Definition and research guide
This page combines a MeSH definition, publication statistics and selected research abstracts. It is a starting point for reading the literature, not a medical textbook or a systematic evidence review.
Content available: 3 complete abstracts (685 words), 9 references. Full article text is not stored or reproduced here; follow the PMID, DOI or PMC links to read the original sources and their access terms.
Definition
Mosquitoes (members of the family culicidae) that transmit pathogens or their intermediate forms from one host to another.
Definition: NLM Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) scope note (Public domain (U.S. National Library of Medicine); attribution requested). View the MeSH record.
Also known as: Mosquito Vector; Vector, Mosquito; Vectors, Mosquito.
Where it fits in the MeSH classification
- Broader topics
- Insect Vectors
Related concepts
- Culicidae
Research landscape
PubMed indexes 10,174 records tagged with the MeSH heading “Mosquito Vectors” (counts retrieved 2026-10-31). 7,549 of them (74.2%) were published from 2020 onward, and the busiest period so far is 2020 onward with 7,549 records.
Reviews account for 1,198 records (11.8%) and meta-analyses for 57. Randomized controlled trials number 93 (0.9%) as a share of all records on the topic. Randomized trials make up only a small share of this literature, so much of what is known comes from laboratory, observational or descriptive work.
Show the data
| Period | Records |
|---|---|
| through 1999 | 0 |
| 2000-2009 | 0 |
| 2010-2019 | 2,688 |
| 2020 onward | 7,549 |
Publication-type chart data
| Type | Records | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Reviews | 1,198 | 11.8% |
| Meta-analyses | 57 | 0.6% |
| Randomized controlled trials | 93 | 0.9% |
Method: PubMed query "Mosquito Vectors"[MeSH Terms] with publication-type and date filters, retrieved 2026-10-31.
Reading the evidence in public health and nutrition
Population and nutrition studies mostly observe what people eat, breathe or are exposed to and then look for links with health, which shows association and not proof of cause. Self-reported diet is imprecise, people who eat or live differently also differ in other ways, and effects measured across a population may not apply to one person. Check the study design, how exposure was measured, what else was accounted for and the size of the effect, not only whether it was statistically significant.
Evidence from open-access studies
These open-access studies come from PubMed’s best-match results for this heading (papers whose main topic it is), ranked here by citation count, with one recent addition. Each abstract is reproduced in full under its recorded open licence so that you can read the authors’ own words. They illustrate the literature; they are not a systematic summary of it. Citation counts measure attention, not reliability or clinical benefit.
| Study / authors | Year | Source label / design | Europe PMC citations | Licence / source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Integrating multiplexing into confineable gene drives effectively overrides resistance in Anopheles stephensi | 2026 | Research article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 4 | cc by PMID 42115602 · DOI · PMC13388953 |
| Tracking pyrethroid resistance in arbovirus mosquito vectors: mutations I1532T and F1534C in Aedes albopictus across Europe | 2025 | Research article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 4 | cc by PMID 41444593 · DOI · PMC12728990 |
| Not all West Nile virus lineages behave alike: dose-response differences between lineages 1 and 2 | 2026 | Research article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 3 | cc by PMID 42552348 · DOI · PMC13438650 |
Integrating multiplexing into confineable gene drives effectively overrides resistance in Anopheles stephensi [1]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- Anopheles stephensi is a major malaria vector mainly present in southern Asia and the Arabian Peninsula.
