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Mestre F, Pereira AL, Araújo MB. Climate correlates of bluetongue incidence in southern Portugal. MEDICAL AND VETERINARY ENTOMOLOGY 2024. [PMID: 39031652 DOI: 10.1111/mve.12738] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2023] [Accepted: 06/10/2024] [Indexed: 07/22/2024]
Abstract
Model forecasts of the spatiotemporal occurrence dynamics of diseases are necessary and can help understand and thus manage future disease outbreaks. In our study, we used ecological niche modelling to assess the impact of climate on the vector suitability for bluetongue disease, a disease affecting livestock production with important economic consequences. Specifically, we investigated the relationship between the occurrence of bluetongue outbreaks and the environmental suitability of each of the four vector species studied. We found that the main vector for bluetongue disease, Culicoides imicola, a typically tropical and subtropical species, was a strong predictor for disease outbreak occurrence in a region of southern Portugal from 2004 to 2021. The results highlight the importance of understanding the climatic factors that might influence vector presence to help manage infectious disease impacts. When diseases impact economically relevant species, the impacts go beyond mortality and have important economic consequences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frederico Mestre
- 'Rui Nabeiro' Biodiversity Chair-Mediterranean Institute for Agriculture, Environment and Development (MED) & Global Change and Sustainability Institute, Institute for Advanced Studies and Research (CHANGE), Universidade de Évora, Évora, Portugal
| | | | - Miguel B Araújo
- 'Rui Nabeiro' Biodiversity Chair-Mediterranean Institute for Agriculture, Environment and Development (MED) & Global Change and Sustainability Institute, Institute for Advanced Studies and Research (CHANGE), Universidade de Évora, Évora, Portugal
- Department of Biogeography and Global Change, National Museum of Natural Sciences, CSIC, Madrid, Spain
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Fetene E, Teka G, Dejene H, Mandefro D, Teshome T, Temesgen D, Negussie H, Mulatu T, Jaleta MB, Leta S. Modeling the spatial distribution of Culicoides species (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) as vectors of animal diseases in Ethiopia. Sci Rep 2022; 12:12904. [PMID: 35902616 PMCID: PMC9334590 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-16911-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2022] [Accepted: 07/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Culicoides biting midges (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) are the major vectors of bluetongue, Schmallenberg, and African horse sickness viruses. This study was conducted to survey Culicoides species in different parts of Ethiopia and to develop habitat suitability for the major Culicoides species in Ethiopia. Culicoides traps were set in different parts of the country from December 2018 to April 2021 using UV light Onderstepoort traps and the collected Culicoides were sorted to species level. To develop the species distribution model for the two predominant Culicoides species, namely Culicoides imicola and C. kingi, an ensemble modeling technique was used with the Biomod2 package of R software. KAPPA True skill statistics (TSS) and ROC curve were used to evaluate the accuracy of species distribution models. In the ensemble modeling, models which score TSS values greater than 0.8 were considered. Negative binomialregression models were used to evaluate the relationship between C. imicola and C. kingi catch and various environmental and climatic factors. During the study period, a total of 9148 Culicoides were collected from 66 trapping sites. Of the total 9148, 8576 of them belongs to seven species and the remaining 572 Culicoides were unidentified. The predominant species was C. imicola (52.8%), followed by C. kingi (23.6%). The abundance of these two species was highly influenced by the agro-ecological zone of the capture sites and the proximity of the capture sites to livestock farms. Climatic variables such as mean annual minimum and maximum temperature and mean annual rainfall were found to influence the catch of C. imicola at the different study sites. The ensemble model