The Asian Tiger Mosquito - Research Paper Example

The Asian Tiger Mosquito Teacher               The Asian tiger mosquito is an invasive species which has the ability to undergo genetic mutation as it interacts with various viral species and as it adapts to the low temperature of various temperate areas. It is the vector of several viruses including those causing dengue. It has spread from Southeast Asia to North and South America, Europe, Africa and Australia through the transportation of tires. Several attempts have been made to control it but all have failed but there is a promise in genetic engineering in order to manipulate this species whose genetic make-up easily mutates. The Asian Tiger Mosquito The Asian tiger mosquito is one of the most highly invasive species from Southeast Asia that has found its way to the Americas, Europe, Africa and the Pacific. The main difference between this species from the other mosquitoes is that it serves as a vector of several species of virus and it does so through its unique genetic make-up as well as its excellent adaptation to the new environment. A discussion of the nature of the Asian tiger mosquito is essential in fostering awareness of a species that has a potential to be one of the most dangerous vectors of viral diseases in this planet. Awareness of a particular dangerous species brings with it the responsibility to help prevent its spread and cooperation with authorities in mitigating its harm. Findings The Asian tiger mosquito, or Aedes albopictus, is known as a vector of several emerging diseases that were once native to Southeast Asia, where the said mosquito originated, and its niche is a parasite. It is mainly an invasive species anywhere in the world except in Southeast Asia, where it is native and original (Roiz et al., 2011). The transportation of eggs mainly through used tires and Lucky Bamboo plants was the only way this insect could have spread to America, the Indo-Pacific regions, Europe and Africa. Since the first record of its presence in Italy in Genoa in 1990 during the late summer, the mosquito is believed to have spread to the rest of Italy and Europe (Roiz et al., 2011). The first discovery of the species in Europe was as early as 1979 in Albania but the country hardest hit by the invasion was Italy with around 200 cases alone in the summer of 2007. In the United States, the discovery of the mosquito was a few years later in Memphis, Tennessee in 1983 and in the next 25 years, 36 U.S. states have been invaded including several countries in Central and South America with Brazil experiencing its first Asian tiger mosquito bite in 1986. The Asian tiger mosquito is an aggressive daytime biter and is called “tiger” because of its bright white stripes. As a native of Southeast Asia, it used to be a dominant insect in the natural reservoirs including tree holes, vases, pots, buckets and vegetation. Moreover, the millions of tires shipped each year between Japan and Germany and the United States because of the use of recaps and the strict rules governing wear and tear of these tires may actually contain water that could hold Asian tiger mosquito larvae and more importantly eggs that are drought-resistant and can survive a comfortable, sheltered journey until they reach their destination (Enserink, 2008). One change that the Asian tiger mosquito has brought to the native and invaded ecosystems was disease. The Asian tiger mosquito is responsible for dengue and chikungunya fever. The chikungunya virus was believed to have undergone a single-nucleotide genetic mutation in the Indian mutation outbreak order for it to be able to use the Asian tiger mosquito as a vector (Enserink, 2008). However, although the species is less invasive than the Aedes aegypti in spreading dengue, the Asian tiger mosquito is becoming increasingly important because its global distribution is rapidly changing. Other outbreaks of diseases caused by the Asian tiger mosquito include the dengue outbreaks in Hawaii from 2001 to 2002, in China in 2004, in Madagascar in 2006, and in Gabon in 2007 (Rezza, 2012). One adaptation of the Asian tiger mosquito that really helped it to survive in the new habitat is the ability to survive in the cold weather of the temperate climates (Rezza, 2012). In fact, according to Roiz et al. (2011), the eggs of the Asian tiger mosquito can survive as low as 0 degrees Celsius and the adults can survive a limit of 11 degrees Celsius, which makes the temperate countries ideal for their survival. Another adaptive characteristic of the Asian tiger mosquito is its ability to mutate fast, which increases its fitness in the process. One instance of this mutation was the one that took place in La Reunion in 2005 when the Asian tiger mosquito species mutated to accommodate the chikungunya virus (Rezza, 2012). Moreover, the Asian tiger mosquito can adapt fast to artificial containers that are readily available in the environment because it is a tree hole species. Tree hole species can easily utilize hole habitats and other artificial habitats as their main sit for oviposition and development of larvae. Most of all, the Asian tiger mosquito can act as a vector to several viral diseases including dengue and virus, and so it becomes an important carrier and a highly-resistant pest itself (Wilson & Jamieson, 2010). One of the interspecies interactions that the