1887
Surveillance Open Access
Like 0

Abstract

Background

Arthropod vectors such as ticks, mosquitoes, sandflies and biting midges are of public and veterinary health significance because of the pathogens they can transmit. Understanding their distributions is a key means of assessing risk. VectorNet maps their distribution in the EU and surrounding areas.

Aim

We aim to describe the methodology underlying VectorNet maps, encourage standardisation and evaluate output.

Method

s: Vector distribution and surveillance activity data have been collected since 2010 from a combination of literature searches, field-survey data by entomologist volunteers via a network facilitated for each participating country and expert validation. Data were collated by VectorNet members and extensively validated during data entry and mapping processes.

Results

As of 2021, the VectorNet archive consisted of ca 475,000 records relating to > 330 species. Maps for 42 species are routinely produced online at subnational administrative unit resolution. On VectorNet maps, there are relatively few areas where surveillance has been recorded but there are no distribution data. Comparison with other continental databases, namely the Global Biodiversity Information Facility and VectorBase show that VectorNet has 5–10 times as many records overall, although three species are better represented in the other databases. In addition, VectorNet maps show where species are absent. VectorNet’s impact as assessed by citations (ca 60 per year) and web statistics (58,000 views) is substantial and its maps are widely used as reference material by professionals and the public.

Conclusion

VectorNet maps are the pre-eminent source of rigorously validated arthropod vector maps for Europe and its surrounding areas.

Loading

Article metrics loading...

/content/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2023.28.26.2200666
2023-06-29
2024-11-22
http://instance.metastore.ingenta.com/content/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2023.28.26.2200666
Loading
Loading full text...

Full text loading...

/deliver/fulltext/eurosurveillance/28/26/eurosurv-28-26-3.html?itemId=/content/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2023.28.26.2200666&mimeType=html&fmt=ahah