- Closing excerpt
- Further modelling using parameters derived from the strains generated indicates that while both strategies can overcome resistance allele formation, the fitness of the drive-carrying alleles is a critical factor in determining the overall performance and persistence of a split drive.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (196 words)
Anopheles stephensi is a major malaria vector mainly present in southern Asia and the Arabian Peninsula. Since 2012 it has invaded several countries of eastern Africa, stimulating urgent efforts to develop more efficient strategies for vector control such as CRISPR/Cas9-based homing gene drives. Target site resistance due to end-joining repair is a significant challenge to the deployment of these systems. The use of multiple sgRNAs has the potential to solve this issue. Here we perform experimental crosses to assess the homing and cutting efficiency of both classical (e.g. four adjacent sgRNAs all in one construct) and additive (e.g. separate constructs each expressing a single sgRNA) multiplexing strategies targeting the cardinal locus, in the presence and absence of a resistance allele. We find resistance alleles at one sgRNA target site can be mitigated by the presence of the additional sgRNAs with either strategy, and do not significantly reduce the homing efficiency for either strategy, validating their effectiveness. Further modelling using parameters derived from the strains generated indicates that while both strategies can overcome resistance allele formation, the fitness of the drive-carrying alleles is a critical factor in determining the overall performance and persistence of a split drive.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 42115602 · DOI · PMC13388953
Tracking pyrethroid resistance in arbovirus mosquito vectors: mutations I1532T and F1534C in Aedes albopictus across Europe [2]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- BackgroundWith the worldwide spread of the Asian tiger mosquito, Aedes albopictus, the number of autochthonous cases of exotic arboviral diseases, such as dengue or chikungunya, is increasing in temperate regions.
- Closing excerpt
- Our findings also point to the need for enhancing resistance monitoring in the Eastern Mediterranean region, where the two mutations are shown to exist in geographically close areas, with the risk of emergence of highly resistant double mutants.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (337 words)
BackgroundWith the worldwide spread of the Asian tiger mosquito, Aedes albopictus, the number of autochthonous cases of exotic arboviral diseases, such as dengue or chikungunya, is increasing in temperate regions. In Europe, pyrethroids are the only insecticides allowed for the abatement of adult mosquitoes and are thus crucial for limiting ongoing arbovirus transmission. Despite this and the report of resistance rising in vector populations worldwide, information on the pyrethroid resistance status of vector populations and knowledge on resistance mechanisms is widely lacking. Genotyping of knockdown resistance (kdr) mutations situated within the target site of pyrethroids, i.e., the voltage-gated sodium channel (VGSC), and associated with pyrethroid resistance, is a cost-effective approach to investigate the spread of resistance in a population. Herein, we describe the European-wide distribution of two kdr mutations, i.e., I1532T and F1534C, in Ae. albopictus and evaluate their co-occurrence with another well-characterized kdr mutation, V1016G.MethodsGenotyping of the kdr mutation F1534C was performed by allele-specific PCR for 1732 Ae. albopictus specimens sampled in 19 European countries; for a subset of 419 specimens mutation I1532T was also genotyped by sequencing. For all samples, information on mutation V1016G was available, allowing evaluation of the co-occurrence of kdr alleles.ResultsMutation 1534C was detected in nine sites from six countries at an overall frequency close to 5%. Highest frequencies per site were detected in Cyprus (84%) and Greece (45%). Allele 1532 T was identified in 11 sites from 7 countries at frequencies ranging from 4% to 25% per site. Co-occurrence of different kdr alleles (1534C, 1532 T and 1016G) was observed in nine sampling sites from seven countries.ConclusionsThe present study offers the first map of the occurrence of the major Ae. albopictus kdr alleles across Europe and highlights a differential distribution of the two alleles most strongly associated with pyrethroid resistance, 1016G and 1534C. Our findings also point to the need for enhancing resistance monitoring in the Eastern Mediterranean region, where the two mutations are shown to exist in geographically close areas, with the risk of emergence of highly resistant double mutants.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 41444593 · DOI · PMC12728990
Not all West Nile virus lineages behave alike: dose-response differences between lineages 1 and 2 [3]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- The globally distributed arbovirus West Nile virus (WNV) is expanding across Europe, with rising numbers of human cases and an increasingly broad geographic distribution.
