Avian Plasmodium in invasive and native mosquitoes from southern Spain Garrigós, Marta Veiga, Jesús Garrido Escudero, Mario Marín Sánchez, Clotilde Recuero, Jesús Rosales Lombardo, María José Morales Yuste, Manuel Martínez de la Puente, Josué Aedes albopictus Alien species Asian tiger mosquito Background The emergence of diseases of public health concern is enhanced by factors associated with global change, such as the introduction of invasive species. The Asian tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus), considered a competent vector of different viruses and parasites, has been successfully introduced into Europe in recent decades. Molecular screening of parasites in mosquitoes (i.e. molecular xenomonitoring) is essential to understand the potential role of different native and invasive mosquito species in the local circulation of vector-borne parasites affecting both humans and wildlife. Methods The presence of avian Plasmodium parasites was molecularly tested in mosquitoes trapped in five localities with different environmental characteristics in southern Spain from May to November 2022. The species analyzed included the native Culex pipiens and Culiseta longiareolata and the invasive Ae. albopictus. Results Avian Plasmodium DNA was only found in Cx. pipiens with 31 positive out of 165 mosquito pools tested. None of the Ae. albopictus or Cs. longiareolata pools were positive for avian malaria parasites. Overall, eight Plasmodium lineages were identified, including a new lineage described here. No significant differences in parasite prevalence were found between localities or sampling sessions. Conclusions Unlike the invasive Ae. albopictus, Cx. pipiens plays a key role in the transmission of avian Plasmodium in southern Spain. However, due to the recent establishment of Ae. albopictus in the area, further research on the role of this species in the local transmission of vector-borne pathogens with different reservoirs is required. 2024-05-07T09:09:42Z 2024-05-07T09:09:42Z 2024-01-29 journal article Garrigós, M., Veiga, J., Garrido, M. et al. Avian Plasmodium in invasive and native mosquitoes from southern Spain. Parasites Vectors 17, 40 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13071-024-06133-8 https://hdl.handle.net/10481/91478 10.1186/s13071-024-06133-8 eng http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ open access Atribución 4.0 Internacional BioMed Central