Investigation of bovine ephemeral fever virus transmission by putative dipteran vectors under experimental conditions
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Parasites & Vectors Open Access
RESEARCH
Investigation of bovine ephemeral fever virus transmission by putative dipteran vectors under experimental conditions Jessica E. Stokes1* , Karin E. Darpel1, Simon Gubbins1, Simon Carpenter1, María del Mar Fernández de Marco2, Luis M. Hernández‑Triana2, Anthony R. Fooks2, Nicholas Johnson2,3 and Christopher Sanders1
Abstract Background: Bovine ephemeral fever virus (Rhabdoviridae: Ephemerovirus) (BEFV) causes bovine ephemeral fever (BEF), an economically important disease of cattle and water buffalo. Outbreaks of BEF in Africa, Australia, Asia and the Middle East are characterized by high rates of morbidity and highly efficient transmission between cattle hosts. Despite this, the vectors of BEFV remain poorly defined. Methods: Colony lines of biting midges (Culicoides sonorensis) and mosquitoes (Aedes aegypti, Culex pipiens and Culex quinquefasciatus) were infected with a strain of BEFV originating from Israel by feeding on blood–virus suspensions and by intrathoracic inoculation. In addition, in vivo transmission of BEFV was also assessed by allowing C. sonorensis inoculated by the intrathoracic route to feed on male 6 month-old Holstein-Friesian calves. Results: There was no evidence of BEFV replication within mosquitoes fed on blood/virus suspensions for mosqui‑ toes of any species tested for each of the three colony lines. In 170 C. sonorensis fed on the blood/virus suspension, BEFV RNA was detected in the bodies of 13 individuals and in the heads of two individuals, indicative of fully dis‑ seminated infections and an oral susceptibility rate of 1.2%. BEFV RNA replication was further demonstrated in all C. sonorensis that were inoculated by the intrathoracic route with virus after 5, 6 or 7 days post-infection. Despite this, transmission of BEFV could not be demonstrated when infected C. sonorensis were allowed to feed on calves. Conclusions: No evidence for infection or dissemination of BEFV (bovine/Israel/2005-6) in mosquitoes of three dif‑ ferent species was found. Evidence was found for infection of C. sonorensis by the oral route. However, attempts to transmit BEFV to calves from infected C. sonorensis failed. These results highlight the challenge of defining the natural vector of BEFV and of establishing an in vivo transmission model. The results are discussed with reference to the trans‑ lation of laboratory-based studies to inference of vector competence in the field. Keywords: Vector, Arbovirus, Calves, Culicoides, Aedes, Culex Background Bovine ephemeral fever virus (BEFV) is an ephemerovirus within the family Rhabdoviridae. BEFV is the causative agent of bovine ephemeral fever (BEF), also known as ‘3 day sickness’, a non-contagious disease of acute febrile *Correspondence: [email protected] 1 The Pirbright Institute, Pirbright, Surrey GU24 0NF, UK Full list of author information is available at the end of the article
clinical signs in cattle and water buffalo. Clinical disease is usually mild in younger animals, often including biphasic
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