Adolfo Ibañez-Justicia

Nederlandse Voedsel- en Warenautoriteit | NVWA · National Reference Centre

Despite their past importance as vectors of indigenous malaria, the species composition and spatial distribution of the members of the Anopheles maculipennis complex have been studied to a limited extent in the Netherlands. Therefore, this investigation focuses on the distribution of the members of this complex in the Netherlands, including Anophel...

The Asian tiger mosquito Aedes albopictus is an undesirable invasive mosquito species that causes considerable nuisance through its biting behaviour, and has been proven to transmit more than 22 different viruses under laboratory conditions. Human-aided transportation, the capacity of winter diapause, and possibly global warming have contributed to...

Human and animal vector-borne diseases, particularly mosquito-borne diseases, are emerging or re-emerging worldwide. Six Aedes invasive mosquito (AIM) species were introduced to Europe since the 1970s: Aedes aegypti, Ae. albopictus, Ae. japonicus, Ae. koreicus, Ae. atropalpus and Ae. triseriatus. Here, we report the results of AIMSurv2020, the firs...

The Mosquito Alert dataset includes occurrence records of adult mosquitoes collected worldwide in 2014–2020 through Mosquito Alert, a citizen science system for investigating and managing disease-carrying mosquitoes. Records are linked to citizen science-submitted photographs and validated by entomologists to determine the presence of five targeted...

Since 2010, the Centre for Monitoring of Vectors (CMV) of the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA), has a surveillance programme in place to detect and control invasive mosquito species (IMS) at locations with increased risk of importation. At the premises of companies that import used tyres from risk areas, the CMV impleme...

Culiseta (Allotheobaldia) longiareolata (Macquart) (Diptera: Culicidae) is an ornithophilic mosquito species that occurs in the southern Palaearctic Region from the Azores to Central Asia, the Ethiopian Region, India, and Pakistan. Although it has a widespread distribution range, the species was only recently reported in Western and Central Europe....

Background Ticks of the genus Hyalomma , which are vectors for several tick-borne diseases, are occasionally found in areas outside their endemic range including northern parts of Europe. The objective of this study was to analyse adult Hyalomma ticks that were recently found in the Netherlands. Methods Hyalomma ticks were morphologically identifi...

Background: Ticks of the genus Hyalomma, which are vectors for several tick-borne diseases, are occasionally found in areas outside their endemic range including northern parts of Europe. The objective of this study was to analyse adult Hyalomma ticks that were recently found in The Netherlands. Methods: Hyalomma ticks were morphologically identifi...

In the last decades, Aedesinvasive mosquito species (AIMs) have arrived inEurope from overseas, introduced via different pathways. Several species such as Aedes albopictus, Ae. japonicusand Ae. koreicuswere introduced, builtpopulations, and expanded theirdistribution into new regions. The introduction and establishment of AIMs in Europe is a risk t...

The detection of Aedes albopictus in Lucky bamboo (Dracaena sanderiana) greenhouses and Ae. atropalpus at used tire importers illustrates that the Netherlands is exposed to the risk of introductions of invasive mosquito species (IMS). In this study we implemented a risk-based and adaptive surveillance (2010-16) in order to detect introductions and...

Background: Culicoides obsoletus is an abundant and widely distributed Holarctic biting midge species, involved in the transmission of bluetongue virus (BTV) and Schmallenberg virus (SBV) to wild and domestic ruminants. Females of this vector species are often reported jointly with two morphologically very close species, C. scoticus and C. montanus...

Background: Arboviruses are a growing public health concern in Europe, with both endemic and exotic arboviruses expected to spread further into novel areas in the next decades. Predicting where future outbreaks will occur is a major challenge, particularly for regions where these arboviruses are not endemic. Spatial modelling of ecological risk fa...

Background: Culicoides obsoletus is an abundant and widely distributed Holarctic biting midge species, involved in the transmission of bluetongue virus (BTV) and Schmallenberg virus (SBV) to wild and domestic ruminants. Females of this vector species are often reported jointly with two morphologically very close species, C. scoticus and C. montanu...

In Europe, the air-borne accidental introduction of exotic mosquito species (EMS) has been demonstrated using mosquito surveillance schemes at Schiphol International Airport (Amsterdam, The Netherlands). Based upon these findings and given the increasing volume of air transport movements per year, the establishment of EMS after introduction via air...

In de zomer van 2019 zijn op tien verschillende locaties in Nederland tien volwassen Hyalomma marginatum teken gevonden. Vrijwel alle teken zijn gevonden op paarden. Deze tekensoort is gevestigd in landen rondom de Middellandse en Zwarte Zee. Waarschijnlijk zijn nimfen via trekvogels in Nederland terecht gekomen, waarna door geschikte weersomstandi...