performed very well for both species with KAPPA (0.9), TSS (0.98), and ROC (0.999) for C. imicola and KAPPA (0.889), TSS (0.999), and ROC (0.999) for C. kingi. Culicoides imicola has a larger suitability range compared to C. kingi. The Great Rift Valley in Ethiopia, the southern and eastern parts of the country, and the areas along the Blue Nile and Lake Tana basins in northern Ethiopia were particularly suitable for C. imicola. High suitability for C. kingi was found in central Ethiopia and the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Region (SNNPR). The habitat suitability model developed here could help researchers better understand where the above vector-borne diseases are likely to occur and target surveillance to high-risk areas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eyerusalem Fetene
- College of Veterinary Medicine and Agriculture, Addis Ababa University, P. O. Box 34, Bishoftu, Ethiopia
| | - Getachew Teka
- College of Veterinary Medicine and Agriculture, Addis Ababa University, P. O. Box 34, Bishoftu, Ethiopia
| | - Hana Dejene
- College of Veterinary Medicine and Agriculture, Addis Ababa University, P. O. Box 34, Bishoftu, Ethiopia.,Faculty of Agriculture and Veterinary Science, Ambo University, P.O. Box 19, Ambo, Ethiopia
| | - Deresegn Mandefro
- College of Veterinary Medicine and Agriculture, Addis Ababa University, P. O. Box 34, Bishoftu, Ethiopia
| | - Tsedale Teshome
- College of Veterinary Medicine and Agriculture, Addis Ababa University, P. O. Box 34, Bishoftu, Ethiopia
| | - Dawit Temesgen
- College of Veterinary Medicine and Agriculture, Addis Ababa University, P. O. Box 34, Bishoftu, Ethiopia
| | - Haileleul Negussie
- College of Veterinary Medicine and Agriculture, Addis Ababa University, P. O. Box 34, Bishoftu, Ethiopia
| | - Tesfaye Mulatu
- National Animal Health Diagnostic and Investigation Centre (NAHDIC), P. O. Box 4, Sebeta, Ethiopia
| | - Megarsa Bedasa Jaleta
- College of Veterinary Medicine and Agriculture, Addis Ababa University, P. O. Box 34, Bishoftu, Ethiopia
| | - Samson Leta
- College of Veterinary Medicine and Agriculture, Addis Ababa University, P. O. Box 34, Bishoftu, Ethiopia.
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Kadjoudj N, Bounamous A, Kouba Y, Dik B, Zeroual S, Amira A, Chenchouni H. Composition and diversity of Culicoides biting midges (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) in rural and suburban environments of Algeria. Acta Trop 2022; 234:106588. [PMID: 35803337 DOI: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2022.106588] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2022] [Revised: 07/01/2022] [Accepted: 07/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/01/2022]
Abstract
Culicoides biting midges are well known biological vectors of several arboviruses causing more than 100 veterinary and medical diseases worldwide. In Algeria, bluetongue virus, which is transmitted by Culicoides midges, is responsible for one of the most critical insect-borne diseases of sheep. For example, this disease caused clinically severe morbidity of about 2,661 confirmed cases out of 21,175 susceptible sheep in Algeria. This study compared the abundance, richness, and diversity of Culicoides species in rural and suburban environments of semi-arid regions in North Africa. It examined the potential influence of the bio-climatic factors on the variation of population sizes and the elevation distribution of biting midges. Specimen collection was carried out from June to September during two successive years (2018 and 2019) using CDC light traps installed at 15 sites in different environments. Culicoides specimens were dissected, slide-mounted, and morphologically identified using the interactive identification key IIKC and various standard morphological criteria. A total of 1,046 Culicoides specimens (1,024 females and 22 males) were trapped and classified into 22 species, belonged to nine distinct subgenera. Two new species records for Algeria and even North Africa are reported: Culicoides albicans (Winnertz, 1852) and Culicoides nubeculosus (Meigen, 1830). Culicoides newsteadi Austen, 1921 (51.6%) was the dominant species, and it was followed by Culicoides punctatus (Meigen, 1804) (16.3%) and Culicoides odiatus Austen, 1921 (11.5%). These three species, comprising 80% of the collected