About Culicoides sonorensis

The biting midge Culicoides sonorensis belonging to the diptera group: Ceratopogonidae is an important vector of pathogenic arboviruses (arthropod-borne viruses). The main viral pathogen transmitted by biting midges is bluetongue virus (BTV), which is prevalent across the USA but also occurs internationally. Increasingly, outbreaks of BTV infection have been reported in many parts of Europe while the range of midge associated BTV infection has also widened. The C. sonorensis genome provides the first attempt at understanding the transmission of arboviruses outside of previously investigated well-studied arthropod viral vectors such as the Aedes mosquitos, (separated from midges by ~220 million years). C. sonorensis represents the first genome resource for understanding the transmission of non-zoonotic arbovirus and the drivers of susceptibility of infection in ruminants (Cows, sheep etc.) and wildlife (deer and equine). Culicoides has other interesting biological characteristics including the capacity for reaching huge population densities and their ability for long-distance dispersal by semi-passive flight under susceptible conditions.

Image Credit: The Pirbright Institute

Taxonomy ID 179676

Data source Ensembl Metazoa

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