Seasonal abundance of livestock‐associatedCulicoidesspecies in northeasternBrazil

Abstract

Culicoides biting midges (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) are of great medical and veterinary importance because the haematophagous females of some species can transmit diseases to humans and animals. In order to determine the presence and seasonal abundance of the bluetongue virus (BTV) vector Culicoides insignis Lutz at domestic animal sheds in northeastern Brazil, insects were collected once a month between January and December 2010. Light traps were set from 18.00 to 06.00 hours at a pigsty, chicken coop and bovine corral. Culicoides insignis accounted for 81% of the 22,316 specimens collected. Other well-represented species were: Culicoides paucienfuscatus Barbosa (3246 individuals), Culicoides diabolicus Hoffman (308), Culicoides leopoldoi Ortiz (224) and Culicoides duartei Tavares and Luna Dias (221). The remainder accounted for 4% of the total sample. Culicoides insignis occurred mostly at the cattle corral, 98.2% in the rainy season. This study confirms the presence and close association of C. insignis with cattle in Maranhão state, northeastern Brazil and emphasizes the risk of bluetongue infections spreading in the area.

Significant reduction in abundance of peridomestic mosquitoes (Culicidae) and Culicoides midges (Ceratopogonidae) after insecticide intervention in western São Paulo, Brazil

“…Other common species collected such as C. insignis and C. pusillus, are known to be major and potential vectors of BTV, respectively [9,44]. Culicoides insignis is a widespread species often associated with animals and commonly found in pasture environments with cattle and pigs [42,[45][46][47][48] and to a lesser extent attracted towards poultry [41]. In spite of the low numbers collected, the roles of C. paraensis involved in OROV and C. debilipalpis, another competent BTV vector [49], should be considered in future health surveillance programs both for their vectorial capacity and annoyance of humans [50].…”

Ocorrência e fatores de risco da infecção pelo vírus da língua azul em bovinos no Estado de Pernambuco

“…De acordo com Andrade et al (2008) essa microrregião possui temperaturas médias anuais em torno dos 20°C, podendo passar dos 30°C nas épocas mais quentes e 15°C no período mais frio, com chuvas principalmente de abril a agosto (Borges Júnior et al 2012). Esses eventos podem contribuir para o aumento da população de insetos pelo aumento do desenvolvimento larval proporcionado pelas condições ambientais da região (Carvalho & Silva 2014).…”

A study of Culicoides in Rondônia, in the Brazilian Amazon: species composition, relative abundance and potential vectors

“…Greater numbers of this species were collected when light and cattle traps were used for attraction on cattle farms in the American Virgin Islands and in the Caribbean Region, respectively (Greiner et al , ; Saenz & Greiner, ). Of three outdoor environments in the northeast of Brazil, Carvalho & Silva () found that 98.2% of C. insignis were collected in cattle corrals. In southern Florida, 99.9% of C. insignis were captured in light traps (Kramer et al , ).…”