| bluetongue virus isolations from midges belonging to the obsoletus complex (culicoides, diptera: ceratopogonidae) in italy. | between july and september 2002 there were outbreaks of bluetongue on three sheep holdings in the communities of san gregorio magno (salerno, campania), laviano (salerno, campania) and carpino (foggia, puglia), and the involvement of bluetongue virus (btv) was confirmed serologically and virologically. the mortality rate was at least 11 per cent and involved btv serotype 2 (btv-2) and serotype 9 (btv-9). these holdings were also surveyed for the culicoides (diptera: ceratopogonidae) vectors; app ... | 2005 | 16055660 |
| influence of biotic and abiotic factors on the distribution and abundance of culicoides imicola and the obsoletus complex in italy. | culicoides imicola kieffer (culicoides, diptera: ceratopogonidae) is the principal vector of bluetongue virus (btv) to ruminant livestock in southern europe. the secondary potential vectors are culicoides obsoletus (meigen) and culicoides scoticus downes and kettle of the obsoletus complex, culicoides pulicaris (linnaeus) of the pulicaris complex and culicoides dewulfi goetghebuer of the subgenus avaritia fox. between 2000 and 2004 >38,000 light-trap collections were made for culicoides across i ... | 2007 | 17997043 |
| molecular identification of western european species of obsoletus complex (diptera: ceratopogonidae) by an internal transcribed spacer-1 rdna multiplex polymerase chain reaction assay. | in southern europe, orbiviral diseases such as bluetongue (bt) have been assumed to have been largely transmitted by the classical afro-asian vector culicoides imicola kieffer (diptera: ceratopogonidae). recent outbreaks have occurred in regions where c. imicola is normally absent, supporting the theory that other species belonging to the obsoletus or pulicaris complexes may play a role in bt virus transmission. investigations of the ecology of the species within the former group are hampered by ... | 2007 | 18047201 |
| bluetongue epidemiology in the european union. | bluetongue (bt) is a reportable disease of considerable socioeconomic concern and of major importance in the international trade of animals and animal products. before 1998, bt was considered an exotic disease in europe. from 1998 through 2005, at least 6 bt virus strains belonging to 5 serotypes (btv-1, btv-2, btv-4, btv-9, and btv-16) were continuously present in the mediterranean basin. since august 2006, btv-8 has caused a severe epizootic of bt in northern europe. the widespread recrudescen ... | 2008 | 18394269 |
| the phenology and population dynamics of culicoides spp. in different ecosystems in the netherlands. | the netherlands has enjoyed a relatively free state of vector-borne diseases of economic importance for more than one century. emerging infectious diseases may change this situation, threatening the health of humans, domestic livestock and wildlife. in order to be prepared for the potential outbreak of vector-borne diseases, a study was undertaken to investigate the distribution and seasonal dynamics of candidate vectors of infectious diseases with emphasis on bluetongue vectors (culicoides spp. ... | 2008 | 18639947 |
| the culicoides 'snapshot': a novel approach used to assess vector densities widely and rapidly during the 2006 outbreak of bluetongue (bt) in the netherlands. | a novel method was developed and implemented during the recent outbreak of bluetongue (bt) in sheep and cattle in the netherlands to obtain rapidly a 'snapshot' of culicoides vector densities at the national level. the country was divided into 110 raster cells, each measuring 20 km x 20 km; within 106 of these cells, a farm was selected with a minimum of 10 cattle and sampled for culicoides for one night only using the onderstepoort-type blacklight trap. prior to deployment of the light traps in ... | 2008 | 18657871 |
| endophily in culicoides associated with btv-infected cattle in the province of limburg, south-eastern netherlands, 2006. | culicoides were captured at a btv-infected dairy near gulpen in the province of limburg (south-east netherlands) between 14 september and 4 october 2006. onderstepoort-type blacklight traps were used to sample culicoides both inside and outside a partially open shed housing 11 cattle. a total of 28 light trap collections were made at the shed and yielded: 9371 culicoides representing 11 species; >90% comprised five potential vectors of btv and in order of abundance were culicoides obsoletus and ... | 2008 | 18672304 |
| effects of permethrin (flypor) and fenvalerate (acadrex60, arkofly) on culicoides species-the vector of bluetongue virus. | bluetongue disease struggles ruminants in europe since summer 2006, introducing high levels of morbidity and mortality. besides vaccination, the application of insecticides is another means to protect cattle and sheep from infections with the bluetongue virus, which is transmitted in europe by female specimens of culicoides species (culicoides obsoletus and in a few cases of culicoides pulicaris and culicoides dewulfi). the present study deals with the effects of permethrin (flypor) and fenvaler ... | 2009 | 19015876 |
