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- REVIVE - Rede de Vigilância de Vetores: a chegada do invasor asiático, Aedes albopictusPublication . Alves, Maria João; Amaro, Fátima; Amaro F.; Osório, Hugo; Zé-Zé, Líbia; Silva, Manuel; Soares, PatriciaO programa REVIVE (Rede de Vigilância de Vectores resulta de protocolo entre a Direção-Geral da Saúde, as Administrações Regionais de Saúde do Algarve, Alentejo, Centro, Lisboa e Vale do Tejo e do Norte, o Instituto dos Assuntos Sociais e da Saúde da Madeira, a Direção Regional de Saúde dos Açores e o Instituto Nacional de Saúde Doutor Ricardo Jorge Este programa de vigilância entomológica visa - monitorizar a atividade de artrópodes hematófagos, nomeadamente mosquitos Culicidae carraças Ixodidae e flebótomos Psychodidae - caracterizar as espécies e sua ocorrência sazonal, - e identificar agentes patogénicos importantes em saúde pública.
- Mark-Release-Recapture of Aedes albopictus in Portugal: the influence of climatic factorsPublication . Soares, Patricia; Carvalho, Danilo O.; Silva, Susana Pereira; Gomez Pacheco, Maylen; Amaro, Fátima; Amaro F.; Osório, HugoAedes albopictus mosquitoes spread diseases like dengue, Zika, yellow fever, and chikungunya. The Sterile Insect Technique (SIT), which is based on production of male sterile mosquitoes through radiation and in the release in target areas, can be used as a prevention and control tool against Ae. albopictus native populations. Mark-Release-Recapture trials (MRR) estimate the number of mosquitoes to release during the SIT, but weather conditions can affect results. Thus, we aimed to understand the influence of climatic factors on mosquito collection. MRRs were conducted in October 2022 in Faro, Southern Portugal. Mosquito sterilisation, marking and transport followed protocols from the International Atomic Energy Agency. Releases occurred weekly for three consecutive weeks at two different sites, and mosquitoes were collected using Human Landing Collections (HLC) one, two, four and six days after release. Climatic data, such as temperature, humidity, wind intensity (moderate 15-35 km/h vs weak <15 km/h) and precipitation, were obtained from the Portuguese Institute of the Sea and the Atmosphere. We used generalised linear models with a negative binomial family and log function to estimate factors associated with the number of captured mosquitoes, estimated prevalence ratios (PRs), and the 95% confidence intervals (CI). We released 84 000 marked sterile male mosquitoes and recaptured 528 marked males (0.7%) by HLC. The prevalence of captured mosquitoes was 23% lower when the wind intensity was moderate compared with a weak wind intensity (PR: 0.77, 95% CI: 0.61−0.98). We did not find a statistically significant association between the number of captured mosquitoes and humidity (PR: 0.98, 95% CI: 0.96−1.00), temperature (PR: 1.03, 95% CI: 0.83−1.28) and precipitation (PR: 1.07, 95% CI: 0.60−2.03). Conclusion: It is crucial to plan MRRs carefully and consider weather conditions during their execution to avoid underestimating the population needed for the SIT and compromising the effectiveness of this control method.
- Remote monitoring of disease vector mosquitoes with a new optical sensor system for automatic classificationPublication . Silva, Manuel; Alves, Maria João; Amaro, Fátima; Zé-Zé, Líbia; Osório, HugoIntroduction: - Mosquitoes represent a major threat to public health given their ability to transmit several pathogens. Some species of Aedes can transmit viruses such as dengue, Zika, or chikungunya. - Prevention of vector-borne diseases largely depends on effective and sustainable vector surveillance. Objectives: - Help to develop a novel bioacustic sensor that is able to identify the mosquitoes' species in real time - Deploy the sensor in the field in Madeira and Algarve.
