Aedes albopictus Skuse, 1894 established in metropolitan France

The first observations ofAedes albopictus in metropolitan France are reported from localities in the Ome (BasseNormandie) and Vienne (poitou-Charentes) departements. Larvae, pupae and adults were collected between October 12th and 29th 1999 in used-tyre storage centres. The tyre recycling company imports numerous tyres from the USA, Italy and Japan. Reproduction of the species has certainly taken place in France, and the environmental conditions make the establislunent of the species possible. Native to south-east Asia and the Indian Ocean, the "tiger mosquito", Aedes (Stegomyia) albopictus (Skuse), has been spreading throughout the world since the end of the 1970s.The main means of dispersion ofAe. albopictus is as eggs or larvae in used tyres. When these tyres are stored outside, they collect rainwater and organic matter e.g. dead leaves, and provide breeding sitesfor some species of Culicidae.Ae. albopictus, which nonnally breeds in tree holes, has easily adapted to these artificial breeding sites. Eggs are laid on the inside surface of the tyre and are carried across the world through used-tyre commercial exchanges. The species is now recorded in many countries of the Americas, Africa and Oceania In Europe it was recorded in Albania (1979) and Italy (1990) where it is now widely established (Adhami & Reiter, 1998; Romi et aI., 1999) and, most recently, in France (Schaffner & Karch, 2000). Aedes albopictus is an important vector of dengue and other arboviruses, as well as filaria, in Asia. In Europe apart from the biting nuisance, there is a risk of transmission to humans and animals of Dirofilaria and arboviruses such as Sindbis, Tahyna and West Nile (Mitchell, 1995; Guillet & Nathan, 1999). Furthermore the increasing mobility of people between dengue endemic and dengue-free areas increases the risk of transmission in those areas to which this proven vector spreads. It must be recalled that the largest dengue epidemic occurred in Greece in 1927-1928, with over a million cases andmore than 1500deaths (Cardamatis, 1929).