title: Culicoides sonorensis (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) is not a competent vector of Cache Valley virus (family Bunyaviridae, genus Orthobunyavirus).
abstract: We investigated the susceptibility of Culicoides sonorensis to Cache Valley virus (CVV) (family Bunyaviridae, genus Orthobunyavirus) infection and the potential that it could be a vector or site of virus reassortment. CVV is native to the New World and causes disease in livestock. Infected blood meals were fed to both a competent vector, Anopheles quadrimaculatus, and Culicoides sonorensis. All Anopheles mosquitoes were infected as expected, but only 21 % of the C. sonorensis insects were susceptible to infection. These appeared to present a midgut barrier, because virus persisted but did not disseminate. This means Culicoides sonorensis is not likely to be a vector of CVV but could be involved in viral reassortment. Schmallenberg virus (SBV) (family Bunyaviridae, genus Orthobunyavirus) was recently discovered in Europe and probably is a novel virus resulting from a reassortment of two orthobunyaviruses, and an ongoing epizootic in cattle and small ruminants has caused significant economic damage.
authors: US Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine PHR, 2510 5th Street, Wright-Patterson AFB, OH, 45433, USA, will.reeves@wpafb.af.mil.
authors: Will K
authors: WK
authors: Reeves
authors: Myrna M
authors: MM
authors: Miller
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000852:Anopheles / Q000821:virology; D002042:Bunyamwera virus / Q000502:physiology*; D002519:Ceratopogonidae / Q000821:virology*; D005260:Female; D007303:Insect Vectors / Q000821:virology*; D014779:Virus Replication / Q000502:physiology*