Experimental infection studies of ukCulicoides species midges with bluetongue virus serotypes 8 and 9
- S. Carpenter, BSc, PhD1,
- C. McArthur, BSc, MSc2,
- R. Selby, BSc, MSc2,
- R. Ward, BSc, MSc, PhD2,
- D. V. Nolan, BSc, PhD3,
- A. J. Mordue Luntz, BSc, PhD, FRES3,
- J. F. Dallas, BSc, PhD3,
- F. Tripet, BSc, PhD2 and
- P. S. Mellor, BSc, MSc, PhD, DSc, FRES, FHEA1
- 1 Institute for Animal Health (IAH) Pirbright, Ash Road, Woking, Surrey GU24 0BN
- 2 Centre for Applied Entomology and Parasitology, School of Life Sciences, Keele University, Staffordshire ST5 5BG
- 3 Institute of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Tillydrone Avenue, Aberdeen AB24 2TZ
Abstract
This paper describes a rapid, standardised method for testing the susceptibility to bluetongue virus (btv) of northern Palaearctic Culicoides species midges that can be used to assess the competence of both field-caught and laboratory-infected midges. The method has been used to show that Culicoides scoticus can replicate btv serotype 8 and btv serotype 9 strains to more than 3 log10 tcid50/midge, the first evidence of the potential of this species to transmit btv.
- British Veterinary Association. All rights reserved.
