COMPLEX INTERACTIONS BETWEEN VECTORS AND PATHOGENS - CULICOIDES-VARIIPENNIS-SONORENSIS (DIPTERA, CERATOPOGONIDAE) INFECTION-RATES WITH BLUETONGUE VIRUSES

Two laboratory colonies of Culicoides variipennis sonorensis Wirth & J ones were allowed to take blood meals containing the five U.S. serotyp es (2, 10, 11, 13, and 17) of bluetongue (BLU) virus. After 14 d of ex trinsic incubation, the flies were assayed for the presence of virus u sing an antigen capture enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The re was a significant effect of the serotype on infection of C. v. sono rensis with BLU virus. There was no significant difference in infectio n of the two colonies when averaged across the five BLU virus treatmen ts. However, there was a statistically significant interaction between the colonies and the virus serotypes, which was demonstrated by a hig her rate of infection of the AA colony with BLU virus serotype 13 and a higher rate of infection of the AK colony with BLU virus serotype 11 .