Background: In the Netherlands, Aedes albopictus has been found each year since 2010 during routine exotic mosquito species surveillance at companies that import used tires. We developed habitat suitability models to investigate the potential risk of establishment and spread of this invasive species at these locations. Methods: We used two metho...

Background In the Netherlands, Aedes albopictus has been found each year since 2010 during routine exotic mosquito species surveillance at companies that import used tires. We developed habitat suitability models to investigate the potential risk of establishment and spread of this invasive species at these locations. Methods We used two methodolog...

The overall aim of this scientific report is the assessment of the probability of entry of Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV) into the European Union (EU) through active or passive movement of vectors. Two different import pathways were considered in this report, i.e. import through flights and import via cargo on ships. The import through road transpo...

Background In the Netherlands, Aedes albopictus has been found each year since 2010 during routine exotic mosquito species surveillance at companies that import used tires. We developed habitat suitability models to investigate the potential risk of establishment and spread of this invasive species at these locations. Methods We used two methodolog...

In June 2019, a single specimen collected at a used tyre company was identified as Aedes flavopictus (Yamada, 1921), a sibling species of Ae. albopictus. Ae. flavopictus has not been recorded outside Japan and South Korea. Although it has only shown dengue virus vector competence under laboratory conditions, its detection demonstrates the value of...

Background The geographic distribution of Dermacentor reticulatus is expanding in Europe. Surveillance of this tick species and its pathogens is desirable, as it transmits pathogens of public and veterinary importance. A high-throughput real-time PCR-based array was used to screen 1.741 D. reticulatus ticks from Belgium, Germany, The Netherlands, a...

In several reported cases of the entry of invasive mosquito species (IMSs) into Europe, the introduction was associated with a specific pathway of introduction or dispersal. The identification of potential pathways for the introduction of IMSs and evaluations of the importance of the different pathways are key to designing proper surveillance strat...

The Asian bush mosquito (Aedes japonicus japonicus (Theobald)) is an invasive mosquito species in Europe. In 2012, it was for the first time detected in the Netherlands, in the municipality of Lelystad. After further research, thousands of specimens were found in the surrounding peri-urban areas of the city. A targeted mosquito control campaign beg...

Background Air-borne introduction of exotic mosquitoes to Schiphol airport in the Netherlands has been considered plausible based upon findings of mosquitoes in aircraft cabins during 2008, 2010 and 2011. Beginning in 2013, surveillance efforts at Schiphol had focused on promptly detecting accidental introductions at the airport facilities in order...

Following the findings of the invasive mosquito species (IMS) Aedes albopictus in 2005, the Netherlands started a race to be prepared to detect and control the introductions of IMS in the country. This also resulted in the consolidation of the Centre for Monitoring of Vectors (CMV) in 2009, as a team within a governmental organization (NVWA). One o...

Due the Zika outbreak in South America, concern arises about the possibility of new introductions of the mosquito vector Aedes aegypti into the country with import of products. Since the foundation of the Centre for Monitoring of Vectors (CMV), exotic mosquitoes have been detected that were accidentally introduced at import locations of fruits. The...

Culex (Cx.) pipiens mosquitoes are important vectors of West Nile virus (WNV). In Europe, the species Cx. pipiens consists of two biotypes, pipiens and molestus, which are morphologically identical, but differ in behavior. Typical behavior of the molestus biotype is the ability to remain active during winter, whereas the pipiens biotype enters diap...

Since 2009, The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority carries out surveys focusing on, amongst others, the presence of invasive mosquito species (IMS). Special attention is given to exotic container-breeding Aedes species Aedes aegypti (L.), Aedes albopictus (Skuse), Aedes atropalpus (Coquillett), and Aedes japonicus japonicus (The...

Landscape modifications, urbanization or changes of use of rural-agricultural areas can create more favourable conditions for certain mosquito species and therefore indirectly cause nuisance problems for humans. This could potentially result in mosquito-borne disease outbreaks when the nuisance is caused by mosquito species that can transmit pathog...

Arthropod vectors are sensitive to climatic and environmental factors Determining the distribution of vectors is an essential step in studying the risk of transmission of a pathogen Knowledge of the spatial distribution of vector species is important for estimating levels of risks of VBDs, enabling better targeting for surveillance and helps in des...

Background Models for the spatial distribution of vector species are important tools in the assessment of the risk of establishment and subsequent spread of vector-borne diseases. The aims of this study are to define the environmental conditions suitable for several mosquito species through species distribution modelling techniques, and to compare...

