Mosquito expert Oleg Scherbakov dons a white lab coat and gloves, grabs a vial of the pesky critters floating in alcohol, and adjusts his microscope.

Scherbakov, Ukrainian by nationality, is a molecular parasitology researcher at Armenia’s National Academy of Sciences.

He’s been studying mosquitoes since 2021 and, in an apparent boast, says there are some forty mosquito types in Armenia. The laboratory where Shcherbakov works has discovered five new species of mosquitoes – four in Vayots Dzor and one in Syunik.

Scherbakov says that while mosquitoes have been long studied in Armenia, it mostly dealt with malaria, a disease eradicated in the country.

The mosquitoes he studies are caught with light traps, insect netting, or directly from the human body. It’s important that the genetic material of the insect is not degraded before shipping to the lab. The mosquitoes are then either deep-frozen or kept in alcohol for species identification and further study.

The researcher, an avid mountain trekker, has collected mosquitoes from sites rarely visited by scientists.

Scherbakov is quick to point out that it’s only the female mosquito that feeds on human blood. Most, he says, prefer plant sap or nectar.

While malaria has been eradicated in Armenia, monitoring of mosquitoes continues in the country’s Ararat Province, a noted “malaria hotspot.” Six species of malaria-carrying mosquitoes are found there. The province is known for its marshlands and hot summers.

Human infections attributable to West Nile Virus (WNV, first isolated in a woman in the West Nile district of Uganda in 1937, have been reported in many countries for over fifty years. 

Human infection is most often the result of bites from infected mosquitoes. Some 20% of people who become infected with WNV will develop West Nile fever. Symptoms include fever, headache, tiredness, and body aches, nausea, vomiting, occasionally with a skin rash (on the trunk of the body) and swollen lymph glands.

Scherbakov says mosquitoes of the genus Culex, in particular Cx. Pipiens, considered the principal vectors of WNV, are quite often found in Armenia’s Ararat Plains, the Meghri region and the Araks River valley. They’re all border areas and entry points for invasive mosquito species.

The expert says no human cases of West Nile fever have yet been registered in Armenia.

"Although some researchers claim that this is an invasive species, that is, it has recently invaded Armenia, in the 80-90 years of the history of mosquito research, it has always been mentioned as one of the dominant species in Armenia, especially in the foothills of the Ararat Valley, including Yerevan. Unfortunately, this is the most common mosquito in Yerevan, but we have good news. We don't have any cases of this virus in Yerevan yet," Scherbakov tells Hetq

He says a new invasive mosquito species, Aedes albopictus, can pose a serious threat in addition to Cx. Pipiens.

While there is no human vaccine for WNV, it is rarely deadly. Th World Health Organization (WHO) says approximately 1 in 150 persons infected with the West Nile virus will develop a more severe form of disease.

 A mosquito monitoring station in Meghri, to study the entry of invasive species from Iran, showed an increase of the insect this year.

Scherbakov points to global warming as one reason for the increase. They love hot weather.