Medical and Veterinary Entomology (2011) 25, 320-326

G.J. Venter, I.M. Wright, R. Del Rio, J. Lucientes and M.A. Miranda (2011)
The susceptibility of Culicoides imicola and other South African livestock-associated Culicoides species to infection with bluetongue virus serotype 8
Medical and Veterinary Entomology 25 (3), 320-326
Abstract: In 2006, a strain of bluetongue virus serotype 8 (BTV-8) of sub-Saharan origin was responsible for the first outbreaks in recorded history of clinical bluetongue disease (BT) in northern Europe. In this study, we examine the oral susceptibility of Culicoides (Avaritia) imicola Kieffer (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) and other livestock-associated Culicoides species from southern Africa to infection with several strains of BTV-8. Following feeding using an artificial membrane-based method and incubation, virus was found in <1% of C. imicola individuals tested. Higher rates of susceptibility were found, however, for a variety of other South African species, including Culicoides (Avaritia) bolitinos Meiswinkel. Although these results do not preclude the role of C. imicola as a vector of BTV-8, its low susceptibility to BTV indicates that other less abundant Culicoides species may have the potential to play decisive roles in the epidemiology of this virus and should not be excluded from risk assessment studies.
(The abstract is excluded from the Creative Commons licence and has been copied with permission by the publisher.)
Link to article at publishers website
Database assignments for author(s): Gert J. Venter, Miguel Angel Miranda, Javier Lucientes

Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
general biology - morphology - evolution

---

Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Culicoides imicola		South Africa
	Culicoides bolitinos		South Africa