From 2010 onwards, a nationwide mosquito monitoring scheme has been conducted in The Netherlands with the aim of gaining crucial information about mosquito (Diptera: Culicidae) species composition, geographical distributions, biodiversity, and habitat preferences. The results of this study are based on 778 randomly sampled mosquito locations. These...

Originally native to East Asia, Aedes japonicus japonicus, a potential vector of several arboviruses, has become one of the most invasive mosquito species in the world. After having established in the USA, it is now spreading in Europe, with new populations emerging. In contrast to the USA, the introduction pathways and modes of dispersal in Europe...

Given the established populations in the municipality of Lelystad (The Netherlands), and in the neighbouring countries Belgium and Germany, the Asian bush mosquito Aedes j. japonicus, a putative vector of Japanese encephalitis virus and West Nile Virus, seems to be very well adapted to European conditions, and a further spread is considered likely...

Public health statistics recorded an increasing trend in the incidence of tick bites and erythema migrans in the Netherlands. We investigated whether the disease incidence could be predicted by a spatially explicit categorization model, based on environmental factors and a training set of tick absence-presence data. Presence and absence of Ixodes r...

After a report of mosquito nuisance and collection of live Culex quinquefasciatus mosquitoes on board of a passenger aircraft from Africa to Amsterdam, a mosquito surveillance was carried out in 38 cabins of passenger aircraft from overseas airports immediately after landing at Amsterdam Schiphol airport, the Netherlands (2010 and 2011). Live mosqu...

Introduction Landscape modifications, urbanization or changes of use of rural-agricultural areas, can benefit adaptable mosquito species in such a way that they can become a nuisance for humans. In case these mosquito species are capable of transmitting viruses and parasites, this combination could potentially lead to mosquito-borne disease outbrea...

In January 2013, a female mosquito collected during the week 18th-25th July 2012 in Lelystad (The Netherlands) during routine national vector surveillance was morphologically identified and genetically confirmed as the Asian bush mosquito, Aedes japonicus japonicus. In order to assess the extent of the infestation area, subsequent extensive mosquit...

In the past decade, two pathogens transmitted by Culicoides biting midges (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae), bluetongue virus and Schmallenberg virus, have caused serious economic losses to the European livestock industry, most notably affecting sheep and cattle. These outbreaks of arboviral disease have highlighted large knowledge gaps on the biology and...

In 2011, Schmallenberg virus (SBV), a novel member of the Simbu serogroup, genus Orthobunyavirus, was identified as the causative agent of a disease in ruminants in Europe. Based on the current knowledge on arthropods involved in the transmission of Simbu group viruses, a role of both midges and mosquitoes in the SBV transmission cycle cannot be ex...

In July 2011, during routine invasive exotic mosquito surveillance inspections at companies that import used tyres, two invasive exotic mosquito species were found at three locations in the Netherlands: the Asian tiger mosquito (Ae. albopictus) [Stegomyia albopicta sensu Reinert et al., 2004] and the American rock-pool mosquito (Ae. atropalpus)...

Due to the presence of ungulates, migratory birds, humans, and diverse and large mosquito populations, De Oostvaardersplassen National Reserve can be considered a high-risk area for arboviruses circulation in The Netherlands. Up to now, arbovirus-surveillance in mosquitoes was hampered by the fact that RNA-virus degenerates rapidly once a virus-inf...

The Asian hornet Vespa velutina nigrithorax was introduced in southern France in 2004. During the inventory in 2009, nests were found in the vicinity of Paris. To predict the potential occurrence in the Netherlands, a CLIMEX study has been conducted. The results show the likely geographic origin of European populations of the hornet in Yunnan provi...

In 2008 and 2009 the NPPO of the Netherlands intercepted Apriona species three times. Apriona germari larvae were detected in wood packaging material from China. One Apriona japonica larva was detected in a consignment of Enkianthus (Ericaceae) from Japan. The present PRA focuses mainly on the probability of establishment of Apriona spp. in the N...

El insecto defoliador Lymantria dispar constituye uno de los problemas fitosanitarios más importantes en árboles forestales cuando se presenta en elevadas densidades poblacionales. En el presente trabajo se realiza un estudio de evaluación de daños producidos por dicho insecto en las masas de Quercus del Carrascal Castellonense durante los años 200...

Lymantria dispar (L.) es uno de los defoliadores más polífagos de especies de árboles forestales en el mundo, constituyendo un importante problema fitosanitario cuando aparecen altas densidades poblacionales de este insecto. Los muestreos para evaluar sus poblaciones se realizan frecuentemente usando trampas con feromonas, mediante las cuales se ca...