Culicoides, were the most abundant both outside and inside livestock stables in rural and suburban environments. Species diversity was similar in the two settings, with a slight increase in suburban environments. None of the Culicoides species encountered correlated significantly with the climatic factors (mean temperature, precipitation, and relative humidity). Elevation was the most determinant environmental parameter that affected the abundance and distribution of Culicoides midges in the semi-arid and sub-humid areas studied. The maximum distribution of Culicoides species was detected at mid elevations (400‒800 m). Using a modeling approach, we explored for the first time the variation of composition and diversity in Culicoides communities within different climatic regions, environments and livestock settings in Algeria. This survey deepens our understanding of the relationships among environmental factors, abundance, diversity, and geographic distribution of Culicoides. This is a crucial step to assess the epidemiological situation of the diseases transmitted by these biting midges and to allow mitigation of the associated risks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nadia Kadjoudj
- Laboratory of Natural Sciences and Materials, Institute of Science and Technology, University Center A. Boussouf of Mila, Mila 43000, Algeria
| | - Azzedine Bounamous
- Laboratory of Natural Sciences and Materials, Institute of Science and Technology, University Center A. Boussouf of Mila, Mila 43000, Algeria
| | - Yacine Kouba
- Department of Geography and Spatial Planning, Larbi Ben Mhidi University, 04000, Algeria
| | - Bilal Dik
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Selçuk University, Konya 42250, Turkey
| | - Samir Zeroual
- Laboratory of Genetics, biotechnology and valorization of bio-resources, University Mohamed Khider, Biskra, Algeria
| | - Aicha Amira
- Laboratory of Natural Sciences and Materials, Institute of Science and Technology, University Center A. Boussouf of Mila, Mila 43000, Algeria
| | - Haroun Chenchouni
- Department of Forest Management, Higher National School of Forests, Khenchela 40000, Algeria; Laboratory of Natural Resources and Management of Sensitive Environments 'RNAMS', Larbi Ben Mhidi University, Oum-El-Bouaghi 04000, Algeria.
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Occurrence of Biting Midges (Diptera: Culicoides) on Dairy Farms in Eastern Slovakia in Relation to Abiotic Factors. FOLIA VETERINARIA 2021. [DOI: 10.2478/fv-2021-0037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Within the scope of our research, we have performed 59 trapping sessions and collected 15,756 biting midges from 20 species at four farms (Kluknava, Ostrov, Turňa nad Bodovou and Zemplínska Teplica), The most frequent types of captured insects were representatives of the Avaritia subgenus, C. obsoletus/C. scoticus, representing on average 85.1 % (13,295 individuals) of the fauna of the biting midges, with the exception of the farm in Ostrov where this group represented only 41.7 % of the fauna. At this particular farm, the most frequently trapped insects belonged to the Culicoides subgenus (54.1 %), in particular the C. bysta, C. lupicaris, C. newsteadi, C. Pulicaris and C. Punctatus species. During the trapping sessions, we monitored factors affecting the number of trapped biting midges, such as the temperature, relative air humidity and airflow rate: the air temperature during the trapping of the biting midges ranged from 9.8 to 26.2 °C; the relative air humidity ranged from 35.1 to 100 %; and the air flow rate ranged from no wind to a wind velocity of 8.2 m.s-1. However, in the final evaluation, we failed to observe a statistically significant correlation between the air flow and the number of trapped biting midges. The largest amounts of biting midges were trapped at temperatures ranging from 15.8 to 24.6 °C and at a relative air humidity ranging from 54.2 % to 68.6 %. While monitoring the seasonal dynamics of the physiological conditions of biting midge females at the selected farms, we confirmed that during the period from June to August, the most frequently trapped females were parous (50.1 %; 7,826 individuals). In addition, nulliparous females comprised 43.8 % (6,842 individuals) and were continuously trapped throughout the season (April— November).