| phylogenetic analysis indicates that culicoides dewulfi should not be considered part of the culicoides obsoletus complex. | analysis of dna sequence data has proven invaluable for defining the relationships among taxa, as well as resolving their evolutionary histories. here, we analyzed dna sequence variation of one mitochondrial gene (coi) and two nuclear regions (itsi and ii) to clarify the phylogenetic position of culicoides dewulfi, a midge species widely spread in europe and a suspected vector for bluetongue virus. various authors have described c. dewulfi either as part of the culicoides obsoletus sensu lato co ... | 2009 | 19063759 |
| pcr identification of culicoides dewulfi midges (diptera: ceratopogonidae), potential vectors of bluetongue in germany. | due to the severe outbreaks of bluetongue disease (btd) in the years 2006/2007 in germany in the absence of the main african vector culicoides imicola, a rapid and easy applicable method for identification of autochthonous culicoides spp. had to be developed. morphological identification is time-consuming, rendering impossible the identification of large numbers of midges in a short period of time. a polymerase chain reaction (pcr)-based procedure in connection with a species-specific primer gre ... | 2009 | 19308451 |
| an investigation on the culicoides species composition at seven sites in southern switzerland. | in the past decade, there have been regular outbreaks of bluetongue (bt) in many parts of europe. owing to the presence of bt disease and its vectors in countries adjacent to switzerland, an initial entomological survey was conducted in 2003, which established the presence of several midges of the genus culicoides (diptera: ceratopogonidae). subsequently, a sentinel herd monitoring system was established with the primary entomological aim being the determination and further study of culicoides p ... | 2009 | 19493190 |
| potential role of ticks as vectors of bluetongue virus. | when the first outbreak of bluetongue virus serotype 8 (btv8) was recorded in north-west europe in august 2006 and renewed outbreaks occurred in the summer of 2007 and again in 2008, the question was raised how the virus survived the winter. since most adult culicoides vector midges are assumed not to survive the northern european winter, and transovarial transmission in culicoides is not recorded, we examined the potential vector role of ixodid and argasid ticks for bluetongue virus. four speci ... | 2010 | 20358393 |
| contribution to the knowledge of culicoides (diptera: ceratopogonidae) host preferences in france. | knowledge on host-feeding pattern of blood-sucking insects helps to understand the epidemiology of a vector-born disease. we determined blood meal origin from blood-fed culicoides thanks to molecular techniques. a set of primers was used to selectively amplify segment of vertebrates' prepronociceptin gene from abdomen of engorged culicoides (diptera: ceratopogonidae). vertebrate dna was successfully amplified in 91% of blood-fed culicoides assayed. direct sequencing and comparison of resultant s ... | 2010 | 20967462 |
| morphological and molecular identification of species of the obsoletus group (diptera: ceratopogonidae) in scandinavia. | after the introduction of bluetongue in northern europe in 2006, populations of culicoides have been monitored in many european countries. large quantities of culicoides specimens shall be determined to species, and it is thus important to find reliable morphological characters that are visualized in a stereomicroscope. culicoides obsoletus, culicoides scoticus, culicoides chiopterus, and culicoides dewulfi all belonging to subgenus avaritia are common in collections in northern europe. c. obsol ... | 2011 | 21461726 |
| assessment of vector/host contact: comparison of animal-baited traps and uv-light/suction trap for collecting culicoides biting midges (diptera: ceratopogonidae), vectors of orbiviruses. | abstract: | 2011 | 21707980 |
| Quantifying the spatial dependence of Culicoides midge samples collected by Onderstepoort-type blacklight traps: an experimental approach to infer the range of attraction of light traps. | The emergence of bluetongue disease in Europe has led several countries to rapidly establish large-scale entomological surveys of its vectors, which are midges belonging to the genus Culicoides Latreille, 1809 (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae). These surveys have largely been based on the use of Onderstepoort-type blacklight traps. However, the range of attraction of the traps and the spatial dependence of the samples they provide are unknown, which somewhat complicates subsequent analyses. This paper ... | 2011 | 22098421 |
