title: Phenology and attraction of potential Culicoides vectors of bluetongue virus in Basque Country (northern Spain).
abstract: Bluetongue virus is transmitted by Culicoides biting midges (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae). Culicoides associated with livestock were captured using CDC blacklight traps at three BTV-infected farms in Basque Country between November 2007 and December 2008. Twenty-seven and nineteen Culicoides species were collected in outdoor and indoor habitats respectively. Indoor insect community represented 86.1% of the whole captured individual biting midges. Culicoides obsoletus/Culicoides scoticus (two sibling species of the Obsoletus complex) were dominant throughout all months and sexes with maximum phenological peaks in November 2007 and June-July 2008. Culicoides lupicaris was the second most dominant species followed by Culicoides pulicaris (both species of the Pulicaris complex). Few specimens of Culicoides imicola, the principal Afro-Mediterranean vector of BTV, as well as four new species recorded for the Iberian Peninsula, were also collected. BTV was detected by RT-PCR from pools of C. obsoletus/C. scoticus, C. lupicaris and C. pulicaris parous females. DL-Lactic acid significantly attracted more C. obsoletus/C. scoticus females and males, C. lupicaris females, C. pulicaris females and Culicoides punctatus females and males; whereas acetone increased only the captures of Culicoides achrayi.
authors.affiliation: NEIKER-TECNALIA, Basque Institute of Agricultural Research and Development, Entomology and Virology Laboratory, 46 01080 Vitoria, Spain.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Romón
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Higuera
authors.forename: J-C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Delécolle
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Baldet
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Aduriz
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Goldarazena
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001820:Bluetongue virus / Q000502:physiology*; D002519:Ceratopogonidae / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology* / Q000821:virology*; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D013030:Spain