First report of Culicoides associated with goat and sheep from Jharkhand, India

Abstract Culicoides spp. are involved in transmitting various arboviruses of veterinary significance especially bluetongue virus (BTV). A sheep farm under the aegis of Mega Sheep Seed Project, Birsa Agricultural University (Jharkhand) maintains both exotic and indigenous breeds. UV LED light traps w...
Ausführliche Beschreibung

Abstract Culicoides spp. are involved in transmitting various arboviruses of veterinary significance especially bluetongue virus (BTV). A sheep farm under the aegis of Mega Sheep Seed Project, Birsa Agricultural University (Jharkhand) maintains both exotic and indigenous breeds. UV LED light traps were used to field evaluate the prevalence of potent vectors of bluetongue disease (BTD) associated with goat and sheep. The collections were age graded to assess the parity of females and to comment on possible risk of BTD. Results confirm the high incidence of the following vectors: Culicoides peregrinus consisted 75% of the total catch, followed by Culicoides imicola (23.3 %). There has been observed a 5-fold increase in prevalence of Culicoides around goat pen compared to the sheep pen. This study underlies the necessity for continuous monitoring and surveillance of the vector population within the seed farms and to evolve appropriate measures to prevent the farm animals from getting exposed to the Culicoides vectors. Ausführliche Beschreibung