| can insecticide-treated netting provide protection for equids from culicoides biting midges in the united kingdom? | biting midges of the genus culicoides latreille, 1809 (diptera: ceratopogonidae) cause a significant biting nuisance to equines and are responsible for the biological transmission of african horse sickness virus (ahsv). while currently restricted in distribution to sub-saharan africa, ahsv has a history of emergence into southern europe and causes one of the most lethal diseases of horses and other species of equidae. in the event of an outbreak of ahsv, the use of insecticide treated nets (itns ... | 2015 | 26607993 |
| towards the pcr-based identification of palaearctic culicoides biting midges (diptera: ceratopogonidae): results from an international ring trial targeting four species of the subgenus avaritia. | biting midges of the genus culicoides (diptera: ceratopogonidae) are biological vectors of internationally important arboviruses. to understand the role of culicoides in the transmission of these viruses, it is essential to correctly identify the species involved. within the western palaearctic region, the main suspected vector species, c. obsoletus, c. scoticus, c. dewulfi and c. chiopterus, have similar wing patterns, which makes it difficult to separate and identify them correctly. | 2014 | 24884950 |
| a comparison of commercial light-emitting diode baited suction traps for surveillance of culicoides in northern europe. | the response of culicoides biting midges (diptera: ceratopogonidae) to artificial light sources has led to the use of light-suction traps in surveillance programmes. recent integration of light emitting diodes (led) in traps improves flexibility in trapping through reduced power requirements and also allows the wavelength of light used for trapping to be customized. this study investigates the responses of culicoides to led light-suction traps emitting different wavelengths of light to make reco ... | 2015 | 25896343 |
| host-seeking activity of bluetongue virus vectors: endo/exophagy and circadian rhythm of culicoides in western europe. | feeding success of free-living hematophagous insects depends on their ability to be active when hosts are available and to reach places where hosts are accessible. when the hematophagous insect is a vector of pathogens, determining the components of host-seeking behavior is of primary interest for the assessment of transmission risk. our aim was to describe endo/exophagy and circadian host-seeking activity of palaearctic culicoides species, which are major biting pests and arbovirus vectors, usi ... | 2012 | 23144735 |
| does covering of farm-associated culicoides larval habitat reduce adult populations in the united kingdom? | culicoides biting midges (diptera: ceratopogonidae) are the biological vectors of a range of internationally important arboviruses of livestock, including bluetongue virus (btv) and the recently emerging schmallenberg virus (sbv). culicoides species in the subgenus avaritia (in the uk: culicoides obsoletus meigen, culicoides scoticus downes & kettle, culicoides dewulfi goetghebuer and culicoides chiopterus meigen) have been implicated in btv transmission in northern europe and to a varying degre ... | 2013 | 24472769 |
| full-genome characterisation of orungo, lebombo and changuinola viruses provides evidence for co-evolution of orbiviruses with their arthropod vectors. | the complete genomes of orungo virus (oruv), lebombo virus (lebv) and changuinola virus (cglv) were sequenced, confirming that they each encode 11 distinct proteins (vp1-vp7 and ns1-ns4). phylogenetic analyses of cell-attachment protein 'outer-capsid protein 1' (oc1), show that orbiviruses fall into three large groups, identified as: vp2(oc1), in which oc1 is the 2nd largest protein, including the culicoides transmitted orbiviruses; vp3(oc1), which includes the mosquito transmitted orbiviruses; ... | 2014 | 24475112 |
| measurement of the infection and dissemination of bluetongue virus in culicoides biting midges using a semi-quantitative rt-pcr assay and isolation of infectious virus. | culicoides biting midges (diptera: ceratopogonidae) are the biological vectors of globally significant arboviruses of livestock including bluetongue virus (btv), african horse sickness virus (ahsv) and the recently emerging schmallenberg virus (sbv). from 2006-2009 outbreaks of btv in northern europe inflicted major disruption and economic losses to farmers and several attempts were made to implicate palaearctic culicoides species as vectors. results from these studies were difficult to interpre ... | 2013 | 23940643 |
| environmental drivers of culicoides phenology: how important is species-specific variation when determining disease policy? | since 2006, arboviruses transmitted by culicoides biting midges (diptera: ceratopogonidae) have caused significant disruption to ruminant production in northern europe. the most serious incursions involved strains of bluetongue virus (btv), which cause bluetongue (bt) disease. to control spread of btv, movement of susceptible livestock is restricted with economic and animal welfare impacts. the timing of btv transmission in temperate regions is partly determined by the seasonal presence of adult ... | 2014 | 25386940 |
