Surveillance study of vector species on board passenger ships, risk factors related to infestations.

Background: Passenger ships provide conditions suitable for the survival and growth of pest populations. Arthropods and rodents can gain access directly from the ships' open spaces, can be carried in shiploads, or can be found on humans or animals as ectoparasites. Vectors on board ships may contaminate stored foods, transmit illness on board, or, introduce diseases in new areas.

Molecular characterization of the Anopheles maculipennis complex during surveillance for the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens.

Specimens belonging to the Anopheles maculipennis complex were collected as larvae or resting adults from May 2003 to November 2004 in the area of the Athens 2004 Olympic Rowing Centre in Schinias, Attiki, Greece, and identified by morphological and molecular analyses. Of the 201 specimens collected, 199 were found to be Anopheles sacharovi Favre and two were An. maculipennis Meigen s.

Molecular and morphological characterization of Aedes albopictus in northwestern Greece and differentiation from Aedes cretinus and Aedes aegypti.

The presence of Aedes albopictus (Skuse) was recently confirmed for the first time in northwestern Greece. This location is within the distribution range of a morphologically similar species, Aedes cretinus Edwards, and is a potentially favorable region for the reintroduction of Aedes aegypti (L.).

Ribosomal ITS2 sequence data for Anopheles maculipennis and An. messeae in northern Greece, with a critical assessment of previously published sequences.

DNA sequences were generated for eight specimens of the Anopheles maculipennis complex from Florina in NW Greece, and identified to species on the basis of comparison with ITS2 sequences for members of the complex already in GenBank. The sequences revealed the presence of An. maculipennis and An.

Keys for the identification of the mosquitoes of Greece.

Keys to the adult females and 4th instar larvae of the mosquitoes of Greece are presented. In all, 53 species in 7 genera are included. Also, Aedes albopictus is added because of the potential for its introduction into Greece.