Characterization of overwintering sites (hibernacula) of the West Nile vector Culex pipiens in Central Italy

作者：Federico Romiti, Riccardo Casini, Irene Del Lesto, Adele Magliano, Arianna Ermenegildi, Sarah Droghei, Silvia Tofani, Maria Teresa Scicluna, Verena Pichler, Adriana Augello, Francesco Censi, Paolo Luigi Scaringella, Giovanni Mastrobuoni, Debora Bacciotti, Alberto Nencetti, Claudio De Liberato · 发表于：Parasites & Vectors · 年份：2025 · DOI：10.1186/s13071-025-06710-5 · 被引用次数：10 · 研究领域：Mosquito-borne diseases and control、Malaria Research and Control、Invertebrate Immune Response Mechanisms

BACKGROUND: In cool-temperate regions, mosquitoes face winter conditions that hinder their development. To cope with cold temperatures, species like Culex pipiens, a major vector of West Nile virus (WNV), diapause as adult females in overwintering shelters known as hibernacula. This study aimed to identify and characterize the overwintering sites of Cx. pipiens in central Italy, analyzing the environmental factors influencing the abundance of the two biological forms, Cx. pipiens pipiens and Cx. pipiens molestus. METHODS: Field surveys were conducted in Lazio and Tuscany over two consecutive winters (2022/2023 and 2023/2024). Overwintering mosquitoes were collected from different hibernacula types, including natural caves, artificial cavities and buildings. Environmental variables such as temperature, humidity, light intensity and vapor pressure deficit (VPD) were recorded in the entrance and inner rooms of each hibernaculum. Mosquito species and Cx. pipiens forms were identified through morphological and molecular analyses. A beta regression model was applied to assess the relationship between environmental factors and Cx. pipiens abundance. Redundancy analysis (RDA) was used to explore the impact of small- and landscape-scale variables on biological forms distribution. RESULTS: Culex pipiens presence was confirmed in 24 hibernacula and represented the most abundant species, with Anopheles maculipennis s.l., Culiseta annulata and Culex hortensis accounting for 0.4% of the co...