MOSQUITOES could pose an increased threat to health in Scotland due to climate change, it was warned.

The disease-spreading insects will be monitored along with migratory birds to spot emerging zoonotic pathogens, including the West Nile and Usutu viruses.

The University of Glasgow, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (UKCEH) have been awarded a £1.25m grant to better understand how climate change could increase the risks.

It will also help scientists to prepare over three years.

Funded by UKRI and Defra as part of a £7m research boost, it will be the first of its kind to assess the risk of mosquito-borne pathogen emergence in Scotland under current and future climate change scenarios.

Vector-borne diseases - including fleas, lice, mosquitoes and ticks - cause more than 700,000 deaths each year and account for more than 17% of all infectious diseases.

Mosquitoes and ticks, in particular, represent a growing threat due to the fact that they are both established and invasive to the UK but risks are linked to changes in land use and a changing climate.

Researchers will be conducting surveillance, and results will be used to model the risk of pathogen introduction and transmission.

The project, which is co-led by the University of Glasgow's Professor Heather Ferguson and Dr Emilie Pondeville from the MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, will incorporate the views of stakeholders from Public Health Scotland, the Scottish Government and environmental agencies; and will make use of existing citizen science data on reports of mosquitoes in Scotland.

Professor Ferguson said: “The importance of examining mosquito vectors and their pathogens, in a world in which the climate is changing, can’t be overstated.

"We are proud to be bringing together a brilliant cross-disciplinary team, with huge expertise in mosquito and avian ecology, pathogen biology and modelling to improve the understanding of how climate change could increase the risk of vector-borne disease in Scotland and enhance preparedness.”

Dr Steven White, from the UKCEH, said: “Assessing the current and future risk of mosquito-borne diseases in Scotland is of the upmost importance for national planning.

"In this project, we will integrate cutting-edge models with novel surveillance data to predict the potential areas of risk of disease transmission in Scotland.”

Jolyon Medlock, from UKHSA, said: “At a time of environmental change it is really important to investigate the current and potential risk posed by mosquitoes and mosquito-borne disease.

“This programme of research will be crucial in improving our understanding and preparedness as we continue to tackle future threats to public health associated with a changing climate.’’

Professor Melanie Welham, executive chair of the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, said: “This latest investment by UKRI and Defra epitomises the importance of a ‘One Health’ approach in tackling infections such as vector-borne disease.

“If we are to truly understand the risks posed vector-borne disease, we must first build our understanding of the links between animal, human and environmental health. And that can only be achieved by collaborating across sectors and disciplines.

“The eight projects receiving funding offer real potential to build the UK’s national defence and response capabilities by tackling infectious diseases that pose a genuine threat to people and animals worldwide.”

Professor Gideon Henderson, Defra chief scientific advisor, said: “The funding for this important research, which brings together a wealth of expertise from some of the best scientific institutions in the UK, will continue to build and prepare the UK for the emergence of endemic and exotic tick-borne diseases.

“This coordinated scientific effort forms part of the UK’s commitment to work at the interface between environmental, human and animal health to improve outcomes for all.”