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Ramilo DW, Filipe AM, Lucientes J, Rebelo MT, Cardoso L, da Fonseca IP. Morphological anomalies found in female Culicoides midges (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae). Biologia (Bratisl) 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s11756-021-00822-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
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Carvalho LPC, Pereira Júnior AM, Pessoa FAC, Medeiros JF. Biting Midges in Jamari National Forest, in the Brazilian Amazon, With 12 New Records of Culicoides Species (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) for the State of Rondônia. JOURNAL OF MEDICAL ENTOMOLOGY 2021; 58:465-470. [PMID: 32652043 DOI: 10.1093/jme/tjaa138] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Culicoides biting midges are small hematophagous flies, some species of which transmit pathogens to livestock and humans. In the Brazilian Amazon Basin, Culicoides diversity has remained largely unexamined. Jamari National Forest (JNF) is a conservation area in Rondônia State where research and environmental education are conducted in conjunction with the protection of natural resources, and the recovery of degraded areas. The present study augments our knowledge of Culicoides diversity in JNF. The survey collected 640 individuals from 41 species; 632 individuals were collected by HP light trap and 8 were collected by the BG Sentinel trap. Twelve species are first-time records for Rondônia: Culicoides acotylus Lutz, Culicoides albuquerquei Wirth & Blanton, Culicoides baniwa Felippe-Bauer, Culicoides bricenoi Ortiz, Culicoides brownei Spinelli, Culicoides carsiomelas Wirth & Blanton, Culicoides debilipalpis Lutz, Culicoides forattinii Ortiz, Culicoides ginesi Ortiz, Culicoides profundus Santarém, Felippe-Bauer & Trindade, Culicoides pseudoreticulatus Santarém, Felippe-Bauer & Castellón, and Culicoides spurius Santarém, Felippe-Bauer & Trindade. The most abundant species were Culicoides glabrior Macfie, Culicoides pseudodiabolicus Fox, Culicoides debilipalpis, Culicoides quasiparaensis Clastrier, and Culicoides brownei Spinelli. The present study updates the Culicoides species count in Rondônia to 55, and highlights the importance of JNF as a hotbed for biting midge diversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luis Paulo Costa Carvalho
- Programa de Pós Graduação em Biologia Experimental, Fundação Universidade Federal de Rondônia, Porto Velho, RO, Brazil
- Laboratório de Entomologia, Fiocruz Rondônia, Rua da Beira, Lagoa, Porto Velho, RO, Brazil
| | | | - Felipe Arley Costa Pessoa
- Laboratório de Ecologia de Doenças Transmissíveis na Amazônia, Instituto Leônidas e Maria Deane, Fiocruz Amazônia, Rua Terezina, Adrianópolis, Manaus, AM, Brazil
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Barceló C, Purse BV, Estrada R, Lucientes J, Miranda MÁ, Searle KR. Environmental Drivers of Adult Seasonality and Abundance of Biting Midges Culicoides (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae), Bluetongue Vector Species in Spain. JOURNAL OF MEDICAL ENTOMOLOGY 2021; 58:350-364. [PMID: 32885822 DOI: 10.1093/jme/tjaa160] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Bluetongue is a viral disease affecting wild and domestic ruminants transmitted by several species of biting midges Culicoides Latreille. The phenology of these insects were analyzed in relation to potential environmental drivers. Data from 329 sites in Spain were analyzed using Bayesian Generalized Linear Mixed Model (GLMM) approaches. The effects of environmental factors on adult female seasonality were contrasted. Obsoletus complex species (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) were the most prevalent across sites, followed by Culicoides newsteadi Austen (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae). Activity of female Obsoletus complex species was longest in sites at low elevation, with warmer spring average temperatures and precipitation, as well as in sites with high abundance of cattle. The length of the Culicoides imicola Kieffer (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) female adult season was also longest in sites at low elevation with higher coverage of broad-leaved vegetation. Long adult seasons of C. newsteadi were found in sites with warmer autumns and higher precipitation, high abundance of sheep. Culicoides pulicaris (Linnaeus) (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) had longer adult periods in sites with a greater number of accumulated degree days over 10°C during winter. These results demonstrate the eco-climatic and seasonal differences among these four taxa in Spain, which may contribute to determining sites with suitable environmental circumstances for each particular species to inform assessments of the risk of Bluetongue virus outbreaks in this region.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlos Barceló
- Applied Zoology and Animal Conservation Research Group, Department of Biology, University of the Balearic Islands (UIB), Ctra. Valldemossa Km 7.5, Palma de Mallorca, Spain
| | - Bethan V Purse
- Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom
| | - Rosa Estrada
- Department of Animal Pathology, Faculty of Veterinary, University of Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain
