Preliminary note on the distribution and ecology of Culicoides imicola in Portugal

Abstract

Data on Culicoides imicola were obtained during studies carried out during the recent outbreak of African horse sickness in Portugal. The previous most northerly published record of C. imicola in Portugal was 38 degrees 40'N (Pégöes). In the present work the geographical distribution of this species is extended to the parallel of 41 degrees 17'N. We have also confirmed the continuous presence of adult C. imicola in Southern Portugal (Alentejo and Algarve) throughout the year. In the laboratory we obtained this species from a sample of cattle faeces and from another of soil contaminated with animal excreta. In relation to host association 57.37% of C. imicola were trapped in the vicinity of pigsties. Finally, we collected 11,463 Culicoides of which 12.47% were C. imicola.

Vector‐borne diseases and the basic reproduction number: a case study of African horse sickness

“…Midges may be highly seasonal in their population dynamics (Walker, 1977;Braverman et al, 1985;Mohammed & Mellor, 1990;Capela et al, 1993;Greiner et al, 1993), as may other vectors such as mosquitoes (Reeves et al, 1994). There can be many factors involved in this seasonality, such as temperature, Vector-borne disease and Ro 23 rainfall or photoperiod.…”

Presence in the Balearic Islands (Spain) of the midges Culicoides imicola and Culicoides obsoletus group

“…Although the presence of C. imicola and C. obsoletus group has been documented in the Iberian Peninsula (Capela et al ., 1993; Ortega & Holbrook, 1994; Ortega et al ., 1997), it was clear that there was still a lack of information as to the presence of such species in the Balearic Islands (Boorman et al ., 1985; Mellor, 1992).…”

Opinion of the Scientific Panel on Animal Health and Welfare (AHAW) on request from the Commission on bluetongue vectors and vaccines

“…These have culminated in the fairly detailed mapping of the distribution and seasonality of C. imicola and, in some cases, also of the Obsoletus and Pulicaris species complexes. Countries for which fairly comprehensive data have been accumulated are Morocco , Spain (Rawlings et al, 1997;Ortega et al, 1999;Sarto i Monteys and Saiz-Ardanaz, 2003;Calvete et al, 2006), Portugal (Capela et al, 1993;, the Balearic Isles (Miranda et al, 2003(Miranda et al, , 2004, Corsica , Italy Conte et al, 2003;Calistri et al, 2003;Meiswinkel et al, 2007 in press) and Greece (Patakakis, 2004). …”