Medical and Veterinary Entomology最新文献

{"title":"Ingestion of attractive toxic sugar baits containing ivermectin before and after blood feeding affects the biology and reproduction of Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae)","authors":"Thais Alves de Moura,&nbsp;Alyne Cunha Alves Dias,&nbsp;Alexandre de Almeida e Silva","doi":"10.1111/mve.70065","DOIUrl":"10.1111/mve.70065","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The attractive toxic sugar bait (ATSB) is an alternative approach for mosquito control, combining an attractant, a phagostimulant (sugar) and an insecticide. In this study, we evaluated the effects of ATSBs containing ivermectin (IVM, 15 ppm) on the biology and reproduction of <i>Aedes aegypti</i> females under different conditions relative to blood feeding. The bait was prepared with guava juice, 70% brown sugar, water, food dye and IVM. Females aged 5–7 days from the LaBEIn colony were allocated to two treatment groups: bait before blood feeding (BB) and bait after blood feeding (AB). Each group consisted of 20 females, with three replicates, and the treatments were applied 48, 72, or 96 h BB or AB. Blood engorgement was reduced by approximately 80% in all BB treatments during the first gonotrophic cycle, while no effect was observed in AB females. Survival decreased by up to 90% in BB females at all time points, whereas AB females exhibited a 94% reduction only at 96 h. For reproductive traits, including oviposition rate, egg number and hatching, the strongest reductions occurred in BB females (up to 80%) and in AB females exposed 96 h AB, also during the first gonotrophic cycle. Overall, ATSB-IVM ingestion caused pronounced sublethal effects on <i>Ae. aegypti</i>, impairing blood feeding, survival, oviposition, fecundity and fertility, with greater impacts when ingestion occurred BB and during the first gonotrophic cycle. These results highlighted the potential of ATSB-IVM as a complementary strategy for vector control.</p>","PeriodicalId":18350,"journal":{"name":"Medical and Veterinary Entomology","volume":"40 3","pages":"551-559"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2026-08-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/mve.70065","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147574582","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Comparative efficacy and studies of mode of action of minerals from diatoms against three species of filth flies","authors":"Grayson L. Cave,&nbsp;Kaiying Chen,&nbsp;Steven S. Denning,&nbsp;David W. Watson,&nbsp;R. Michael Roe","doi":"10.1111/mve.70052","DOIUrl":"10.1111/mve.70052","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Filth flies pose a health risk because of the microbes they carry outside and inside of their bodies to humans and animals. Mostly synthetic chemical insecticides are used for fly control. Alternative approaches with a different mode of action are needed because of increasing fly resistance to pesticides. We used a modified World Health Organization cone test to determine the efficacy of the minerals produced by diatoms (diatomaceous earth) as a mechanical insecticide against adults of the house fly, <i>Musca domestica</i>, the secondary screwworm, <i>Cochliomyia macellaria,</i> and the grey flesh fly, <i>Sarcophaga bullata</i>, under low and high humidity. The use of mechanical insecticides as an alternative to kill filth flies has received minimal consideration. However, recent research showed that expanded perlite, a new mechanical insecticide made from volcanic rock, was highly efficacious against mosquitoes and flies. Mortality for diatomaceous earth in this paper at 30°C and 50% relative humidity was observed as early as 2 h after exposure with 50% and 90% mortality observed at 3.5 and 4.6 h (the LT₅₀ and LT₉₀, respectively) in <i>M. domestica</i>. The LT₅₀ and LT₉₀ increased as the size of the fly species increased (<i>M. domestica</i> to <i>C. macellaria</i> to <i>S. bullata</i>) and increased for all three species when the relative humidity increased from 50 to 70%. These results suggest dehydration was the mode of action. Scanning electron micrographs of <i>C. macellaria</i> adults 2 h after diatomaceous earth exposure, showed the flies were evenly self-covered with the mineral with no obvious damage to the cuticle. Proof of concept was demonstrated that diatomaceous earth as a residual surface treatment could be used as an alternative for filth fly control.