| why did bluetongue spread the way it did? environmental factors influencing the velocity of bluetongue virus serotype 8 epizootic wave in france. | understanding where and how fast an infectious disease will spread during an epidemic is critical for its control. however, the task is a challenging one as numerous factors may interact and drive the spread of a disease, specifically when vector-borne diseases are involved. we advocate the use of simultaneous autoregressive models to identify environmental features that significantly impact the velocity of disease spread. we illustrate this approach by exploring several environmental factors in ... | 2012 | 22916249 |
| the 'culicoides obsoletus group' in italy: relative abundance, geographic range, and role as vector for bluetongue virus. | as bluetongue virus (btv) spread in italy following its first incursion in 2000, it soon became apparent that, besides culicoides imicola, additional species of the subgenus avaritia were involved as vectors, namely one or more of the species that belong to the so-called 'culicoides obsoletus group', which comprises c. dewulfi, c. chiopterus, c. obsoletus sensu stricto, c. scoticus and c. montanus; the three last named species are considered generally as forming the obsoletus complex. this study ... | 2016 | 27723032 |
| emergence of culicoides obsoletus group species from farm-associated habitats in germany. | biting midges of the genus culicoides (diptera: ceratopogonidae) may transmit several arboviruses to ruminant livestock. the species of the obsoletus group are considered to be among the most important vectors of bluetongue virus (btv) in northern europe. as agricultural environments offer suitable habitats for the development of their immature stages, the emergence of adult culicoides from potential breeding sites was investigated at 20 cattle farms throughout germany in 2012 and 2013. in analy ... | 2016 | 26744290 |
| vector species of culicoides midges implicated in the 2012‑2014 bluetongue epidemics in italy. | in 2012, serotypes 1 and 4 of bluetongue virus (btv) entered and co‑circulated in sardinia. the following year, btv‑1 spread all over sardinia and invaded sicily and the italian tyrrenian coast. in 2014, this strain spread extensively in mainland italy, causing severe outbreaks. in late 2014, btv‑4 was detected in southern italy (apulia region). this study reports the detection of btv in species of culicoides (diptera: ceratopogonidae) collected in italy during the epidemics between 2012 and 201 ... | 2015 | 26129664 |
| impact of flooding on the immature stages of dung-breeding culicoides in northern europe. | in northern europe, dung-breeding culicoides (e.g., culicoides chiopterus (meigen 1830) and culicoides dewulfi (goetghebuer 1936)) are considered to be important vectors of the bluetongue virus and schmallenberg virus. the interpretation of their distribution is difficult due to the lack of knowledge about their ecology. previously, soil moisture and especially flooding were identified as important factors that influence the development of several biting-midge species. therefore, this experiment ... | 2014 | 24986464 |
| impact of mechanical disturbance on the emergence of culicoides from cowpats. | the outbreaks of bluetongue virus and schmallenberg virus between 2006 and 2012 highlighted the need for control methods for north-western palaearctic biting midge species. there is especially a demand for alternative control methods without application of insecticides. therefore, the objective of this paper was to evaluate the impact of mechanical disturbance as a control method for culicoides biting midges in cowpats. we used a trash rake to destroy the compact structure of cowpats and spread ... | 2014 | 24452917 |
| host preferences of palaearctic culicoides biting midges: implications for transmission of orbiviruses. | feeding success depends on host availability, host defensive reactions and host preferences. host choice is a critical determinant of the intensity at which pathogens are transmitted. the aim of the current study was to describe host preferences of palaearctic culicoides species (diptera: ceratopogonidae) latreille using traps baited with the five different host species of poultry, horse, cattle, sheep and goat. collections were carried out nightly in july and august 2009 in western france with ... | 2013 | 22985009 |
| impact of freezing on the emergence of culicoides chiopterus and culicoides dewulfi from bovine dung. | the emergence of culicoides chiopterus (meigen), 1830 and c. dewulfi goetghebuer, 1936 (diptera: ceratopogonidae) from cowpats in northwestern germany was investigated. in order to investigate the survival of both species at low temperatures, cowpat subsamples were frozen for 48h at -18 and -21°c. emergence from frozen and non-frozen samples was compared. the number of emerging adults of c. chiopterus from samples frozen at -18°c was greatly reduced and no emergence was observed from samples fro ... | 2015 | 25704656 |