References

  1. Danis K, Baka A, Lenglet A, Van Bortel W, Terzaki I, Tseroni M, et al. Autochthonous Plasmodium vivax malaria in Greece, 2011. Euro Surveill. 2011;16(42):19993.  https://doi.org/10.2807/ese.16.42.19993-en  PMID: 22027375 
  2. European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). Rapid risk assessment: Multiple reports of locally-acquired malaria infections in the EU. Stockholm: ECDC; 2017. Available from: https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/publications-data/rapid-risk-assessment-multiple-reports-locally-acquired-malaria-infections-eu
  3. Barzon L, Gobbi F, Capelli G, Montarsi F, Martini S, Riccetti S, et al. Autochthonous dengue outbreak in Italy 2020: clinical, virological and entomological findings. J Travel Med. 2021;28(8):taab130.  https://doi.org/10.1093/jtm/taab130  PMID: 34409443 
  4. Cochet A, Calba C, Jourdain F, Grard G, Durand GA, Guinard A, et al. Autochthonous dengue in mainland France, 2022: geographical extension and incidence increase. Euro Surveill. 2022;27(44):2200818.  https://doi.org/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2022.27.44.2200818  PMID: 36330819 
  5. La Ruche G, Souarès Y, Armengaud A, Peloux-Petiot F, Delaunay P, Desprès P, et al. First two autochthonous dengue virus infections in metropolitan France, September 2010. Euro Surveill. 2010;15(39):19676.  https://doi.org/10.2807/ese.15.39.19676-en  PMID: 20929659 
  6. European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). Rapid risk assessment: Local transmission of dengue fever in France and Spain. Stockholm: ECDC; 2018. Available from: https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/publications-data/rapid-risk-assessment-local-transmission-dengue-fever-france-and-spain
  7. Venturi G, Di Luca M, Fortuna C, Remoli ME, Riccardo F, Severini F, et al. Detection of a chikungunya outbreak in Central Italy, August to September 2017. Euro Surveill. 2017;22(39):17-00646.  https://doi.org/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2017.22.39.17-00646  PMID: 29019306 
  8. Giron S, Franke F, Decoppet A, Cadiou B, Travaglini T, Thirion L, et al. Vector-borne transmission of Zika virus in Europe, southern France, August 2019. Euro Surveill. 2019;24(45):1900655.  https://doi.org/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2019.24.45.1900655  PMID: 31718742 
  9. Bakonyi T, Haussig JM. West Nile virus keeps on moving up in Europe. Euro Surveill. 2020;25(46):2001938.  https://doi.org/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2020.25.46.2001938  PMID: 33213684 
  10. Barzon L, Montarsi F, Quaranta E, Monne I, Pacenti M, Michelutti A, et al. Early start of seasonal transmission and co-circulation of West Nile virus lineage 2 and a newly introduced lineage 1 strain, northern Italy, June 2022. Euro Surveill. 2022;27(29):2200548.  https://doi.org/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2022.27.29.2200548  PMID: 35866436 
  11. Riccardo F, Bella A, Monaco F, Ferraro F, Petrone D, Mateo-Urdiales A, et al. Rapid increase in neuroinvasive West Nile virus infections in humans, Italy, July 2022. Euro Surveill. 2022;27(36):2200653.  https://doi.org/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2022.27.36.2200653  PMID: 36082685 
  12. Trájer AJ, Bede-Fazekas Á, Hufnagel L, Horváth L, Bobvos J. The effect of climate change on the potential distribution of the European Phlebotomus species. Appl Ecol Environ Res. 2013;11(2):189-208.  https://doi.org/10.15666/aeer/1102_189208 
  13. Jacquot M, Nomikou K, Palmarini M, Mertens P, Biek R. Bluetongue virus spread in Europe is a consequence of climatic, landscape and vertebrate host factors as revealed by phylogeographic inference. Proc Biol Sci. 2017;11:284(1864):20170919. PMID:  PMID: 29021180 
  14. Lievaart-Peterson K, Luttikholt S, Peperkamp K, Van den Brom R, Vellema P. Schmallenberg disease in sheep or goats: Past, present and future. Vet Microbiol. 2015;181(1-2):147-53.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vetmic.2015.08.005  PMID: 26441013 
  15. Schaffner F, Bellini R, Petrić D, Scholte EJ, Zeller H, Rakotoarivony LM. Development of guidelines for the surveillance of invasive mosquitoes in Europe. Parasit Vectors. 2013;6(1):209.  https://doi.org/10.1186/1756-3305-6-209  PMID: 23866915 
  16. Van Bortel W, Petric D, Ibáñez Justicia A, Wint W, Krit M, Mariën J, et al. Assessment of the probability of entry of Rift Valley fever virus into the EU through active or passive movement of vectors. EFSA Support Publ. 2020;17(2):1801E.  https://doi.org/10.2903/sp.efsa.2020.EN-1801 