</p>","PeriodicalId":18350,"journal":{"name":"Medical and Veterinary Entomology","volume":"40 3","pages":"478-488"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2026-08-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/mve.70052","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146086187","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Comparative evaluation of the attractiveness of new polyethylene screens versus West African tiny target for the control of tsetse flies","authors":"Ernest Wendemanegde Salou,&nbsp;Geoffrey Gimonneau,&nbsp;Wilfrid Yoni,&nbsp;Issiaka Barry,&nbsp;Viral Shah,&nbsp;Marc Desquesnes","doi":"10.1111/mve.70054","DOIUrl":"10.1111/mve.70054","url":null,"abstract":"<p>In recent years, a consortium of research institutes and a private partner (AtoZ Group Ltd, Arusha, Tanzania) have developed a new technology called ‘multi-layer, multi-functionalized polyethylene films’, which can be used to produce insecticide-impregnated screens in different colours, at low manufacturing cost, which are robust and easy to use. In a first step, a comparative study of the material and shape of candidate white and blue polyethylene (PE) screens was carried out on <i>Glossina tachinoides</i> and <i>G. palpalis gambiensis</i> in Burkina Faso, West Africa. In a second step, four candidate PE screens were compared with a reference polyester screen, the west African tiny target commonly used in control campaigns. No significant difference in terms of attractiveness was observed between PE screens and fabric screens (<i>p</i> &gt; 0.05) for the two riparian species. The vertical shape of the screen (PE and fabric) attracted significantly more <i>G. tachinoides</i> (<i>p</i> &lt; 0.001). The white and blue vertical PE screen and the blue horizontal PE screen attracted more tsetse flies than the WATT reference screen, but none of these comparisons were significant. This study opens up new prospects for the application of multi-layer, multi-functionalized polyethylene film technology against riverine tsetse flies.</p>","PeriodicalId":18350,"journal":{"name":"Medical and Veterinary Entomology","volume":"40 3","pages":"489-497"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2026-08-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/mve.70054","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146093417","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Molecular identification of Rickettsia conorii subsp. israelensis and other tick-borne pathogens in dog ticks from the Upper East region of Ghana","authors":"Emmanuel Kaba,&nbsp;Seth Offei Addo,&nbsp;Millicent Captain-Esoah,&nbsp;Selma Nurudeen Salley,&nbsp;Michael E. DeWitt,&nbsp;Bernice Olivia Ama Baako,&nbsp;Elijah D. Angyiereyiri,&nbsp;Kwadwo Kyereme Frempong,&nbsp;Patrick Kwasi Obuam,&nbsp;Ewurabena Oduma Duker,&nbsp;Dorothy Obuobi,&nbsp;Jessica Dufie Boakye,&nbsp;Gayheart Deladem Agbotse,&nbsp;Jennifer Nyamekye Yanney,&nbsp;Christopher Nii Laryea Tawiah-Mensah,&nbsp;Richard Odoi-Teye Malm,&nbsp;Stacy Amoah,&nbsp;Martin Ntiamoah Donkor,&nbsp;Mawuli K. Azameti,&nbsp;Iddrisu Fuseini,&nbsp;Lawrence Asokiba Adugbire,&nbsp;Hannah Aryeley Aryee,&nbsp;Victor Asoala,&nbsp;Samuel K. Dadzie","doi":"10.1111/mve.70067","DOIUrl":"10.1111/mve.70067","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Ticks continue to facilitate the spread of pathogens that affect both humans and domestic animals. Domestic dogs interact with humans and other domestic animals, playing a crucial role in the spread of ticks and tick-borne pathogens. This study examined the diversity of tick species infesting domestic dogs and the occurrence of tick-borne pathogens in the Upper East region. Domestic dogs were randomly selected and examined for tick infestation. The sampled ticks were morphologically identified, pooled and screened for tick-borne pathogens using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and Sanger sequencing. From the 93 dogs examined, all 749 ticks collected were adult <i>Rhipicephalus sanguineus</i>. Out of the 177 tick pools screened, pathogen DNA was detected in 43 pools (24.29%). The identified pathogens were uncultured <i>Anaplasma</i> sp. (14.12%), <i>Ehrlichia canis</i> (7.34%), <i>Rickettsia conorii</i> subsp. <i>israelensis</i> (3.95%) and <i>Coxiella burnetii</i> (2.82%). Factors such as dog age or sex, or tick sex, did not influence the occurrence of a tick-borne pathogen (<i>p</i> &gt; 0.05). This study reports the first molecular detection of <i>R. conorii</i> subsp. <i>israelensis</i> in Ghana. The occurrence of zoonotic pathogens suggests an increased risk to dog owners and a need to adopt protective measures to prevent infection spread. These findings highlight the importance of integrated tick control, improved diagnostic capabilities and epidemiological surveillance in Ghana to reduce the burden of tick-borne diseases on animal and human health.