A light-trap survey was undertaken of the species composition, seasonal abundance and parity of Culicoides at Roma, Lesotho, to establish whether the likely vectors for bluetongue and African horse sickness occur in this area as well as the chance of transmission. A total of 34 catches was made between 21 September 1985 and 24 September 1986; 32,819 Culicoides were caught belonging to 19 specie...

Bluetongue virus (BTV) and epizootic haemorrhagic disease virus (EHDV) are related orbiviruses, transmitted between their ruminant hosts primarily by certain haematophagous midge vectors (Culicoides spp.). The larger of the BTV outer-capsid proteins, 'VP2', can be cleaved by proteases (including trypsin or chymotrypsin), forming infectious subviral particles (ISVP) which have enhanced infectivi...

Black light traps were used to measure the seasonal and geographical distribution of Culicoides spp. (biting midges or no-see-ums) at 9 cowsheds in the southern half of the Republic of Korea (ROK) from June through October 2010. A total of 25,242 Culicoides females (24,852; 98.5%) and males (390; 1.5%) comprising of 9 species were collected. The most commonly collected species was Culicoides pu...

In 2006 and 2011, two biting-midge-borne arboviruses of high veterinary importance emerged for the first time in Central Europe: bluetongue virus (BTV) Schmallenberg (SBV). Members native Obsoletus Pulicaris Groups were soon identified as potential vectors. However, despite several years extensive taxonomic research on these groups, correct species identification differentiation from closely re...

The identity of vectors of disease are often required speedily in epidemiological studies but with a precision which excludes as many other species as possible. Identification keys usually require the examination of many different parts of the suspected vector to pinpoint the species. This consumes considerable time and resources, so epidemiologists tend to ignore them. A simplified approach to...

The repellent efficacy of 15% N,N-diethyl-3-methylbenzamide (DEET), 0.6% citronella oil, and 0.3% alpha-cyano-cypermethrin against Culicoides species was compared in three 5x5 Latin squares (15 replicates) under South African field conditions. DEET, citronella oil or alpha-cyano-cypermethrin were applied to polyester meshes that were fitted to down-draught suction 220V UV light traps which were...

BACKGROUND 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 ...

Biting midges of the genus Culicoides (Diptera, Ceratopogonidae) are vectors of several viruses of veterinary relevance, and they can cause insect bite hypersensitivity. As the morphological identification of these tiny insects is a difficult task in many cases, alternative approaches are expedient. With the aim to develop real-time PCRs, we determined partial mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I...

Mexico is considered endemic for Leishmania; recent reports indicate autochthonous human and canine leishmaniasis caused by Leishmania mexicana in Sinaloa state. Lutzomyia sand fly are the primary vector of parasite, although no records phlebotomine vectors exist from Sinaloa. Other hematophagous dipterans, like Culicoides, could represent possible absence phlebotomines. The known distribution ...

Bluetongue (BT) is a viral disease causing morbidity and mortality in sheep, cattle and wild ruminants, including deer, sambar and bluebull. BT is endemic in many parts of India and its outbreak in Tamil Nadu during the monsoon season of 1997–98 caused the death of 300,000 sheep and goats. However, the extent of damage to the wild ruminants remains unknown. Current research for controlling BT i...