Vector Competence of Italian Populations of for Some Bluetongue Virus Strains Responsible for Recent Northern African and European Outbreaks

Overview

Journal Viruses

Publisher MDPI

Specialty Microbiology

Date 2019 Oct 17

PMID 31614799

Citations 10

Authors

Valentina Federici

Maria Goffredo

Giuseppe Mancini

Michela Quaglia

Adriana Santilli

Francesca Di Nicola

Matteo De Ascentis

Pierangela Cabras

Carmela Volpicelli

Claudio De Liberato

Giuseppe Satta

Giovanni Federico

Alessandra Leone

Maura Pisciella

Ottavio Portanti

Federica Pizzurro

Liana Teodori

Giovanni Savini

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

The distribution of Bluetongue virus (BTV) in Europe can be represented by two distinct and interconnected epidemiological systems (episystems), each characterized by different ecological characteristics and vector species. This study investigated the vector competence of Italian populations of and to some representative BTV strains after artificial oral infection. The BTV strains were selected according to their ability to spread to one or both episystems and included BTV-4 ITA, responsible of the recent Italian and French BTV-4 outbreaks; the BTV-2 strain which caused the first BTV incursion in Italy, Corsica, and Balearic Islands; BTV-4 MOR, responsible for the epidemic in Morocco; and BTV-8, the strain which spread through Europe between 2006 and 2008. Blood-soaked cotton pledgets and Hemotek membrane feeder using Parafilm membrane were used to artificially feed midges. For each population/strain, recovery rates (positive/tested heads) were evaluated using serogroup- and serotype-specific RT-PCR. The trial demonstrated that, except for the Abruzzo population of , which was refractory to BTV-4 MOR infection, all the investigated populations are susceptible to the selected BTV strains and that, if prompt vaccination programs and restriction measures had not been implemented, BTV-2 and BTV-4 MOR could have spread all over Europe.

Citing Articles

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The Absence of Abdominal Pigmentation in Livestock Associated following Artificial Blood Feeding and the Epidemiological Implication for Arbovirus Surveillance.

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