Mandy Schäfer, geb. Kronefeld

• Dr.
• Head of laboratory for mosquito monitoring at Friedrich Loeffler Institute

Due to globalisation and climate change, mosquito-borne pathogens are emerging in new areas on all continents, including Europe, which has recently faced outbreaks of dengue, chikungunya and West Nile fever. The present study complements previous investigations to evaluate the circulation of mosquito-borne viruses in Germany, with the aim of identi...

The increasing threat of arboviruses such as West Nile virus (WNV) and Usutu virus (USUV) requires the fast and efficient surveillance of these viruses. The examination of mosquitoes takes up an important part; however, these investigations are usually very time-consuming. An alternative sample type for arbovirus surveillance might be mosquito excr...

The mosquito-borne zoonotic flaviviruses West Nile virus (WNV) and Usutu virus (USUV) are endemic in many European countries and emerged in Germany in recent years. Due to the increasing overlap of their distribution areas and their similar epidemiology, coinfections of WNV and USUV are possible. Indeed, coinfections in vertebrate hosts as a rare e...

West Nile virus (WNV) is a zoonotic flavivirus transmitted by mosquitoes as a biological vector. Because of its biting behavior, the widespread snow-melt mosquito Aedes punctor could be a potential bridge vector for WNV to humans and nonhuman mammals. However, little is known on its role in transmission of WNV. The aim of this study was to determin...

Studies on tick-pathogen-host interactions are helping to identify candidates for vaccines against ticks and tick-borne diseases and to discover potent bioactive tick molecules. The tick midgut is the main tissue involved in blood feeding and, moreover, the first organ to have contact with pathogens ingested through the blood meal. As little is kno...

Background: Ticks are hematophagous arthropods responsible for maintenance and transmission of several pathogens of veterinary and medical importance. Current knowledge on species diversity and pathogens transmitted by ticks infesting camels in Nigeria is limited. Therefore, the aim of this study was to unravel the status of ticks and tick-borne p...

In Germany, knowledge of disease agents transmitted by arthropods in zoological gardens is scarce. In the framework of ecological studies, mosquitoes were therefore collected in German zoological gardens and examined for mosquito-borne pathogen DNA and RNA. In total, 3840 mosquitoes were screened for filarial nematodes and three groups of viruses (...

Because they provide a high density and diversity of vertebrate species, small water pools and shaded environments, zoological gardens offer ideal living conditions for numerous mosquito species. Depending on their host preferences and vector competencies, these species may be able to transmit pathogens between native and non‐adapted exotic blood h...

Due to the emergence of non-endemic mosquito vectors and the recent outbreaks of mosquito-borne diseases, mosquito-borne pathogens are considered an increasing risk to public and animal health in Europe. To obtain a status quo regarding mosquito-borne viruses and their vectors in Germany, 97,648 mosquitoes collected from 2011 to 2016 throughout the...

Anopheles algeriensis, a thermophilic mosquito species widely distributed in the Mediterranean, is supposed to be extremely rare and to occur in very low abundances in central and northern Europe. Being one of seven native Anopheles species, it has been reported from Germany a few times only, with all but one report several decades ago. Only in 201...

The biting behaviour and the blood host preferences of vector mosquitoes are directly related to the spread of the pathogens they transmit. In order to better assess the vector capacity of mosquitoes, and thus the risk forthe transmission of disease agents, the hosts of regionally captured, blood-fed mosquitoes were identified using molecular metho...

Objectives: The aim of the present study was to map the current spatial distribution of Anopheles plumbeus in Germany, a potential vector of malaria parasites and West Nile virus. Reports of mass occurrence and nuisance connected with artificial breeding site usage by this species were analysed. Methods: Distribution data were collected from 201...

The Anopheles maculipennis complex comprises several sibling species including major vectors of malaria parasites of historic Europe. In present-day Europe, these species are probably more relevant with regard to transmission of pathogens other than plasmodia, such as viruses and dirofilariae. Distribution data facilitating risk assessments and mod...

After the repeated demonstration of Dirofilaria repens infections in German dogs, D. repens and Dirofilaria immitis DNA was detected in mosquitoes trapped in 2011, 2012 and 2013 in northeastern and southwestern Germany within the framework of culicid monitoring projects. As temperature is the most important factor dictating the extrinsic developmen...

Based primarily on nucleotide polymorphisms in the internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) of the ribosomal DNA, Anopheles daciae was recently described as an additional member of the Maculipennis Group of species, separate from Anopheles messeae with which it had previously been confused due to morphological and genetic similarity. Species differenti...

As a result of globalization and climate change, Dirofilaria immitis and Dirofilaria repens, the causative agents of dirofilariosis in Europe, continue to spread from endemic areas in the Mediterranean to northern and northeastern regions of Europe where autochthonous cases of dirofilarial infections have increasingly been observed in dogs and huma...

Although very rare under natural conditions, anomalies of phenotypic sexual expression have been described for individuals of numerous families of the Diptera, including mosquitoes (Culicidae). Gynandromorphism and intersexualism are sexual aberrations generating individuals either with both male and female or with intermediate sexual characteristi...

With few exceptions, systematic large-scale field studies on the mosquito fauna have not been performed in Germany for decades. Thus, up-to-date data on the occurrence and distribution of the indigenous mosquito species are lacking. In particular, there is no information on whether once rare and restrictively occurring species are still present. He...

With few exceptions, systematic large-scale field studies on the mosquito fauna have not been performed in Germany for decades. Thus, up-to-date data on the occurrence and distribution of the indigenous mosquito species are lacking. In particular, there is no information on whether once rare and restrictively occurring species are still present. He...

Background Anopheles daciae, a newly described member of the Maculipennis group, was recently reported from western, southern and eastern Europe. Before its recognition, it had commonly been listed under the name of An. messeae, due to its extreme morphological and genetic similarities. As the sibling species of the Maculipennis group are known to...

After two previous demonstrations of introductions of the Asian tiger mosquito, Aedes albopictus, into southern Germany in 2007 and 2011, another three specimens were trapped in the city of Freiburg in the Upper Rhine Valley. The females were caught in early September 2011 (n = 2) and mid-July 2012 (n = 1). The trap was located at a railway contain...

The chikungunya fever epidemic in northern Italy in 2007 and the recent demonstration of the introduction of various exotic mosquito species alerted the European nations to a growing risk of invasion by vector mosquitoes and outbreaks of mosquito-borne infectious diseases. The importation of both mosquitoes and pathogens they are able to transmit i...

Adult females of two invasive species, Aedes albopictus and Aedes japonicus japonicus, were collected for the first time in July and August 2011 in Germany. Previously, only immature stages of these species had been found in the country. Repeated detection of these species reveals the Upper Rhine Valley in south-west Germany to be a particularly se...

Adult females of two invasive species, Aedes albopictus and Aedes japonicus japonicus, were collected for the first time in July and August 2011 in Germany. Previously, only immature stages of these species had been found in the country. Repeated detection of these species reveals the Upper Rhine Valley in south-west Germany to be a particularly se...