@article{Duchemin_White_Di Rubbo_Shi_Venter_Holmes_Walker_2021, title={Experimental bluetongue virus infection of Culicoides austropalpalis, collected from a farm environment in Victoria, Australia}, volume={57}, url={https://veterinariaitaliana.izs.it/index.php/VetIt/article/view/2114}, DOI={10.12834/VetIt.2114.12867.1}, abstractNote={<p>Following the emerging bluetongue virus transmission in European temperate regions, we question the vector competence of the abundant <em>Culicoides austropalpalis</em> Lee and Reye in South-East temperate Australia. Field collected <em>Culicoides</em> midges were membrane fed with a bluetongue virus serotype 1 (BTV-1). The average feeding rate was 50%. After 13 days, survival rate was 25% and virus RNA presence was checked by quantitative PCR targeting viral genome segment 10. Virus RNA was found in 7.4% of individually tested females with relative viral RNA load values lower than freshly fed females, indicating that viral replication was low or null. A second qPCR targeting viral genome segment 1 confirmed the presence of virus RNA in only four out of 29 previously positive specimens. After 10 days culture on <em>Culicoides</em> cells, none of these four confimed positive samples did show subsequent cytopathogenic effect on Vero cells or BTV antigen detection by ELISA. As control for this virus activity detection, 12 days after microinjection of BTV-1, <em>Culex annulirostris</em> mosquitoes showed, after culture on Kc cells, cytopathogenic effect on Vero cells, with ELISA-confirmed infection. Despite its abundance in farm environment of the temperate Australian regions, the results of this study make <em>C. austropalpalis</em> of unlikely epidemiological importance in the transmission of BTV in Australia.</p>}, number={4}, journal={Veterinaria Italiana}, author={Duchemin, Jean-Bernard and White, John R and Di Rubbo, Antonio and Shi, Shunin and Venter, Gert Johannes and Holmes, Ian and Walker, Peter J}, year={2021}, month={Dec.}, pages={341–345} }