Invasion of malaria mosquitoes natural population by parasitic nematodes Dirofilaria along Ob River basin in Western Siberia

Abstract

Dirofilariasis - is a dangerous disease that affects carnivores, felines, and humans. It is caused by parasitic nematodes Dirofilaria repens and D. immitis. These parasites are carried by blood-sucking mosquitoes. In recent decades the habitat of Dirofilaria in Europe has been expanding dramatically. In the present study, we investigated how malaria mosquitoes had been infected by Dirofilaria in Western Siberia (Russia) in the range between 50{degrees} 48 N (Labytnangi) and 66{degrees} 39 N (Kurota) along the Ob River. The extensiveness of parasite infection varied between 0.4 % and 5.7 %, in three species of malaria mosquitoes: Anopheles beklemishevi, An. daciae, An. messeae, which all are showed effective vectors of D. repens. The results demonstrate the significant role of malaria mosquitoes for dirofilariasis transmission in severe climate conditions of Western Siberia.