‘Citizen army’ sought to assess Scotland’s mosquito threat
13 May 2024
Citizen scientists are being recruited to help a collaborative project led by an alliance of academics, medical experts and government institutions to track mosquito activity in Scotland.
Mosquito Scotland is headed by the University of Glasgow, the MRC-UofG Centre for Virus Research (CVR), the UK Health Security Agency and the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology.
Having collected initial data on the Scottish mosquito population over a year, the project is launching a website to encourage members of the public to report any of the insects they spot.
The three-year programme was awarded a £1.25 million grant from UK Research & Innovation and DEFRA in 2023; making it the first initiative to assess the risk of mosquito-borne pathogen emergence in Scotland and take into account current and potential climate scenarios.
It will ascertain which mosquito species are present in Scotland, where they are located, as well as whether they are harbouring any diseases or else could become infected by pathogens that may expand into the UK as a result of climate change.
Participants Dr Georgia Kirby and PhD Meshach Lee at Glasgow’s School of Biodiversity, One Health and Veterinary Medicine have already collected more than 1,000 mosquitoes across Scotland on behalf of the project.
It is hoped that subsequent data analysis will reveal how common some species are, which types are most likely to be found around human populations, identify whether mosquitoes are a source of nuisance biting and assess how the animals respond to climate changes. Although mosquitoes are prevalent in tropical climates, they also exist as far north as the Arctic circle.
Heather Ferguson, professor of infectious disease ecology at the University of Glasgow, who leads the project, said that although mosquitoes were relatively low in abundance within Scotland, they have been present for millennia and were a natural part of local ecosystems.
“While they don’t present a risk to human health here currently, climate change could increase the risk of invasive mosquito species establishing in Scotland. It may also increase the risk for mosquito-borne diseases that are present in some other European countries to establish,” added Ferguson.
“By sharing information on when and where they observe mosquitoes, members of the public can make a very valuable contribution to this research and help us anticipate and prepare for any potentially negative impacts of climate change on mosquito-borne diseases.”
Whereas mosquitoes do not currently pose a risk to public health in Scotland, they transmit diseases to birds in the UK, with species in the wild and zoos have been significantly affected by mosquito-borne pathogens in England.
Project co-leader Dr Emilie Pondeville, senior research fellow at MRC-University of Glasgow CVR said: “It is crucial to investigate whether local mosquito populations can harbour and transmit diseases that impact both animals and humans.
“Understanding how temperature influences this dynamic is paramount, especially in the context of global warming. By conducting such assessments, we can gauge the potential future risk posed by mosquito-borne diseases, and this will enable the implementation of proactive measures to mitigate any emerging threats.”
Pic: Martin Shields.
