Unknown mosquito in Brandenburg: Danger from climate change!

Unknown mosquito in Brandenburg: Danger from climate change!

Oderbruch, Deutschland - A previously unknown mosquito species was discovered in the Oderbruch in Germany. The type, anopheles Hyrcanus, is known as a possible disease transmitter and was demonstrated as part of a Germany-wide mosquito monitoring. This find, which was documented in two places in the Oderbruch, is considered the northernmost proof of this heat -loving mosquito species in Germany. According to Doreen Werner from the Leibniz Center for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF), the discovery is related to the effects of climate change.

The anopheles Hyrcanus is particularly common in the Mediterranean and typically occurs in late summer. Female mosquitoes need blood meals from people or animals for egg development. In Germany, blood meals on people as well as wolves and sheep were documented. The suspicion that this mosquito species can transmit pathogue such as malaria is not unfounded, as this has already been observed in around 40 other species of anopheles. However, the knowledge of Anopheles Hyrcanus has so far been limited because it has not yet been able to breed them in the laboratory.

expanded danger from climate change

The discovery does not come as a surprise because the effects of climate change increase the risk of tropical diseases in Europe. According to a report by SPIEGEL Regions could lead. European space is also not immune to the spread of these diseases, especially in countries such as the Czech Republic and Austria.

A study of Anophele's Hyrcanus in southern Poland warns of a potential further spread of this type of mosquito in Europe. This indicates the need for careful monitoring in order to better assess the distribution and the associated risks. The European Center for Disease Prevention and Control has also documented the autochthonian transmission of the Chikungunya virus within the EU, which underpins the worrying trends regarding mosquito populations in Europe.

risks and future views

Overall, the find of anopheles hyrcanus in the Oderbruch shows the alarming changes in the insect population patterns, which are caused by climate change. Like the team around Becker et al. In her book "Mosquitoes and Their Control", invasive mosquito species are not only a risk to human health, but also for animal world and agriculture. The increased entry of such types in Germany, such as the repeated detection of Aedes Albopictus, increases the need for comprehensive prevention measures.