| | - Javier Lucientes
- Department of Animal Pathology, Faculty of Veterinary, University of Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain
| | - Miguel Á Miranda
- Applied Zoology and Animal Conservation Research Group, Department of Biology, University of the Balearic Islands (UIB), Ctra. Valldemossa Km 7.5, Palma de Mallorca, Spain
| | - Kate R Searle
- Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Bush Estate, Edinburgh, Scotland
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Aguilar-Vega C, Fernández-Carrión E, Lucientes J, Sánchez-Vizcaíno JM. A model for the assessment of bluetongue virus serotype 1 persistence in Spain. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0232534. [PMID: 32353863 PMCID: PMC7192634 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0232534] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2019] [Accepted: 04/16/2020] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Bluetongue virus (BTV) is an arbovirus of ruminants that has been circulating in Europe continuously for more than two decades and has become endemic in some countries such as Spain. Spain is ideal for BTV epidemiological studies since BTV outbreaks from different sources and serotypes have occurred continuously there since 2000; BTV-1 has been reported there from 2007 to 2017. Here we develop a model for BTV-1 endemic scenario to estimate the risk of an area becoming endemic, as well as to identify the most influential factors for BTV-1 persistence. We created abundance maps at 1-km2 spatial resolution for the main vectors in Spain, Culicoides imicola and Obsoletus and Pulicaris complexes, by combining environmental satellite data with occurrence models and a random forest machine learning algorithm. The endemic model included vector abundance and host-related variables (farm density). The three most relevant variables in the endemic model were the abundance of C. imicola and Obsoletus complex and density of goat farms (AUC 0.86); this model suggests that BTV-1 is more likely to become endemic in central and southwestern regions of Spain. It only requires host- and vector-related variables to identify areas at greater risk of becoming endemic for bluetongue. Our results highlight the importance of suitable Culicoides spp. prediction maps for bluetongue epidemiological studies and decision-making about control and eradication measures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cecilia Aguilar-Vega
- VISAVET Health Surveillance Centre, Animal Health Department, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Eduardo Fernández-Carrión
- VISAVET Health Surveillance Centre, Animal Health Department, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Javier Lucientes
- Department of Animal Pathology (Animal Health), AgriFood Institute of Aragón IA2, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain
| | - José Manuel Sánchez-Vizcaíno
- VISAVET Health Surveillance Centre, Animal Health Department, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
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Barceló C, Estrada R, Lucientes J, Miranda MA. A Mondrian matrix of seasonal patterns of Culicoides nulliparous and parous females at different latitudes in Spain. Res Vet Sci 2020; 129:154-163. [PMID: 32000016 DOI: 10.1016/j.rvsc.2020.01.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2019] [Revised: 01/17/2020] [Accepted: 01/22/2020] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Insects from genus Culicoides (Diptera; Ceratopogonidae) transmit arboviruses such as Bluetongue virus (BTV); affecting wild and domestic ruminants. These insects are age graded for monitoring purposes in surveillance programs. Parous females (PF) are the only fraction of the entire population that could effectively transmit viruses in a subsequent blood meal. Data of the Spanish Entomosurveillance National Program from 2008 to 2010 were used to analyse the seasonal pattern of the nulliparous females (NF) and PF of the vector species Obsoletus complex, C. imicola, C. newsteadi and C. pulicaris. Latitude variation on the seasonal abundance patterns of PF was also analysed in trap sites spanning a North-South axis in mainland Spain. The weekly abundance of PF was always highest in summer. The peak of abundance mainly occurred between April and July except for C. imicola that was from September to November. The analysis of the latitudinal seasonal variation of PF in Spain showed that Northern provinces have absence of C. imicola while the Obsoletus species were more present in Northern areas. There were periods of the year were no individuals of any vector species were collected, which should be considered in order to calculate the Seasonally Vector-Free Period (SVFP). Culicoides newsteadi and C. pulicaris exhibited the highest population in Toledo, probably related to their inland preferences. These findings would be of interest for a better understanding of the periods of low and high risk of transmission of BTV in Spain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlos Barceló
- Applied zoology and animal conservation research group, Department of Biology, University of the Balearic Islands (UIB), Ctra. Valldemossa Km 7.5, 07122 Palma de Mallorca, Spain.
