-Specific Fitness Increase of Vesicular Stomatitis Virus in Insect-to-Insect Infections.

Vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) is an arthropod-borne virus affecting livestock. In the United States, sporadic outbreaks result in significant economic losses. During epizootics, biting midges are biological vectors and key to the geographic expansion of outbreaks.

Untangling an insect's virome from its endogenous viral elements.

Background: Insects are an important reservoir of viral biodiversity, but the vast majority of viruses associated with insects have not been discovered. Recent studies have employed high-throughput RNA sequencing, which has led to rapid advances in our understanding of insect viral diversity. However, insect genomes frequently contain transcribed endogenous viral elements (EVEs) with significant homology to exogenous viruses, complicating the use of RNAseq for viral discovery.

microRNA Expression Dynamics in Biting Midges Following Blood-Feeding.

midges vector multiple livestock arboviruses, resulting in significant economic losses worldwide. Due to the tight association between virus transmission, blood feeding, and egg development, understanding midge physiology is paramount to limiting pathogen transmission. Previous studies have demonstrated the importance of small non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs), specifically microRNAs (miRNAs), in multiple aspects of vector physiology.

Why do viruses make aphids winged?

Aphids are hosts to diverse viruses and are important vectors of plant pathogens. The spread of viruses is heavily influenced by aphid movement and behaviour. Consequently, wing plasticity (where individuals can be winged or wingless depending on environmental conditions) is an important factor in the spread of aphid-associated viruses.

Effect of Constant Temperatures on Midge Physiology and Vesicular Stomatitis Virus Infection.

midges play an important role in vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) transmission to US livestock. After VSV-blood feeding, blood digestion followed by oviposition occurs while ingested virus particles replicate and disseminate to salivary glands for transmission during subsequent blood-feeding events. Changes to environmental temperature may alter the feeding-oviposition-refeeding cycles, midge survival, VSV infection, and overall vector capacity.

Surveillance along the Rio Grande during the 2020 Vesicular Stomatitis Outbreak Reveals Spatio-Temporal Dynamics of and Viral RNA Detection in Black Flies.

Vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) emerges periodically from its focus of endemic transmission in southern Mexico to cause epizootics in livestock in the US. The ecology of VSV involves a diverse, but largely undefined, repertoire of potential reservoir hosts and invertebrate vectors. As part of a larger program to decipher VSV transmission, we conducted a study of the spatiotemporal dynamics of black flies, a known vector of VSV, along the Rio Grande in southern New Mexico, USA from March to December 2020.

Blood Meals With Active and Heat-Inactivated Serum Modifies the Gene Expression and Microbiome of .

The Asian "tiger mosquito" is currently the most widely distributed disease-transmitting mosquito in the world. Its geographical expansion has also allowed the expansion of multiple arboviruses like dengue, Zika, and chikungunya, to higher latitudes. Due to the enormous risk to global public health caused by mosquitoes species vectors of human disease, and the challenges in slowing their expansion, it is necessary to develop new and environmentally friendly vector control strategies.

Impacts of Infectious Dose, Feeding Behavior, and Age of Biting Midges on Infection Dynamics of Vesicular Stomatitis Virus.

biting midges are biological vectors of vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) in the U.S. Yet, little is known regarding the amount of ingested virus required to infect midges, nor how their feeding behavior or age affects viral replication and vector competence.

Transcriptome of the Mosquito in Response to Human Complement Proteins.

is the primary mosquito vector of several human arboviruses, including the dengue virus (DENV). Vector control is the principal intervention to decrease the transmission of these viruses. The characterization of molecules involved in the mosquito physiological responses to blood-feeding may help identify novel targets useful in designing effective control strategies.

Venereal Transmission of Vesicular Stomatitis Virus by Midges.

biting midges are well-known agricultural pests and transmission vectors of arboviruses such as vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV). The epidemiology of VSV is complex and encompasses a broad range of vertebrate hosts, multiple routes of transmission, and diverse vector species. In temperate regions, viruses can overwinter in the absence of infected animals through unknown mechanisms, to reoccur the next year.

Vector competence is strongly affected by a small deletion or point mutations in bluetongue virus.

Background: Transmission of vector-borne virus by insects is a complex mechanism consisting of many different processes; viremia in the host, uptake, infection and dissemination in the vector, and delivery of virus during blood-feeding leading to infection of the susceptible host. Bluetongue virus (BTV) is the prototype vector-borne orbivirus (family Reoviridae). BTV serotypes 1-24 (typical BTVs) are transmitted by competent biting Culicoides midges and replicate in mammalian (BSR) and midge (KC) cells.

Vesicular Stomatitis Virus Transmission: A Comparison of Incriminated Vectors.

Vesicular stomatitis (VS) is a viral disease of veterinary importance, enzootic in tropical and subtropical regions of the Americas. In the U.S.

Serosurvey of Human Antibodies Recognizing D7 Salivary Proteins in Colombia.

Background: Dengue is one of the most geographically significant mosquito-borne viral diseases transmitted by mosquitoes. During blood feeding, mosquitoes deposit salivary proteins that induce antibody responses. These can be related to the intensity of exposure to bites.

Mosquito species (Diptera, Culicidae) in three ecosystems from the Colombian Andes: identification through DNA barcoding and adult morphology.

Colombia, one of the world's megadiverse countries, has a highly diverse mosquito fauna and a high prevalence of mosquito-borne diseases. In order to provide relevant information about the diversity and taxonomy of mosquito species in Colombia and to test the usefulness of DNA barcodes, mosquito species collected at different elevations in the departments of Antioquia and Caldas were identified combining adult morphology and barcode sequences. A total of 22 mosquito species from eight genera were identified using these combined techniques.

Updated list of the mosquitoes of Colombia (Diptera: Culicidae).

Background: A revised list of the mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) known to occur in Colombia is presented. A total of 324 species from 28 genera of Culicidae are included. The species names are organized in alphabetical order according to the current generic and subgeneric classification, along with their authorship.