- Fatal Case of Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever, Portugal, 2024Publication . Zé-Zé, Líbia; Nunes, Cristina; Sousa, Micaela; De Sousa, Rita; Gomes, Carla; Santos, Ana Sofia; Alexandre, Rui T.; Amaro, Fátima; Loza, Tiago; Blanco, Miriam; Alves, MJ; Tiago Loza, Miriam Blanco, Maria J AlvesWe report a fatal case of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever in Portugal. An 83-year-old man, initially suspected of having Mediterranean spotted fever, was later confirmed to have Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever by the detection of viral genome in the patient's serum and the presence of specific IgM antibodies.
- Mark–Release–Recapture Trial with Aedes albopictus (Diptera, Culicidae) Irradiated Males: Population Parameters and Climatic FactorsPublication . Amaro, Fátima; Amaro F.; Soares, Patricia; Velo, Enkelejda; Oliveira Carvalho, Danilo; Gomez, Maylen; Balestrino, Fabrizio; Puggioli, Arianna; Bellini, Romeo; Osório, HugoAedes albopictus is considered one of the major invasive species in the world and can transmit viruses such as dengue, Zika, or chikungunya. The Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) can be used to suppress the native populations of Ae. albopictus. Mark–release–recapture (MRR) studies are crucial to support the development of the release strategy during the SIT application. Meanwhile, weather conditions can affect the MRR trial’s results and it is critical to understand the influence of climatic factors on the results. In October 2022, 84,000 irradiated sterile males were released for three consecutive weeks in Faro, Southern Portugal. Mosquitoes were recaptured by human landing collection (HLC) one, two, four, and six days after release. Generalized linear models with a negative binomial family and log function were used to estimate the factors associated with the number of recaptured mosquitoes, prevalence ratios, and the 95% confidence intervals (CIs). A total of 84,000 sterile male mosquitoes were released, with 528 recaptured (0.8%) by HLC. The prevalence of recaptured mosquitoes was 23% lower when the wind intensity was moderate. Marked sterile males had an average median distance travelled of 88.7 m. The median probability of daily survival and the average life expectancy were 61.6% and 2.1 days, respectively. The wild male population estimate was 443.33 males/ha. Despite no statistically significant association being found with humidity, temperature, and precipitation, it is important to consider weather conditions during MRR trial analyses to obtain the best determinant estimation and a more efficient application of the SIT in an integrated vector management program.
- Distribution of the West Nile Virus vector, Culex pipiens, in mainland Portugal: A geospatial modelling studyPublication . Martinho, Júlia; Costa Osório, Hugo; Amaro, Fátima; Silva, Manuel; Marques Zé-Zé, Líbia Maria; Pereira Figueira Alves, Maria João; Nunes, Baltazar; Soares, PatriciaBackground: Culex pipiens, Portugal’s most abundant mosquito, is a vector for several pathogens including the West Nile virus. Understanding its spatial distribution can contribute to vector-borne diseases control and public health planning, given Portugal’s favourable climate. National-level data on its spatial distribution, especially in relation to climatic variables is limited. We aimed to predict the suitability of Culex pipiens distribution in mainland Portugal, considering climatic factors. Methods: A maximum entropy (Maxent) model was applied, using presence records for adult and larvae of Culex pipiens mosquitoes sampled across mainland Portugal between January 2017 and October 2023, as part of the REVIVE – Vector Surveillance Network program. Adults were sampled using CDC light traps and BG-Sentinel traps between May and October at random sites and year-round at point-of-entry sites. Larvae were sampled using dippers at breeding sites. Sampling bias was corrected by filtering presence records to one per 1 km2 cell grid. Climatic data, including temperature, precipitation and elevation, were used as predictors. Results: Out of 6,859 records, 354 unique sites were obtained after filtering and cell-duplicate removal. Suitable habitats seem to be primarily in the northern and central coastal regions. Temperature was the most important predictor. Convenience sampling bias may be present. Conclusions: Most West Nile virus case reports have come from southern Portugal, but Culex pipiens’s potential distribution covers the entire mainland territory, with seemingly higher distribution in the north. West Nile vector surveillance should be a priority in all regions to accurately assess transmission risk and implement effective control measures.