The Role of Culicoides Midges as Vectors of Bluetongue Virus: A Mini Review

Zuber.Bogdanovic, Ivana (2026) The Role of Culicoides Midges as Vectors of Bluetongue Virus: A Mini Review. World's Veterinary Journal. 640 - 645. ISSN 23224568

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Abstract

Culicoides biting midges (Ceratopogonidae) are the primary biological vectors of Bluetongue virus (BTV). The BTV is an orbivirus that causes substantial economic losses in livestock worldwide. Although over 50 arboviruses have been isolated from Culicoides species, BTV remains the most economically impactful disease. The present study aimed to evaluate the vector-virus association, including vector competence, transmission dynamics, and environmental factors influencing the spread of BTV. Vector competence in Culicoides is determined by midgut infection and dissemination barriers, which vary significantly among species. Transmission efficiency is influenced by temperature, extrinsic incubation period, and host factors, with cattle serving as long-term reservoirs and sheep exhibiting greater disease severity. Understanding vector-virus associations is essential for predicting outbreaks and developing effective control methods, especially as climate change promotes vector spread. © The Author(s) 2026. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article's Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article's Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.

Item Type:	Article
Keywords:	Arbovirus; Bluetongue virus; Culicoides; Transmission; Vector competence
Subjects:	S Agriculture > SF Animal culture
Divisions:	World's Veterinary Journal (WVJ)
Page Range:	640 - 645
Journal or Publication Title:	World's Veterinary Journal
Journal Index:	Scopus
Volume:	16
Number:	2
Publisher:	Scienceline Publication
Identification Number:	https://doi.org/10.54203/scil.2026.wvj61
ISSN:	23224568
Depositing User:	Dr. Alireza Sadeghi
URI:	https://eprints.science-line.com/id/eprint/1701

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