Balatsos
Benaki Phytopathological Institute
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Mustafa Akiner
Recep Tayyip Erdogan Universitesi
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Arianna Puggioli
Centro Agricoltura Ambiente CAA "G. Nicoli”
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Cintia Horvath
University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine Cluj-Napoca
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Daniel Bravo-Barriga
University of Extremadura
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Elton Rogozi
Institute of Public Health
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Francisco Collantes
Universidad de Murcia
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Gilles Besnard
Entente Interdépartementale Rhône-Alpes pour la Démoustication (EIRAD)
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Mihaela Kavran
University of Novi Sad Faculty of Agriculture
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Ognyan Mikov
National Center of Infectious and Parasitic Diseases
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Raquel Medialdea-Carrera
Malta Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Directorate
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Tanya Melillo
Malta Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Directorate
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Maria Louise Borg
Malta Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Directorate
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Thomas Johnson
Yale University
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Kayleigh Hackett
Yale University
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Tina Wu
Yale University
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Joao Pinto
Universidade Nova de Lisboa Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical
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Vera Valadas
Universidade Nova de Lisboa Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical
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Adalgisa Caccone
Yale University
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Abstract

The Asian tiger mosquito, Aedes albopictus, is currently the most widespread invasive mosquito species in the world. It poses a significant threat to human health, as it is a vector for several arboviruses. We used a SNP chip to genotype 748 Ae. albopictus mosquitoes from 41 localities across Europe, 28 localities in the native range in Asia, and four in the Americas. Using multiple algorithms, we examined population genetic structure and differentiation within Europe and across our global dataset to gain insight into the origin of the invasive European populations. We also compared results from our SNP data to those obtained using genotypes from 11 microsatellite loci (N=637 mosquitoes from 25 European localities) to explore how sampling effort and the type of genetic marker used may influence conclusions about Ae. albopictus population structure. While some analyses detected more than 20 clusters worldwide, we found mosquitoes could be grouped into seven distinct genetic clusters, with most European populations originating in East Asia (Japan or China). Interestingly, some populations in Eastern Europe did not share genetic ancestry with any populations from the native range or Americas, indicating that these populations originated from areas not sampled in this study. The SNP and microsatellite datasets found similar patterns of genetic differentiation in Europe, but the microsatellite dataset could not detect the more subtle genetic structure revealed using SNPs. Overall, data from the SNP chip offered a higher resolution for detecting the genetic structure and the potential origins of invasions.