New project by the One Health Platform investigates the growing risks posed by mosquitoes

In the evening on the balcony, with the lights on and the window open: in many cities, mosquitoes are no longer just a midsummer phenomenon. Laboratory and initial field studies suggest that artificial light can disrupt the natural day-night rhythm of mosquitoes – with measurable effects. Among other things, it has been observed that mosquitoes remain active for longer, extend their biting periods and enter hibernation later. However, the extent to which such effects manifest under real-world conditions and how they interact with other environmental factors has so far hardly been systematically investigated. The LUMEN project is now investigating this using native species such as Culex pipiens, the main vector of the West Nile virus in Germany.

The three-year project brings together research from the fields of mosquito and virus biology, environmental and climate research, and behavioural science. In addition to the BNITM, the Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (Berlin), the University of Erfurt, the University of Heidelberg and the University of Bamberg are involved. The total funding amounts to around 1.2 million euros.

“Artificial light at night is an environmental factor that has so far been scarcely taken into account systematically in infection research,” says Professor Esther Schnettler, head of the Mosquito Virus Interactions research group at the BNITM and coordinator of the network. “We assume that light pollution, together with rising temperatures, alters the behaviour of mosquitoes – for example, their activity, biting behaviour or overwintering patterns. This may have implications for the risk of virus transmission.”

The network is divided into four closely interlinked subprojects:

• At the BNITM, researchers are investigating how artificial light and temperature influence the biology of Culex pipiens, the main vector of the West Nile virus in Germany – from gene regulation to transmission potential.
• Researchers at the Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries in Berlin are analysing how light, temperature, water quality and microorganisms in urbanised habitats influence the development and fitness of mosquitoes.
• The Health Communication Research Group (BNITM / University of Erfurt) is investigating how people perceive risks posed by mosquitoes and how they adjust their protective measures and exposure behaviour in everyday life.
• At the University of Heidelberg, the data collected is integrated into mathematical models to create spatially and temporally resolved risk maps and scenarios for future developments.
• The University of Bamberg is contributing its expertise in digital health research and providing the technical infrastructure for an app designed to record protective behaviour and mosquito exposure in everyday life.

The aim is to bring together biological, ecological and social data in order to assess transmission risks more realistically. The One Health Platform is supporting the project as an inter- and transdisciplinary network. The research findings are intended to lay the foundations for improved infection prevention, for example through surveillance systems, evidence-based communication strategies or the use of lighting in urban areas. Plans include open datasets, digital tools and contributions from citizen science initiatives.