Asian tiger mosquito underwent was the A226V mutation it caused in the chikugunya virus in the 2006 chikugunya invasion of India through the Asian tiger mosquito. The A226V mutation is a mutation in the Alanine position at 226 (Lamballerie et al., 2008). According to previous genetic studies on the Asian tiger mosquito, the mutation it had with the chikungunya virus was perhaps due to the “lack of genetic discontinuity [of the Aedes albopictus] across most of the geographic range of the species” (Porretta et al., 2012). This means that the Asian tiger mosquito is a “generalist” species and this is the reason why it was able to persist with “wide ecological flexibility” and therefore was able to “exploit different habitats or adapt to different resources or different hosts” (Porretta et al., 2012). In short, the Asian tiger mosquito was able to interact with most viral species with which it had contact and perhaps unknown to experts, it had triggered similar mutations in these viruses as well, which may explain why it was able to act as a vector of several viral species. According to Sutherland et al. (2011), the various viral species that interact with the Asian tiger mosquito include dengue viruses or DENV1-4, LaCrosse virus or LACV, the chikugunya virus or CHIKV, and various species of arboviruses, and this is mainly because of “a great deal of variation in genome size due to variation in the amount of repetitive DNA” of the Asian tiger mosquito. Several attempts have been employed to control the Asian tiger mosquito. Firstly, in Europe, one of these attempts included the elimination of breeding sites such as vases and flower pots. However, this has been “hard to sustain” (Enserink, 2008). Secondly, in Italy, there was a bombardment of information materials regarding the Asian tiger mosquito, in the form of screensavers, posters and mugs, but it did not turn out to be effective. Thirdly, there was also the spraying of insecticides but the fact that the Asian tiger mosquito would usually hide in the vegetation would make the aerosol hard to reach them. This is one of the biggest differences between the Asian tiger mosquito and the easily controlled Aedes aegypti that can stay inside or near the house. Fourthly, there was sterile insect technology or SIT, or the release of a huge number of sterile male species, which was proven in 2007 to be successful in reducing invasive population of agricultural pests. However, the use of SIT with mosquitoes turned out to be limited because of a limited budget (Enserink, 2008). Perhaps, one of the most promising yet an equally expensive way of controlling the Asian tiger mosquito is through genetic transformation and engineering through the use of new molecular techniques as well as genetic control strategies. Another way is through a genome sequencing project (Labbe et al., 2010). Nevertheless, scientists and experts are yet to see how far these genetic methods can go in controlling such a highly invasive species. Conclusion The Asian tiger mosquito, or Aedes albopictus, is indeed one of the most harmful and most highly invasive species that has established itself in almost all continents mainly through the transportation of tires and the Lucky Bamboo plant from Southeast Asia. The harm caused by the Asian tiger mosquito is due to the fact that it can readily adapt itself to as low as 0 degrees Celsius, which makes it impossible for some insects to survive. Moreover, the Asian tiger mosquito has a genetic make-up that easily mutates as it interacts with various viral species. The best way to deal with it is therefore also through the genetic engineering of its DNA, as many other attempts to control it have failed. Nevertheless, the cost of such genetic procedures may thwart any plans towards the eventual control of the Asian tiger mosquito. References Enserink, M. (2008). “A Mosquito Goes Global.” Science, 320, 864-866. Labbe, G. M. C., Nimmo, D. D. & Alphey, L. (2010). “piggybac- and PhiC31-Mediated Genetic Transformation of the Asian Tiger Mosquito, Aedes albopictus (Skuse).” Journal of Heredity, 4(8), doi:10.1371/journal.pntd.0000788. Lamballerie, X., Leroy, E., Charrel, R. N. & Ttsetsarkin, K. (2008). “Chikugunya virus adapts to tiger mosquito via evolutionary convergence: a sign of things to come?” Virulogy Journal, 5(33), doi:10.1186/1743-422X-5-33. Porretta, D., Mastrantonio, V., Bellini, R., Somboon, P. & Urbanelli, S. (2012). “Glacial History of a Modern Invader: Phylogeography and Species Distribution Modelling of the Asian Tiger Mosquito Aedes albopictus.” PlosOne, 7(9), e44515. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0044515. Rezza, G. (2012). “Aedes albopictus and the reemergence of Dengue.” BMC Public Health, 12(72), 1-3. Roiz, D., Neteler, M., Castellani, C., Arnoldi, D. & Rizzoli, A. (2011). “Climatic Factors Driving Invasion of the Tiger Mosquito (Aedes albopictus).” PlosOne, doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0014800. Sutherland, I. W., Mori, A., Montgomery, J., Fleming, K. L. & Anderson, J. M. (2011). “A Linkage Map of the Asian Tiger Mosquito (Aedes albopictus) Based on cDNA Markers.” Journal of Heredity, 102(1), 102-112. Wilson, J. & Jamieson, D. (2010). “Presence of the Asian Tiger Mosquito (Aedes albopictus) in Northwest Arkansas.” Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science, 64, 151-152. Read More