</p>","PeriodicalId":18350,"journal":{"name":"Medical and Veterinary Entomology","volume":"40 3","pages":"608-617"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2026-08-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147645871","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Histopathological investigation of wound healing activities of Lucilia sericata Larva and Achillea sintenisii extract combinations in diabetic rat wound model","authors":"Nevra Polat,&nbsp;Salih Mollahaliloğlu,&nbsp;Murat Koç","doi":"10.1111/mve.70075","DOIUrl":"10.1111/mve.70075","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Chronic wounds, particularly in diabetic patients, represent a major clinical and economic burden on healthcare systems worldwide. Complementary therapies are increasingly integrated alongside conventional treatments to improve healing outcomes. Maggot debridement therapy (MDT), utilizing the larvae of <i>Lucilia sericata</i>, is a globally recognized method for treating non-healing wounds. These larvae secrete substances with antifungal, antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. Herbal remedies also play a role in chronic wound care, with various Achillea species traditionally used for medicinal purposes. This study investigated the wound healing effects of a pomade combining <i>L. sericata</i> larval secretions and <i>Achillea sintenisii</i> plant extract, compared to Furacin®, a commercial wound healing cream. Excisional wounds were created on diabetic Wistar albino rats, which were divided into four groups: DF (Furacin®), DM (<i>L. sericata</i> secretion), DA (<i>A. sintenisii</i> extract) and DM + DA (combined). Wound area, contraction rates and histological parameters were assessed at Days 0, 4, 8 and 12. Wound area decreased significantly across all groups over time (<i>F</i> = 511.9, <i>p</i> = 0.001), with mean values declining from 11.11 cm² at Day 0 to 7.44 cm² at Day 4, 4.93 cm² at Day 8 and 2.01 cm² at Day 12. Contraction rates rose progressively across all groups (<i>F</i> = 169.3, <i>p</i> = 0.001): at Day 4, contraction rates were 20.41% ± 1.24% (DF), 43.29% ± 3.96% (DM), 27.67% ± 0.94% (DA) and 42.22% ± 1.20% (DM + DA); at Day 8, rates increased to 42.86% ± 1.11% (DF), 63.34 ± 0.92% (DM), 52.97% ± 0.55% (DA) and 63.26% ± 0.52% (DM + DA) and at Day 12, the DM + DA group achieved the highest contraction rate of 92.91% ± 0.40%, significantly surpassing all other groups—DM (84.30% ± 0.88%), DA (79.43 ± 0.61%) and DF (71.77% ± 0.64%)—demonstrating a clear synergistic effect of the combined therapy (<i>p</i> &lt; 0.05). Histological evaluation further corroborated these findings, with the DM + DA group consistently achieving the highest scores across all tissue repair parameters (epithelialization, fibroblast density, collagen deposition, angiogenesis and hair follicle regeneration), significantly superior to all other groups (<i>p</i> &lt; 0.05). Taken together, these results confirm that the combination of <i>L. sericata</i> secretions and <i>A. sintenisii</i> extract exerts a synergistic wound healing effect superior to either agent alone or to Furacin® and could lead to the development of affordable, accessible and effective natural products for chronic wound care. These results may contribute to innovative treatment options in both veterinary and human medicine.</p>","PeriodicalId":18350,"journal":{"name":"Medical and Veterinary Entomology","volume":"40 3","pages":"659-671"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2026-08-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/mve.70075","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147839908","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A multiplex assay to detect mosquito species, bloodmeal host source and Plasmodium in malaria vectors using Nanopore amplicon sequencing","authors":"E. Abby Rogers,&nbsp;Dieunel Derilus,&nbsp;Christopher Sandi,&nbsp;Lisa Reimer,&nbsp;Audrey Lenhart,&nbsp;Lucy Mackenzie Impoinvil","doi":"10.1111/mve.70055","DOIUrl":"10.1111/mve.70055","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Multiple species of <i>Anopheles</i> mosquitoes transmit malaria-causing <i>Plasmodium</i> around the world. Molecular methods are often employed to confirm vector species, detect parasites and determine bloodmeal host sources; these assays are often performed separately and can be time-consuming and expensive. However, in this study, we show that the Oxford Nanopore Technologies (ONT) MinION Sequencer offers a cost-effective and efficient alternative to accurately identify mosquito species, host bloodmeal sources and detect parasites simultaneously in malaria vectors. We sequenced 150 insectary-reared mosquitoes representing nine species and 150 blood-fed mosquitoes with one of five vertebrate blood sources. We also analysed the presence of <i>Plasmodium falciparum</i> (Welch, 1897) in 40 infected mosquito samples. A final combined assay integrated all three previously optimized assays into a single sequencing run, demonstrating the high-throughput capability of the Nanopore sequencing platform. This run included 32 samples for each targeted amplicon, totalling 96 samples. For comparison, we sequenced all samples using a standard Sanger sequencing protocol. Our results showed that the MinION sequencing platform accurately identified all nine mosquito species, five different bloodmeal hosts from the blood-fed mosquitoes up to 48 h post blood feed, and detected <i>P. falciparum</i> in the 40 positive controls. The sequencing results obtained using the MinION platform exhibited high concordance with those from standard Sanger sequencing, as demonstrated by comparable similarity scores and correct mosquito species identification. This demonstrates that our MinION sequencing and analysis protocol offers a novel, highly precise, cost-effective solution for combined mosquito species identification, bloodmeal analysis and parasite detection.