Abstract

Culicoides: A neglected parasite of prime importance in selected areas of Pakistan

Authors: Saba Mehnaz, Muhammad Sohail Sajid, Muhammad Arslan Aslam, Muhammad Nauman Rafique, Azhar Shabbir Ather, Haleema Sadia, Abdul Saboor and Mahnoor Sajjad Cheema

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.71081/cvj/2023.023

Abstract
Midges (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) are the smallest two-winged blood- sucking flies having cosmopolitan distribution. Among them, biting midges have prime importance. By direct biting, they cause pain, severe irritation, and transmission of various pathogens, significantly impacting human and animal health. It was hypothesized that Culicoides' diversity prevails in different areas of Pakistan. Various factors as humidity, temperature, rainfall, and wind speed may affect the propagation of biting midges in Pakistan. The present study was designed for the description of Culicoides throughout the Summer, Winter, Autumn, and Spring seasons in Peshawar, Faisalabad, Rawalpindi, and Islamabad (Pakistan). Selected areas were targeted for sample collection biweekly. Light traps were placed in and around animal farms during the morning and evening. The samples trapped in the cup of light traps were transferred to the Eppendorf tubes containing 70% ethanol. After proper labeling, samples were transferred to the Molecular Parasitology Laboratory, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan for stereomicroscopic taxonomy. A total of 384 specimens were screened for identification of biting midges. Out of 384, 194 (50.52%) were Culicoides imicola, 124 (32.29%) were Culicoides circumscriptas and 66 (17.18%) were Culicoides obsoletus. The highest prevalence 50.52% was seen in Islamabad. The lowest prevalence, 0%, was observed in Faisalabad. The highest prevalence 54.68% was observed in Spring and the lowest prevalence (3.38%) was observed in winter. This study provides us the data on the distribution and associated determinants of biting midges in the selected districts of Pakistan. The factors that were associated with the distribution of biting midges were temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, and rainfall. In the future, this study will be helpful for broad spectrum identification of Midges at the molecular level.

Keywords: Vector; Ethanol; Taxonomy; Season; Biting Midges