Entomological Surveillance of Bluetongue in Algeria

Abstract

Culicoides imicola is the major Old World vector of the arbovi­ruses that caused African horse sickness and bluetongue (BT). BT was observed for the first time in Algeria in 2000. BT virus serotype 2 (BTV-2) was then reported, whereas BTV-1 was incriminated in 2006. Various Culicoides species were captured during the trapping campaigns of 2003 and 2006 carried out by Delécolle and Baldet, and those of 2007 and 2009 carried out by the present team. The 2007/2009 campaigns covered two periods (March-April and June-July) and samples were collected in 28 departments of Algeria. More C. imicola were caught in the second period (June-July). Although a weak activity and sometimes absence of C. imicola were observed in some depart­ments, BTV-1 was reported in these areas. It seems likely that other species of Culicoides are incriminated in the transmission of BTV in the country. The 2007/2009 campaigns revealed 10 new Culicoides species, which, added to the 37 species identi­fied by Delécolle and Baldet in the 2003/2006 campaigns, bring the total of known species in Algeria to 47.