</p>","PeriodicalId":18350,"journal":{"name":"Medical and Veterinary Entomology","volume":"40 3","pages":"465-477"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2026-08-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/mve.70055","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146165676","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Species composition of blow flies (Diptera: Calliphoridae) colonizing pig carcasses exposed to bifenthrin- and clothianidin-containing products","authors":"Teomie S. Rivera-Miranda,&nbsp;Krystal R. Hans","doi":"10.1111/mve.70063","DOIUrl":"10.1111/mve.70063","url":null,"abstract":"<p>In forensic entomology, species identification is essential for determining the time of colonization (TOC)—the point at which insects first arrive and begin oviposition on remains. The TOC serves as a proxy for estimating a minimum postmortem interval (minPMI). This study examined factors associated with colonization (e.g., number of individuals, species present and adult emergence rates) of small pig carcasses (<i>Sus scrofa</i> L.). A total of 24 carcasses were placed in an open field and treated with low, medium or high concentrations of either bifenthrin- or clothianidin-containing products. In the bifenthrin trial, a negative correlation was observed between insecticide concentration and the number of flies reared, with abundance decreasing as concentration increased; however, this effect was not statistically significant (<i>p</i> = 0.11). In contrast, clothianidin exposure significantly influenced blow fly abundance (<i>p</i> = 0.05), with no colonization occurring at the highest clothianidin concentration. Analysis of adult fly emergence rates showed no significant effect from bifenthrin (<i>p</i> = 0.79) or clothianidin (<i>p</i> = 0.63). The species reared differed between trials. During the bifenthrin experiment, four blow fly species were identified—<i>Phormia regina</i> (Meigen), <i>Lucilia illustris</i> (Meigen), <i>Lucilia coeruleiviridis</i> (Macquart) and <i>Lucilia sericata</i> (Meigen). In contrast, only <i>L. sericata</i> and <i>L. coeruleiviridis</i> were recovered from the clothianidin trial. Additionally, dead <i>Onthophagus hecate</i> (Panzer) beetles (Scarabaeidae) and <i>L. coeruleiviridis</i> adults were observed on or near carcasses exposed to the highest clothianidin concentration. These findings contribute to the understanding of insecticide effects on the blow fly species colonizing remains. Furthermore, it holds forensic significance in cases where insecticide exposure, whether accidental or intentional, is suspected and could influence minPMI estimations during legal investigations.</p>","PeriodicalId":18350,"journal":{"name":"Medical and Veterinary Entomology","volume":"40 3","pages":"574-581"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2026-08-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/mve.70063","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147513304","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Conspecific cueing or cooperative feeding?—Foraging stable flies are visually attracted to conspecific flies","authors":"Emmanuel Hung,&nbsp;Justin Wong,&nbsp;Augustus Negraeff,&nbsp;Anya Gould,&nbsp;Gerhard Gries","doi":"10.1111/mve.70057","DOIUrl":"10.1111/mve.70057","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Stable flies, <i>Stomoxys calcitrans</i>, blood-feed daily on livestock hosts. The presence of conspecific flies on host animals may signify host suitability (‘conspecific cueing’) or may signal density-dependent feeding benefits (‘Allee effects’). However, stable flies captured on sticky traps reportedly render traps less attractive to conspecifics. We investigated whether this deterrent effect is context-dependent, and whether host-foraging stable flies are attracted to, rather than deterred by, conspecifics. In two-choice laboratory bioassays, we offered food-deprived, CO₂-stimulated stable flies a choice between paired landing platforms that were baited or not (control) with conspecific flies (‘bait flies’). The presence of bait flies—irrespective of their abundance, sex or relative position on the platform—prompted attraction and landing of foraging flies. Even heterospecific flies and fly-look-alike decoys were attractive, provided they visually resembled stable flies. As shown in separate bioassays, chemical cues of bait flies on their own were not attractive to foraging flies. Our data suggest that foraging stable flies may aggregate on hosts. Aggregated blood-feeding may be adaptive in that aggregated conspecifics on a host animal may signal the presence of a suitable food resource, and group-feeding may help suppress immune responses of host animals.