Complex Interactions Between Vectors and Pathogens: Culicoides variipennis sonorensis (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) Infection Rates with Bluetongue Viruses

Two laboratory colonies of Culicoides variipennis sonorensis Wirth & Jones were allowed to take blood meals containing the five U.S. serotypes (2, 10, 11, 13, and 17) of bluetongue (BLU) virus. After 14 d of extrinsic incubation, the flies were assayed for the presence of virus using an antigen capture enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). There was a significant effect of the serotype on infection of C. v. sonorensis with BLU virus. There was no significant difference in infection of the two colonies when averaged across the five BLU virus treatments. However, there was a statistically significant interaction between the colonies and the virus serotypes, which was demonstrated by a higher 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.