Midge Species Capable of Carrying Virus

Female Culicoides obsoletus - one of the UK\'s suspected bluetongue vectors

The Press & Journal recently (4/9/08) published an article on Scotland’s current midge mapping project, funded by the Scottish Government. Within this 2 year project, APS is carrying out grid-based midge trapping across Scotland on farm sites. We are particularly interested in the Culicoides obsoletus group of midges (female C. obsoletus pictured opposite) and its potential role as a vector of bluetongue virus. This article highlights the pioneering molecular analysis carried out with this group of midges to provide a further level of species identification.

“FOUR of the midge species in Scotland that could potentially carry the deadly bluetongue virus can now be identified for the first time.

The discovery by scientists from Aberdeen University is seen as important as it gives statisticians working for the Scottish Government the information they now require to gauge the speed at which the virus might spread if it reaches Scotland.

Further research work at the Institute of Animal Health at Pirbright in Surrey is ongoing to find out if the four species of the Culicoides obsoletus midge family – chiopterus, dewulfi, obsoletus ss and scoticus – that have been found north of the border are capable of carrying a virus that over the last two years has devastated livestock production across mainland Europe and left farmers nursing millions of pounds of losses.

In southern Europe a different midge family – Culicoides imicola – is responsible for transmitting the various strains of the virus that originates in Africa.

But the worsening virus situation in northern Europe has shown that other midge families now also carry it.

Scotland’s Culicoides obsoletus family has already been implicated as a carrier and the work at Pirbright is attempting to find out if its member species can transmit bluetongue. The Aberdeen researchers identified the possible bluetongue carriers among 1million midges that were captured in 37 light traps set up on farms from the Borders to Thurso by Edinburgh-based Advanced Pest Solutions at the end of last year and early 2008.

The midge work has been funded by the Scottish Government.”

For the full article, follow this link

September 5, 2008 | Filed Under News, bluetongue

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Midge Study Presented at Nuffield Celebration Event 2008

Thomas Moens is a student from Portobello High School who has been working with APS all summer, investigating novel trapping methods for biting midges. Thomas recently presented his data at a celebration event held by the Nuffield Foundation, who had funded his bursary. This was held at the Royal College of Physicians in Edinburgh, 29th August 2008. The project concentrated on how to target traps at the group of midges thought to be the most likely vectors of bluetongue virus, were it to get into Scotland. The work involved a field trial on a local farm site, together with both morphological and molecular analysis of midge catches.

September 4, 2008 | Filed Under News, bluetongue

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