| assessment of the abundance of culicoides chiopterus and culicoides dewulfi in bovine dung: a comparison of larvae extraction techniques and emergence traps. | we compared two larvae extraction methods involving sugar-flotation and an adapted berlese funnel-extraction with emergence traps. this was done in order to analyse the colonisation of cowpats by culicoides chiopterus (meigen 1830) and culicoides dewulfi (goetghebuer 1936) (diptera: ceratopogonidae) and to gain information on the comparability and efficacy of these three methods. with all three methods, a considerable number of individuals was obtained. significantly more individuals were obtain ... | 2014 | 25155279 |
| comparison of emergence traps of different shape and translucency in the trapping of culicoides (diptera: ceratopogonidae). | various types of emergence traps are available for investigations of the breeding habitats of culicoides (diptera: ceratopogonidae). in order to assess the potential impact of the trap design on the trapping success, we compared the efficiency of opaque and white (more translucent) emergence traps and two trap shapes (cone-shaped and quadratic), to sample culicoides emerging from cowpats. significantly higher numbers of culicoides chiopterus and culicoides dewulfi were trapped with opaque traps, ... | 2016 | 27198792 |
| culicoides monitoring in belgium in 2011: analysis of spatiotemporal abundance, species diversity and schmallenberg virus detection. | in 2011, culicoides (diptera: ceratopogonidae) were collected at 16 locations covering four regions of belgium with onderstepoort veterinary institute (ovi) traps and at two locations with rothamsted suction traps (rsts). quantification of the collections and morphological identification showed important variations in abundance and species diversity between individual collection sites, even for sites located in the same region. however, consistently higher numbers of culicoides midges were colle ... | 2015 | 25761054 |
| topsoil conditions correlate with the emergence rates of culicoides chiopterus and culicoides dewulfi (diptera: ceratopogonidae) from cowpats. | culicoides chiopterus (meigen), 1830 and culicoides dewulfi goetghebuer, 1936 (diptera: ceratopogonidae) are considered to develop exclusively in dung, but do not necessarily show an equal distribution and abundance on livestock farms in northern europe. recent modelling studies identified soil parameters to explain these differences. the present study addressed the question whether topsoil conditions underneath cowpats correlate with the number of emerging c. chiopterus and c. dewulfi. we recor ... | 2015 | 25563611 |
| wing geometry as a tool for discrimination of obsoletus group (diptera: ceratopogonidae: culicoides) in france. | in europe, culicoides chiopterus, culicoides dewulfi, culicoides obsoletus and culicoides scoticus, which belongs to the subgenus avaritia and obsoletus group are the most proficient bluetongue and schmallenberg vectors. within this group, correct identification based on morphological traits is difficult but essential to assess disease transmission risk. the development of new tools has revolutionized taxonomy (i.e. geometric morphometrics and molecular biology). wing morphology is of primary im ... | 2014 | 24514019 |
| investigation of diel activity of culicoides biting midges (diptera: ceratopogonidae) in the united kingdom by using a vehicle-mounted trap. | truck trap collections of culicoides biting midges (diptera: ceratopogonidae) were made during 2 yr of sampling from 2008 to 2009 at a farm site in southern england. samples were collected from 810 sample runs carried out over 52 d and contained 7,095 culicoides of which more than half (50.3%) were identified as culicoides obsoletus meigen by using a multiplex polymerase chain reaction assay. other commonly encountered species included culicoides scoticus downes & kettle (14.7% of total culicoid ... | 2012 | 22679886 |
| schmallenberg virus in culicoides latreille (diptera: ceratopogonidae) populations in france during 2011-2012 outbreak. | following the emergence of the schmallenberg virus (sbv) in 2011 in germany and its rapid spread in europe, culicoides (diptera: ceratopogonidae) collected through the french surveillance network were analysed in order to record the presence of virus genome into species diversity collected, to assess the minimum infectious rates (mir) and the virus circulation dynamics in culicoides populations. two vector activity periods were selected (2011, august to october, 53 sites and 2012, june to octobe ... | 2017 | 28815930 |
| molecular phylogeny of 42 species of culicoides (diptera, ceratopogonidae) from three continents. | the genus culicoides includes vectors of important animal diseases such as bluetongue and schmallenberg virus (btv and sbv). this genus includes 1300 species classified in 32 subgenera and 38 unclassified species. however, the phylogenetic relationships between different subgenera of culicoides have never been studied. phylogenetic analyses of 42 species belonging to 12 subgenera and 8 ungrouped species of genus culicoides from ecuador, france, gabon, madagascar and tunisia were carried out usin ... | 2017 | 28643630 |