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Principal climatic and edaphic determinants of Culicoides biting midge abundance during the 2007–2008 bluetongue epidemic in the N etherlands, based on OVI light trap data
Author(s) -
SCOLAMACCHIA F.,
VAN DEN BROEK J.,
MEISWINKEL R.,
HEESTERBEEK J. A. P.,
ELBERS A. R. W.
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
medical and veterinary entomology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.028
H-Index - 82
eISSN - 1365-2915
pISSN - 0269-283X
DOI - 10.1111/mve.12028
Subject(s) - ceratopogonidae , culicoides , midge , biology , edaphic , abundance (ecology) , ecology , vector (molecular biology) , habitat , relative species abundance , larva , biochemistry , gene , soil water , recombinant dna
Palaearctic Culicoides midges ( D iptera: C eratopogonidae) represent a vital link in the northward advance of certain arboviral pathogens of livestock such as that caused by bluetongue virus. The effects of relevant ecological factors on weekly Culicoides vector abundances during the bluetongue virus serotype 8 epidemics in the N etherlands in 2007 and 2008 were quantified within a hurdle modelling framework. The relative role of meteorological parameters showed a broadly consistent association across species, with larger catches linked to temperature‐related variables and lower wind speed. Moreover, vector abundance was found to be influenced by edaphic factors, likely related to species‐specific breeding habitat preferences that differed markedly amongst some species. This is the first study on Culicoides vector species in the N etherlands identified during an entomological surveillance programme, in which an attempt is made to pinpoint the factors that influence midge abundance levels. In addition to providing key inputs into risk‐mitigating tools for midge‐borne pathogens and disease transmission models, the adoption of methods that explicitly address certain features of abundance datasets (frequent zero‐count observations and over‐dispersion) helped enhance the robustness of the ecological analysis.