Epidemiology of bluetongue in Central America and the Caribbean: initial entomological findings

Abstract

Forty-four species of Culicoides (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) were caught in insect light traps during the first 2 years of studies on the epidemiology of bluetongue virus in the Caribbean and Central America. Traps were operated near sentinel ruminants which were bled monthly for serologic evaluation and then virus isolation. More than 570,000 individuals were identified. Culicoides insignis Lutz accounted for 90% of the catch, C. filarifer Hoffman/C. ocumarensis Ortiz 5%, C. furens Poey 3% and C. pusillus Lutz 2%. Other species accounted for less than 1% of the total catch. Sentinel ruminants became seropositive when C. insignis populations were high at many study sites. At a few sites C. pusillus and C. filarifer/C. ocumarensis were predominant or were present in large numbers during seroconversions of sentinels. Virus isolations were obtained from sentinel ruminants during times when these same species were present in large populations.

Bluetongue virus in South America, Central America and the Caribbean

“…In Central America and the Caribbean, and even in the Lesser Antilles, BTV is widespread (Greiner et al, 1993;Martinez et al, 2011;MacLachlan et al, 2007). This region seems to be a source of BTV for the rest of the continent with neither ecologic nor geographic barriers described to geographically isolate central America from North or South America (Mertens et al, 2009).…”

“…Most of the information available for this region is due to the efforts of the Regional Bluetongue team which started to work in the early 1980s (Greiner et al, 1992(Greiner et al, , 1993Thompson et al, 1992) studying the disease over eleven countries in the region. The Bluetongue Regional team and the Interamerican Bluetongue team (Gibbs et al, 1992;Mo et al, 1994) performed a large surveillance over eleven countries in the region.…”

“…From the early 1980s to the early 1990s, BTV was detected in Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Panamá, Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, French Martinique Island, French Guadeloupe Island and Dominican Republic (MacLachlan et al, 2007;Mo et al, 1994;Walton and Osburn, 1992). In this region, serotypes 1, 3,4,6,8,11,12,14 and 17 were detected by serotype specific antibodies and serotypes 1, 3, 4, 6, 8, 12 and 17 by virus isolation (Mo et al, 1994;Gibbs et al, 1992Gibbs et al, , 1983Greiner et al, 1989Greiner et al, , 1993Gumm et al, 1984;Homan et al, 1990). In 1981, Metcalf et al (1981) detected almost 80% of prevalence in Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands.…”

Ausencia de Anticuerpos IgG al virus de Schmallenberg en sueros de rumiantes (bovino, caprinos y ovinos) colectados en Costa Rica entre 2012 y 2014.

“…From these arthropods, 18 species were in the country, C. insignis being the most common species. It was demonstrated in that study that most of these Culicoides are able to transmit BTV (Greiner et al 1993). Another study on sheep confirmed the presence of BTV antibodies in 290 out of 370 sera analyzed in all Costa Rican regions except for the Brunca Region (Villagra-Blanco, Dolz & Montero-Caballero 2008).…”

Seasonal abundance of livestock‐associatedCulicoidesspecies in northeasternBrazil

“…The fact that this species was only captured in the corral supports its potential role in the transmission cycle of BTV. This species together with C. insignis has been captured in corral areas previously (Greiner et al , ).…”