| | - Rosa Estrada
- Department of Animal Pathology, AgriFood Institute of Aragón (IA2), Veterinary Faculty, 50013 Zaragoza, Spain
| | - Javier Lucientes
- Department of Animal Pathology, AgriFood Institute of Aragón (IA2), Veterinary Faculty, 50013 Zaragoza, Spain
| | - Miguel A Miranda
- Applied zoology and animal conservation research group, Department of Biology, University of the Balearic Islands (UIB), Ctra. Valldemossa Km 7.5, 07122 Palma de Mallorca, Spain
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Updating the global occurrence of Culicoides imicola, a vector for emerging viral diseases. Sci Data 2019; 6:185. [PMID: 31570721 PMCID: PMC6768995 DOI: 10.1038/s41597-019-0197-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2019] [Accepted: 08/16/2019] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Culicoides imicola is the main vector transmitting viruses causing animal diseases such as Bluetongue, African Horse Sickness, and Schmallenberg. It has become widely distributed, with reports from South Africa to southern Europe, and from western Africa to southern China. This study presents a global compendium of Culicoides imicola occurrence between 1943 and 2018, reflecting the most recently compiled and harmonized global dataset derived from peer-reviewed literature. The procedures used in producing the data, as well as the geo-coding methods, database management and technical validation procedures are described. The study provides an updated and comprehensive global database of C. imicola occurrence, consisting of 1 039 geo-coded records from 50 countries. The datasets can be used for risk mapping of the diseases transmitted by C. imicola as well as to develop the global habitat suitability for the vector.
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Cuéllar AC, Jung Kjær L, Baum A, Stockmarr A, Skovgard H, Nielsen SA, Andersson MG, Lindström A, Chirico J, Lühken R, Steinke S, Kiel E, Gethmann J, Conraths FJ, Larska M, Smreczak M, Orłowska A, Hamnes I, Sviland S, Hopp P, Brugger K, Rubel F, Balenghien T, Garros C, Rakotoarivony I, Allène X, Lhoir J, Chavernac D, Delécolle JC, Mathieu B, Delécolle D, Setier-Rio ML, Venail R, Scheid B, Chueca MÁM, Barceló C, Lucientes J, Estrada R, Mathis A, Tack W, Bødker R. Monthly variation in the probability of presence of adult Culicoides populations in nine European countries and the implications for targeted surveillance. Parasit Vectors 2018; 11:608. [PMID: 30497537 PMCID: PMC6267925 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-018-3182-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2018] [Accepted: 11/05/2018] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Biting midges of the genus Culicoides (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) are small hematophagous insects responsible for the transmission of bluetongue virus, Schmallenberg virus and African horse sickness virus to wild and domestic ruminants and equids. Outbreaks of these viruses have caused economic damage within the European Union. The spatio-temporal distribution of biting midges is a key factor in identifying areas with the potential for disease spread. The aim of this study was to identify and map areas of neglectable adult activity for each month in an average year. Average monthly risk maps can be used as a tool when allocating resources for surveillance and control programs within Europe. METHODS We modelled the occurrence of C. imicola and the Obsoletus and Pulicaris ensembles using existing entomological surveillance data from Spain, France, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Poland. The monthly probability of each vector species and ensembles being present in Europe based on climatic and environmental input variables was estimated with the machine learning technique Random Forest. Subsequently, the monthly probability was classified into three classes: Absence, Presence and Uncertain status. These three classes are useful for mapping areas of no risk, areas of high-risk targeted for animal movement restrictions, and areas with an uncertain status that need active entomological surveillance to determine whether or not vectors are present. RESULTS The distribution of Culicoides species ensembles were in agreement with their previously reported distribution in Europe. The Random Forest models were very accurate in predicting the probability of presence for C. imicola (mean AUC = 0.95), less accurate for the Obsoletus ensemble (mean AUC = 0.84), while the lowest accuracy was found for the Pulicaris ensemble (mean AUC = 0.71). The most important environmental variables in the models were related to temperature and precipitation for all three groups. CONCLUSIONS The duration periods with low or null adult activity can be derived from the associated monthly distribution maps, and it was also possible to identify and map areas with uncertain predictions. In the absence of ongoing vector surveillance, these maps can be used by veterinary authorities to classify areas as likely vector-free or as likely risk areas from southern Spain to northern Sweden with acceptable precision. The maps can also focus costly entomological surveillance to seasons and areas where the predictions and vector-free status remain uncertain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Carolina Cuéllar
- Division for Diagnostics and Scientific Advice, National Veterinary Institute, Technical University of Denmark (DTU), Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Lene Jung Kjær
- Division for Diagnostics and Scientific Advice, National Veterinary Institute, Technical University of Denmark (DTU), Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Andreas Baum
- Department of Applied Mathematics and Computer Science, Technical University of Denmark (DTU), Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Anders Stockmarr
- Department of Applied Mathematics and Computer Science, Technical University of Denmark (DTU), Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Henrik Skovgard
- Department of Agroecology - Entomology and Plant Pathology, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Søren Achim Nielsen
- Department of Science and Environment, Roskilde University, Roskilde, Denmark
| | | | | | - Jan Chirico
- National Veterinary Institute (SVA), Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Renke Lühken
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, WHO Collaborating Centre for Arbovirus and Hemorrhagic Fever Reference and Research National Reference Centre for Tropical Infectious Diseases, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Sonja Steinke
- Department of Biology and Environmental Sciences, Carl von Ossietzky University, Oldenburg, Germany
| | - Ellen Kiel
- Department of Biology and Environmental Sciences, Carl von Ossietzky University, Oldenburg, Germany
| | - Jörn Gethmann
- Institute of Epidemiology, Friedrich Loeffler Institute, Greifswald, Germany
| | - Franz J. Conraths
- Institute of Epidemiology, Friedrich Loeffler Institute, Greifswald, Germany
| | - Magdalena Larska
- Department of Virology, National Veterinary Research Institute, Pulawy, Poland
| | - Marcin Smreczak
- Department of Virology, National Veterinary Research Institute, Pulawy, Poland
| | - Anna Orłowska
- Department of Virology, National Veterinary Research Institute, Pulawy, Poland
| | | | | | - Petter Hopp
- Norwegian Veterinary Institute, Oslo, Norway
| | | | - Franz Rubel
- Institute for Veterinary Public Health, Vetmeduni, Vienna, Austria
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Jean-Claude Delécolle
- Institute of Parasitology and Tropical Pathology of Strasbourg, EA7292, Université de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
| | - Bruno Mathieu
- Institute of Parasitology and Tropical Pathology of Strasbourg, EA7292, Université de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
| | - Delphine Delécolle
- Institute of Parasitology and Tropical Pathology of Strasbourg, EA7292, Université de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
| | | | - Roger Venail
- EID Méditerranée, Montpellier, France
- Avia-GIS NV, Zoersel, Belgium
| | | | | | - Carlos Barceló
- Laboratory of Zoology, University of the Balearic Islands, Palma, Spain
| | - Javier Lucientes
- Department of Animal Pathology, University of Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain
| | - Rosa Estrada
- Department of Animal Pathology, University of Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain
| | - Alexander Mathis
- Institute of Parasitology, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | | | - René Bødker
- Division for Diagnostics and Scientific Advice, National Veterinary Institute, Technical University of Denmark (DTU), Lyngby, Denmark
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