*Article* **The First Molecular Detection of** *Aedes albopictus* **in Sudan Associates with Increased Outbreaks of Chikungunya and Dengue**

**Ayman Ahmed 1,2,3,4,\* , Mustafa Abubakr <sup>5</sup> , Hamza Sami <sup>6</sup> , Isam Mahdi <sup>6</sup> , Nouh S. Mohamed <sup>4</sup> and Jakob Zinsstag 2,3**


**Abstract:** As part of our surveys of the invasive malaria vector *Anopheles stephensi* in four Sudanese states, including North and South Kordofan, Sennar, and White Nile, we collected 166 larvae. Our morphological identification confirmed that 30% of the collected mosquito samples were *Anopheles* species, namely *An. gambiae s.l.* and *An. stephensi*, while the 117 *Aedes* specimens were *Ae. luteocephalus* (39%), *Ae. aegypti* (32%), *Ae. vexans* (9%), *Ae. vittatus* (9%), *Ae. africanus* (6%), *Ae. metalicus* (3%), and *Ae. albopictus* (3%). Considering the serious threat of *Ae. albopictus* emergence for the public health in the area and our limited resources, we prioritized *Ae. albopictus* samples for further genomic analysis. We extracted the DNA from the three specimens and subsequently sequenced the cytochrome oxidase 1 (CO1) gene and confirmed their identity as *Aedes albopictus* and their potential origin by phylogenetic and haplotype analyses. *Aedes albopictus*, originating from Southeast Asia, is an invasive key vector of chikungunya and dengue. This is the first report and molecular characterization of *Ae. albopictus* from Sudan. Our sequences cluster with populations from the Central African Republic and La Réunion. Worryingly, this finding associates with a major increase in chikungunya and dengue outbreaks in rural areas of the study region and might be linked to the mosquito's spread across the region. The emergence of *Ae. albopictus* in Sudan is of serious public health concern and urges for the improvement of the vector surveillance and control system through the implementation of an integrated molecular xenosurveillance. The threat of major arboviral diseases in the region underlines the need for the institutionalization of the One Health strategy for the prevention and control of future pandemics.

**Keywords:** invasive diseases vectors; *Aedes aegypti*; *Aedes vexans*; *Aedes vittatus*; *Aedes africanus*; *Aedes metalicus*; *Aedes luteocephalus*; *Anopheles stephensi*; arboviruses; haplotype analysis; phylogenetic analysis; One Health; Sudan