- Closing excerpt
- These findings highlight important differences between WNV lineages, improve our understanding of dose-dependent transmission, and therefore support refined risk assessments in Europe.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (152 words)
The globally distributed arbovirus West Nile virus (WNV) is expanding across Europe, with rising numbers of human cases and an increasingly broad geographic distribution. Transmitted primarily by Culex mosquitoes, WNV lineages 1 and 2 are pathogenic to humans, yet their differences in transmission dynamics remain unclear. As vertebrate hosts develop varying viremia, mosquitoes encounter a wide range of viral doses, which may influence transmission. Here, we investigated the dose-response differences between the lineages in Cx. pipiens biotype pipiens, Cx. torrentium, and Aedes albopictus. Mosquitoes were fed increasing titers of one strain of either WNV lineage, and infection and transmission were assessed after 14 days at 24 °C. Lineage 2 required lower infectious doses while causing higher transmission. Notably, Cx. torrentium was identified as a highly competent vector for lineage 2. These findings highlight important differences between WNV lineages, improve our understanding of dose-dependent transmission, and therefore support refined risk assessments in Europe.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 42552348 · DOI · PMC13438650
Key reviews and meta-analyses
The most cited review-type papers among PubMed’s best-match results for this heading, listed with bibliographic details only. Follow the links for the full text and access terms.
- Research article Anaemia and malaria [4]
- Research article The effect of global change on mosquito-borne disease [5]
- Research article Zika, Chikungunya, and Other Emerging Vector-Borne Viral Diseases [6]
- Research article Aedes aegypti vector competence studies: A review [7]
- Research article The Global Expansion of Dengue: How Aedes aegypti Mosquitoes Enabled the First Pandemic Arbovirus [8]
- Research article Vector biology meets disease control: using basic research to fight vector-borne diseases [9]
References
- Larrosa-Godall M, Shackleford L, Edgington MP, Leftwich PT, Luk JCY, Southworth J, et al.. Integrating multiplexing into confineable gene drives effectively overrides resistance in Anopheles stephensi. . 2026. PMID 42115602 · DOI · PMC13388953
- Pichler V, Valadas V, Akiner MM, Balatsos G, Barceló C, Borg ML, et al.. Tracking pyrethroid resistance in arbovirus mosquito vectors: mutations I1532T and F1534C in Aedes albopictus across Europe. . 2025. PMID 41444593 · DOI · PMC12728990
- Höller P, Sauer FG, Lühken R, Becker N, Schmidt-Chanasit J, Jansen S, et al.. Not all West Nile virus lineages behave alike: dose-response differences between lineages 1 and 2. . 2026. PMID 42552348 · DOI · PMC13438650
- White NJ. Anaemia and malaria. Malar J. 2018. PMID 30340592 · DOI · PMC6194647
- Franklinos LHV, Jones KE, Redding DW, Abubakar I. The effect of global change on mosquito-borne disease. Lancet Infect Dis. 2019. PMID 31227327 · DOI
- Weaver SC, Charlier C, Vasilakis N, Lecuit M. Zika, Chikungunya, and Other Emerging Vector-Borne Viral Diseases. Annu Rev Med. 2018. PMID 28846489 · DOI · PMC6343128
- Souza-Neto JA, Powell JR, Bonizzoni M. Aedes aegypti vector competence studies: A review. Infect Genet Evol. 2019. PMID 30465912 · DOI · PMC8135908
- Brady OJ, Hay SI. The Global Expansion of Dengue: How Aedes aegypti Mosquitoes Enabled the First Pandemic Arbovirus. Annu Rev Entomol. 2020. PMID 31594415 · DOI
- Shaw WR, Catteruccia F. Vector biology meets disease control: using basic research to fight vector-borne diseases. Nat Microbiol. 2019. PMID 30150735 · DOI · PMC6437764
About this article
- Sources
- NLM Medical Subject Headings (definition, synonyms); NCBI PubMed (counts, identifiers); Europe PMC (open-access abstracts and citation counts).
- Verification
- Every reference was resolved against PubMed on 2026-11-04; title, year and DOI matched.
- Review state
- automated source verified; no human expert review has been recorded yet.
- Version
- 1, last updated 2026-11-04.
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Evidence strength
EvidenceHelix's computed view of the study designs behind this topic: how common meta-analyses, randomized trials and reviews are, how recent the literature is, and a plain-language reading. It describes the design mix of the literature. It is not a quality appraisal of any study, and it is not medical advice.