LAUSR

In January 2016, Aedes albopictus adults were found in the Jardin Zoologique in central Kinshasa. Subsequent visits found more adults and larvae at numerous sites in Kinshasa. The finding of Ae. albopictus in Kinshasa is not unexpected, but its presence is of importance as it is a vector of multiple mosquito-borne viruses. Further work is needed to determine the distribution of Ae. albopictus in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Aedes albopictus Skuse is a mosquito with a worldwide distribution. Along with Aedes aegypti, it is an important vector of yellow fever, dengue, chikungunya and Zika viruses. It also has been shown to play an important role in chikungunya and Zika virus transmission in central Africa (Paupy et al. 2012; Grard et al. 2014). There was an outbreak of chikungunya in Kinshasa in 1999– 2000 (Pastorino et al. 2004) but vectors were not identified. Subsequent outbreaks of chikungunya have been investigated but no Ae. albopictus larvae or adults were collected prior to 2016 (S. Fasine, pers. comm.). Despite the identification of chikungunya-positive Ae. albopictus in nearby Brazzaville, Republic of Congo (Mombouli et al. 2013), and the prediction that the potential distribution of Ae. albopictus could include the entire territory of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) (Benedict et al. 2007), no reports of Ae. albopictus have been published for DRC. This report is the first to document the occurrence of Aedes albopictus in DRC. On 18 January 2016, one of the authors (S.R.I.) was visiting the Jardin Zoologique, a zoo located in Gombe, Kinshasa, DRC. This zoo holds many animals including chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes), olive baboons (Papio anubis), and other monkeys. There are a variety of other animals including crocodiles, birds and buffalo. While in a shady area of the park, mosquitoes were noticed and photographed (Fig. 1). Subsequent visits (20–25 January 2016) to the zoo and the nearby Parc de Boeck resulted in the collection of 28 adults (human landing collection) and 246 larvae. Collections were then expanded to other sites across Kinshasa (Fig. 2), where 405 adult mosquitoes were collected using aspirators. These were identified to species using standard morphological identification keys (Huang 2004; Edwards 1941). Of the 405 mosquitoes, 199 (49 %) were Ae. albopictus and 206 (51 %) were Ae. aegypti. Larvae were also collected. While a majority of these were identified as Culex sp., both Ae. albopictus and Ae. aegypti were also encountered. Our survey shows a wide distribution of Ae. albopictus in the city of Kinshasa. Aedes albopictus and Ae. aegypti were often found in the same areas. Moumbouli et al. (2013) found the same result in nearby Brazzaville, Republic of Congo. The identification of Ae. albopictus in Kinshasa is certainly not surprising, but its presence in Kinshasa, a city of over 10 million inhabitants, where chikungunya outbreaks have occurred and where the virus has also been found in pools of Aedes mosquitoes (Mbanzulu, pers. comm.) is of concern. Additionally, Ae. albopictus has been found to play a role in Zika outbreaks in nearby Gabon (Grard et al. 2014). The mosquitoes present in the zoo have the opportunity to bite both the primates housed