Blood-feeding behavior of vesicular stomatitis virus infected Culicoides sonorensis (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae).
To determine whether vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) infection of Culicoides sonorensis Wirth & Jones (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) affects subsequent blood-feeding behavior, midges injected with either virus-infected or virus-free cell lysates were allowed to blood feed for short (10-min) or long (60-min) periods on 2, 3, and 4 d postinoculation (DPI). Generalized linear mixed models were fit to test the effects of infection status, duration of feeding period, and DPI on the percentage of females that blood fed. VSV-infection significantly reduced the percentage of females that blood fed on 2 DPI, the day of peak virus titer. On 3 DPI a significantly greater percentage of midges blood fed when allowed 60 min to feed. This effect was not seen on 2 and 4 DPI and was not dependent on VSV infection status. The impact of changes in blood-feeding behavior by infected insects on virus transmission is discussed.
Bennett
Kristine E
KE
USDA-ARS, Arthropod-Borne Animal Diseases Research Laboratory, Ag Bldg., Room 5031, Department 3354, 1000 E. University Ave., Laramie, WY 82071, USA. kristine.bennett@ars.usda.gov
Hopper
Jessica E
JE
Stuart
Melissa A
MA
West
Mark
M
Drolet
Barbara S
BS
D000818:Animals; D002519:Ceratopogonidae / Q000502:physiology* / Q000821:virology*; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D012756:Sheep / Q000097:blood; D013997:Time Factors; D054260:Vesicular stomatitis New Jersey virus / Q000502:physiology*