  17. Estrada-Peña A, de la Fuente J. Species interactions in occurrence data for a community of tick-transmitted pathogens. Sci Data. 2016;3(1):160056.  https://doi.org/10.1038/sdata.2016.56  PMID: 27479213 
  18. Kraemer MUG, Sinka ME, Duda KA, Mylne AQN, Shearer FM, Barker CM, et al. The global distribution of the arbovirus vectors Aedes aegypti and Ae. albopictus. eLife. 2015;4:e08347.  https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.08347  PMID: 26126267 
  19. Cuéllar AC, Kjær LJ, Baum A, Stockmarr A, Skovgard H, Nielsen SA, et al. Modelling the monthly abundance of Culicoides biting midges in nine European countries using Random Forests machine learning. Parasit Vectors. 2020;13(1):194.  https://doi.org/10.1186/s13071-020-04053-x  PMID: 32295627 
  20. ENHanCEd Infectious Diseases (EID2) database. [Accessed: 31 Jan 2022]. Available from: https://eid2.liverpool.ac.uk/Organisms
  21. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). Search occurrences. [Accessed: 31 Jan 2022]. Available from: https://www.gbif.org/occurrence/search
  22. Eurostat. Background. NUTS - Nomenclature of territorial units for statistics. [Accessed: 31 Jan 2022]. Available from: https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/nuts/background
  23. Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Global Administrative Unit Layers (GAUL). Rome; FAO: 2015. [Accessed: 3 May 2023]. Available from: https://data.apps.fao.org/map/catalog/srv/eng/catalog.search#/search?any=FAO-%20GeoNetwork
  24. European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). ECDC Geoportal. Map Maker. Stockholm: ECDC; 2022. Available with registration from: https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/publications-data/ecdc-map-maker-tool-emma
  25. Alten B, Versteirt V, Van Bortel W, Zeller H, Wint W, Alexander N. VBORNET Gap Analysis: Sand Fly Vector Distribution Models Utilised to Identify Areas of Potential Species Distribution in Areas Lacking Records. Open Health Data. 2016;4(1):5.  https://doi.org/10.5334/ohd.26 
  26. Schaffner F, Versteirt V, Van Bortel W, Zeller H, Wint W, Alexander N. VBORNET gap analysis: Mosquito vector distribution models utilised to identify areas of potential species distribution in areas lacking records. Open Health Data. 2016;4(1):e6.  https://doi.org/10.5334/ohd.27 
  27. Medlock JM, Hansford KM, Bormane A, Derdakova M, Estrada-Peña A, George JC, et al. Driving forces for changes in geographical distribution of Ixodes ricinus ticks in Europe. Parasit Vectors. 2013;6(1):1.  https://doi.org/10.1186/1756-3305-6-1  PMID: 23281838 
  28. Alfredsson M, Olafsson E, Eydal M, Unnsteinsdottir ER, Hansford K, Wint W, et al. Surveillance of Ixodes ricinus ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) in Iceland. Parasit Vectors. 2017;10(1):466.  https://doi.org/10.1186/s13071-017-2375-2  PMID: 29017579 
  29. Wint W, Petric D, Bortel W, Alexander N, Schaffner F. RVF vector spatial distribution models: vector abundance. EEFSA Supporting Publications. 2020;17(4). http://dx..
  30. Balenghien T, Alexander N, Arnþórsdóttir AL, Bisia M, Blackwell A, Bødker R, et al. VectorNet Data Series 3: Culicoides Abundance Distribution Models for Europe and Surrounding Regions. Open Health Data. 2020;7:2.  https://doi.org/10.5334/ohd.33 
  31. Versteirt V, Balenghien T, Tack W, Wint W. A first estimation of Culicoides imicola and Culicoides obsoletus/Culicoides scoticus seasonality and abundance in Europe. European Food Safety Authority Journal. 2017.  https://doi.org/10.2903/sp.efsa.2017.EN-1182  https://doi.org/10.2903/sp.efsa.2017.EN-1182 
  32. Bhatt S, Gething PW, Brady OJ, Messina JP, Farlow AW, Moyes CL, et al. The global distribution and burden of dengue. Nature. 2013;496(7446):504-7.; advance online publication.  https://doi.org/10.1038/nature12060  PMID: 23563266 
  33. Aedes Invasive Mosquitos (AIM) and European Cooperation in Science and Technology. (COST). AIMSurv - Aedes field surveillance. AIM-COST. [Accessed: 31 Jan 2022]. Available from: https://www.aedescost.eu/aimsurv
  34. European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). Surveillance and disease data for disease vectors. Stockholm: ECDC. [Accessed: 3 Feb 2022]. Available from: https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/disease-vectors/surveillance-and-disease-data
/content/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2023.28.26.2200666
Loading

Data & Media loading...

Supplementary data

Submit comment
Close
Comment moderation successfully completed
This is a required field
Please enter a valid email address
Approval was a Success
Invalid data
An Error Occurred
Approval was partially successful, following selected items could not be processed due to error