</p>","PeriodicalId":18350,"journal":{"name":"Medical and Veterinary Entomology","volume":"40 3","pages":"512-529"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2026-08-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/mve.70057","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147444193","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Field evaluation of Nzi and modified Nzi traps for sampling of Stomoxys calcitrans at dairy farms in Uruguay","authors":"Pablo Parodi,&nbsp;Anderson Saravia,&nbsp;Pablo Fresia,&nbsp;Federico Viera,&nbsp;Pedro Santoro,&nbsp;Steve Mihok,&nbsp;Franklin Riet-Correa,&nbsp;Alejo Menchaca,&nbsp;Rodrigo F. Krüger","doi":"10.1111/mve.70071","DOIUrl":"10.1111/mve.70071","url":null,"abstract":"<p><i>Stomoxys calcitrans</i> (Linnaeus, 1758), the stable fly, is a hematophagous pest that affects animal livestock worldwide by lowering productivity and mechanically transmitting pathogens. This study evaluated the effectiveness of the Nzi trap and a modified version (with and without bait) for capturing stable flies on two dairy farms in southwestern Uruguay, under conditions of natural infestation by these flies. The study used a 4 × 4 Latin square design with five replicates conducted independently at each dairy farm. Traps at each dairy were emptied daily to identify and count stable flies before being rotated and reset at the next planned location. Among all configurations, standard Nzi traps captured the highest number of <i>S. calcitrans</i> compared to the other trap evaluated, regardless of whether an attractant was used. This study represents the first evaluation in South America of Nzi traps for <i>S. calcitrans</i> used in combination with a commercial bait. Findings indicate that Nzi traps are a potentially effective tool for capturing <i>S. calcitrans</i> at dairy farms.</p>","PeriodicalId":18350,"journal":{"name":"Medical and Veterinary Entomology","volume":"40 3","pages":"568-573"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2026-08-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147633895","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Culicoides biting midges (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) feeding on donkeys in the United Kingdom, with reference to the risk of transmission and persistence of African horse sickness virus","authors":"Zoe Langlands,&nbsp;Simon Gubbins,&nbsp;Simon Carpenter,&nbsp;Marion England","doi":"10.1111/mve.70061","DOIUrl":"10.1111/mve.70061","url":null,"abstract":"<p>African horse sickness virus (AHSV: Sedoreoviridae; Orbivirus) causes a severe and often fatal disease in horses (African horse sickness: AHS) and is transmitted almost exclusively by <i>Culicoides</i> biting midges (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae). In recent years, unprecedented outbreaks of AHSV have occurred in new geographical foci in Thailand and other related <i>Culicoides</i>-borne viruses continue to emerge unexpectedly, causing disease outbreaks in northern Europe. This study investigated <i>Culicoides</i> abundance and diversity at a donkey (<i>Equus asinus</i>) sanctuary in southern England. The incidence and severity of AHS in infected donkeys are lower than in horses, with concerns, therefore, that these species could act as potential reservoirs in the event of an incursion of AHSV. A total of 21,350 <i>Culicoides</i> of 20 species were collected over 14 nights during spring and summer 2019 using three Onderstepoort Veterinary Institute ultraviolet light-suction traps. The most abundant species were identified within the subgenus <i>Avaritia</i> (19,574; 91.7%), which are known vectors of other Orbiviruses in northern Europe and have been previously identified as putative vectors of AHSV in southern Europe. Furthermore, <i>Culicoides</i> blood-feeding on donkeys was confirmed for the subgenus <i>Avaritia</i> through polymerase chain reaction of blood-fed female <i>Culicoides</i> using a 685 bp region of the cytochrome <i>c</i> oxidase subunit 1 gene. Data on the size and distribution of the donkey population and the potential impact of infection with AHSV on donkeys within the United Kingdom are scarce. This study demonstrates that large populations of <i>Culicoides</i> can exist near these hosts and that they regularly take blood meals from them. There is a potential risk that donkeys could play a significant role in transmission and persistence of AHSV in the event of an incursion into the United Kingdom, which could complicate disease control.</p>","PeriodicalId":18350,"journal":{"name":"Medical and Veterinary Entomology","volume":"40 3","pages":"560-567"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2026-08-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/mve.70061","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147491256","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}