Culicoides (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) and livestock in the Netherlands: comparing host preference and attack rates on a Shetland pony, a dairy cow, and a sheep

Abstract

Culicoides (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) host preferences and attack rates were quantified in early summer at a dairy farm in the Netherlands using livestock tethered at pasture. Midges were aspirated hourly over seven consecutive hours (17:00-23:00) from a dairy cow, a Shetland pony, and a sheep and correspondingly yielded seventeen, thirteen, and nine species. Of the 14,181 midges obtained, approximately 95% belonged to the C. obsoletus complex, C. dewulfi, C. chiopterus, and C. punctatus that together include all proven or potential vectors for arboviral diseases in livestock in northwestern Europe. On average, 7.6 and 3.5 times more Culicoides were collected, respectively, from the cow and the Shetland pony than from the sheep. In descending order of abundance, the C. obsoletus complex, C. dewulfi, and C. chiopterus dominated attacks on all three hosts, whereas C. punctatus and C. pulicaris favored only the two larger hosts. Irrespective of the host species involved, the three body regions attracted the same component species, C. chiopterus favoring the legs, C. punctatus and C. achrayi the belly, and the C. obsoletus complex, C. dewulfi, and C. pulicaris the head, back, and flanks. That known and potential vectors for animal diseases feed indiscriminately on a broad range of mammal hosts means that all major livestock species, including equines, are rendered susceptible to one or more Culicoides-borne pathogens. Journal of Vector Ecology 40 (2): 308-317. 2015.

Diel activity and preferred landing sites in Culicoides biting midges attacking Fjord horses

“…landed on all parts of the horse, in particular on the belly (64.3%), followed by the flank, the shoulder, the hindquarters, and the upper and lower leg (24.4% combined). Overall, with regard to host preference, our results mirror those obtained earlier (Townley et al, 1984;Elbers & Meiswinkel, 2015), adding further weight to the view that C. dewulfi, C. punctatus, C. obsoletus/scoticus, along with C. chiopterus, feed abundantly on horses. Conversely, C. dewulfi favoured the upper half of the horse, its numbers and areas of attack matching those of C. punctatus and C. obsoletus/scoticus.…”

“…These results mirror largely those obtained elsewhere in The Netherlands, where the same species dominated attacks on a Shetland pony, a cow, and an ewe (Elbers & Meiswinkel, 2015), and, independent of livestock breed, always targeted the same host area when biting; for example, C. chiopterus always favoured the legs (88%). landed on all parts of the horse, in particular on the belly (64.3%), followed by the flank, the shoulder, the hindquarters, and the upper and lower leg (24.4% combined).…”

“…Of the four most abundant species, C. chiopterus, C. punctatus, and C. obsoletus/scoticus predominated on the lower half of the horse, in particular on the belly, together making up 98% of the total midges captured. A similarly low BR was recorded for midges previously pootered off a Shetland pony (Elbers & Meiswinkel, 2015). These results mirror largely those obtained elsewhere in The Netherlands, where the same species dominated attacks on a Shetland pony, a cow, and an ewe (Elbers & Meiswinkel, 2015), and, independent of livestock breed, always targeted the same host area when biting; for example, C. chiopterus always favoured the legs (88%).…”

Latitudinal diversity of biting midge species within the Obsoletus group across three habitats in Europe

“…Species of the Obsoletus group are frequently associated with livestock, and therefore often found in large numbers at livestock farms (Elbers & Meiswinkel ; Steinke et al ; Möhlmann et al ). However, each species of the Obsoletus group seems to have its own breeding habitat and/or host preference.…”

Assessing the potential for Bluetongue virus 8 to spread and vaccination strategies in Scotland

“…In a monoculture where just sheep were farmed and the same number of Culicoides were feeding solely on sheep then the impact of BTv-8 on sheep would be considerably greater according to the model assumptions. However, there remains the potential for further dilution of BT through vectors feeding on non-susceptible hosts, in particular horses and ponies2627 or susceptible wildlife–in particular deer.…”