Abstract
Several species of Culicoides (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) biting midges serve as biological vectors for the bluetongue virus (BTV) and the recently described Schmallenberg virus (SBV) in northern Europe. Since their recent emergence in this part of the continent, these diseases have caused considerable economic losses to the sheep and cattle industries. Much data is now available that describe the distribution, population dynamics, and feeding habits of these insects. However, little is known regarding the presence of Culicoides in unusual habitats such as peaty marshes, nor their potential vector capacity. This study evaluated Culicoides biting midges present in the bogs of a Belgian nature reserve compared to those residing at a nearby cattle farm. Culicoides were trapped in 2011 at four different sites (broadleaved and coniferous forested areas, open environments, and at a scientific station) located in the Hautes Fagnes Nature Reserve (Belgium). An additional light trap was operated on a nearby cattle farm. Very high numbers of biting midges were captured in the marshy area and most of them (70 to 95%) were Culicoides impunctatus, a potential vector of BTV and other pathogens. In addition, fewer numbers of C. obsoletus/C. scoticus species, C. chiopterus, and C. dewulfi were observed in the bogs compared to the farm. The wet environment and oligotrophic nature of the soil were probably responsible for these changes in the respective populations. A total of 297,808 Culicoides midges belonging to 27 species were identified during this study and 3 of these species (C. sphagnumensis, C. clintoni and C. comosioculatus) were described in Belgium for the first time.
Highlights
Numerous insects worldwide serve as vectors for various human and animal diseases and hematophagous diptera represent an important group
Four study sites were selected within the wetland, namely a broadleaved forest area, a coniferous forest area, an open area with a pond located at about 100 m from the meadow where part of the sheep flock grazes, and the Scientific Station of Hautes Fagnes (SSHF) which is located at Mount Rigi in the reserve approximately 5 km from the previous three study sites
At the four study sites located in the reserve or at its periphery 70–95% of biting midges belonged to the species C. impunctatus Goetghebuer whereas less than 10% of specimens belonged to the Obsoletus complex that comprised the two most abundant species at the nearby farm
Summary
Numerous insects worldwide serve as vectors for various human and animal diseases and hematophagous diptera represent an important group Included in this group are the biting midges that belong to the family Ceratopogonidae, genus Culicoides Latreille 1809 [1]. About 1,400 species of Culicoides (mainly crepuscular or nocturnal) are described throughout the world, but only a few species may act as biological virus vectors [2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11] In recent years these bloodsucking insects (ranging between 1– 4 mm) have been associated with outbreaks of important viral epizoonoses in northern Europe, including bluetongue (BT) in 2006 [12] and Schmallenberg disease (SB) in 2011 [13,14]. Analysis of the evolution of BT in Europe highlights the risk of the emergence of new serotypes or viral recombination when multiple serotypes are present in the same region, such as in France [15]
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