Biology subjects

Lühken, R.

Publications and source records attributed to Lühken, R..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2026

Invasive mosquito species Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus are competent vectors for Barmah Forest Virus

Barmah Forest Virus (BFV), an arthropod-born virus transmitted by mosquitoes, is of significant public health concern in Australia and regions in the Pacific. Recent climate change and globalization raise the potential for BFV to extend its geographic distribution. Despite the rising importance of BFV, its vector dynamics remain poorly understood, particularly concerning the vector competence of different mosquito species. This study aims to investigate the vector competence of BFV across various mosquito species, beyond those endemic to the Australasian region, especially focusing on global relevant vector species. No transmission was observed for Culex quinquefasciatus and Cx. torrentium as well as Anopheles stephensi. In contrast, both investigated Aedes species, Ae. aegypti as well as Ae. albopictus, exhibited BFV-positive saliva across all four temperature profiles (18{degrees}C, 21{degrees}C, 24{degrees}C or 27{degrees}C) examined. These two invasive mosquito species must therefore be classified as potential vectors for BFV, indicating the potential risk of BFV transmission outside of Australia.

molecular biology↗

bioRxiv2026

Not all West Nile virus lineages behave alike: vector competence and minimum infectious dose differences between lineages 1 and 2

The globally distributed arbovirus West Nile virus (WNV) continues to expand across Europe, with rising numbers of human cases and an increasingly broad geographic distribution. WNV is primarily transmitted by mosquitoes of the genus Culex. Out of nine WNV lineages, human pathogenicity has been clearly established for lineages 1 and 2, but differences in their transmission dynamics, such as minimal infectious dose and transmission efficiency, remain poorly understood. In this study, we investigated how viral lineage, mosquito species, and blood meal titer influence the vector competence of two primary WNV vectors from Europe, Cx. pipiens biotype pipiens and Cx. torrentium, as well as the invasive mosquito species Aedes albopictus. Female mosquitoes were fed with increasing blood meal titers containing either of the WNV lineages. After an incubation period of 14 days at a mean temperature of 24{degrees}C, mosquito body titers were quantified, and the presence of infectious viral particles in the saliva was assessed. Our results revealed clear differences between the two lineages. Lineage 2 resulted in higher transmission efficiencies across all three species and required lower infectious doses to cause transmission. Among the tested species, Cx. torrentium proved to be a highly competent vector (max. transmission efficiency = 30%, minimum infectious dose = 105 TCID50/mL), despite its underrepresentation in research. These findings provide detailed insights into how viral lineage, mosquito species, and blood meal titer might shape WNV transmission, informing future risk assessments and efforts to mitigate WNV transmission in Europe.

microbiology↗

bioRxiv2024

A process-based model simulating the life cycle of Culex pipines s.s./Cx. torrentium in Germany

Mosquitoes are well known for their ability to transmit pathogens, including various arthropod-borne viruses (arboviruses) of veterinary and medical interest. The threat of (re-)emerging arboviruses in Europe is increasing due to globalization and climate warming. This also applies to temperate regions, where the transmission of viruses is becoming possible due to an increase of the ambient temperature, shortening of the extrinsic incubation period. Culex pipiens s.s./Cx. torrentium are the primary vectors of Usutu virus and West Nile virus in Europe and are found in and around human settlements. The prediction of spatial-temporal abundance allows for the early assessment of arbovirus transmission risk and the planning of effective intervention meth-ods, such as vector control. Therefore, a process-based model was developed to predict the spatial-temporal occurrence of Cx. pipiens s.s./Cx. torrentium in Germany with a particular focus on depicting realistic overwintering behaviour, e.g. diapause induced through photoperiod and temperature in the larval stage. The model output is driven by local temperature and rain-fall data. Evaluated with field data from 116 sampling sites in Germany, the model accurately identified the peak in abundance, with a mean absolute off-set of 0 days between the simulated and observed peak, and offsets of 8 and 1 days for the start and end of the mosquito season, respectively. A significant linear relationship between simulated and observed mosquito abundance was found for 78.45% of the sampling sites, with an overall significant linear relationship across all sites (Estimate = 0.16, Standard Error = 0.003, t-value = 48.54, degrees of freedom = 2724, p-value < 0.0001, marginal R2= 0.47). This model offers a robust framework for the prediction of the mosquito population dynamics of Cx. pipiens s.s./Cx. torrentium under current and future climate scenarios, thereby supporting vector surveillance and control strategies across Europe. Graphical Abstract O_FIG O_LINKSMALLFIG WIDTH=200 HEIGHT=143 SRC="FIGDIR/small/624534v2_ufig1.gif" ALT="Figure 1"> View larger version (21K): org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@14bb74aorg.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@1ee9562org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@916655org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@1d57270_HPS_FORMAT_FIGEXP M_FIG C_FIG HighlightsO_LIAccurate depiction of the phenology of Culex pipiens s.s./ Cx. torrentium, including the time point of the start, end and peak of the mosquito season. C_LIO_LILarge-scale and site-specific validation using nation-wide mosquito abundance data from 116 sampling sites from five collection years, indicated a significant linear relationship between field data and model output for 78.45% of the sampling sites. C_LIO_LIFirst biologically accurate simulation of the overwintering behaviour of Culex pipiens s.s./ Cx. torrentium. C_LIO_LIEurope-wide raster map showing the maximum number of consecutive generations per season. C_LI

ecology↗