Effects of infectious virus dose and multiple bloodmeals on susceptibility of culicoides sonorensis to vesicular stomatitis virus

Authors: ROZO-LOPEZ, PAULA - Kansas State University; LONDONO-RENTERIA, BERLIN - Kansas State University; Drolet, Barbara

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/1/2019
Publication Date: 11/17/2019
Citation: Rozo-Lopez, P., Londono-Renteria, B., Drolet, B.S. 2019. Effects of infectious virus dose and multiple bloodmeals on susceptibility of culicoides sonorensis to vesicular stomatitis virus. Meeting Abstract. Entomology 2019 paper number 0261.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Vesicular Stomatitis Virus (VSV) is a pathogen that causes disease in cattle, horses, and swine resulting in devastating economic losses. Culicoides sonorensis midges are one of the primary biological vectors known to contribute to epizootic outbreaks of VSV. In order to understand the range of conditions in which the virus-vector interactions favor VSV persistence and spread during epizootics, we have evaluated the dose-dependent susceptibility of C. sonorensis to VSV-NJ and the effect of multiple non-infectious blood meals on virus replication. We tested infectious doses of 10-fold viral dilutions and found that infectious dose is a significant predictor of the proportion of midges that became infected, resulting in a higher susceptibility to higher blood meal titers. Moreover, we evaluated the effects of multiple non-infectious meals after and before oral infection. We found that VSV titers at 8 and 12 dpi were significantly higher in females receiving a second and third non-infectious blood meal than females receiving a single infectious blood meal. Conversely, we found that Culicoides females were not more likely to become infected if they have had a previous non-infectious blood meal. These results show the implications of infection changes in response to viral dose and multiple gonotrophic cycles and their impact on VSV epidemiology.