Dg. Mead et al., VECTOR COMPETENCE OF SELECT BLACK FLY SPECIES FOR VESICULAR STOMATITIS-VIRUS (NEW-JERSEY SEROTYPE), The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene, 57(1), 1997, pp. 42-48
Citations number
17
Categorie Soggetti
Public, Environmental & Occupation Heath","Tropical Medicine
Black flies collected from southern Arizona were evaluated for their v
ector competence to the Oaxaca and Camp Verde isolates of vesicular st
omatitis virus (New Jersey serotype) (VSV-NJ). The Camp Verde isolate
is the index isolate of the 1982-1983 VSV-NJ epizootic that infected h
umans and livestock in 14 western states. Previous experiments have sh
own that colonized Simulium vittatum females are competent laboratory
vectors of both virus isolates. However, under controlled laboratory c
onditions, Simulium bivittatum and S. longithallum were found to be in
competent vectors of both virus isolates. After oral infections, the O
axaca isolate replicated in 35% and 38% of S. bivittatum and S. longit
hallum, respectively, but did not disseminate to the salivary glands.
Thus, virus was not detected in the saliva of either black fly species
with either VSV-NJ isolate. indicating the presence of a midgut barri
er Simulium notatum was found to be a competent laboratory vector of b
oth virus isolates. Infectious virions were detected in the saliva of
23% and 26% of S. notatum infected orally with the Oaxaca and Camp Ver
de VSV-NJ isolates, respectively. This study suggests that the black f
ly identified as S. bivittatum was probably not involved in virus diss
emination during the 1982-1983 epizootic in the western United States.
Because the geographic distribution of S. notatum is not known, its i
nvolvement in that epizootic remains obscure.