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BRITISH ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY PRESS RELEASE

4 September 2008

“Bar-coding” midges could help prevent spread of bluetongue in the UK

Ecologists have developed a new technique for genetically “bar-coding” biting midges that could help prevent the spread of bluetongue – a serious animal disease – in the UK. Speaking at the British Ecological Society’s Annual Meeting at Imperial College, London, Jane DeGabriel of the University of Aberdeen will explain how the technique will plug a huge gap in our understanding of how midges might spread bluetongue in the UK.

Bluetongue is a serious disease affecting ruminants such as sheep and cattle. It was first detected in the UK in 2007 but has not yet affected Scotland. It can be spread by species of Culicoides biting midge present in the UK. European midges have been exposed to bluetongue and can spread the disease. Coupled with climate change, this means the disease poses a major threat to UK agriculture.

The species of midges present in the UK potentially differ in their ability to spread bluetongue, so predicting how the disease might spread depends on mapping the distribution of these species. DeGabriel’s new “bar-coding” system makes this possible for the first time.

According to DeGabriel: “The four species within the group Culicoides obsoletus that we are interested in cannot be distinguished visually. So we are using a genetic bar-coding approach to identify the midges to species level using molecular methods. We have developed a high-throughput genetic screening method to identify large sample sizes of midges to species level, both efficiently and cost-effectively.”

During 2007 and 2008, DeGabriel and her colleagues collected one million midges from light traps set up on 37 farms throughout Scotland, from the English border in the south to as far north as Thurso. Using the bar-coding technique they were then able to produce a detailed “midge map” of Scotland. This showed midge numbers and species varied both geographically and seasonally, reflecting differences in climate and habitat.

“This is the first large-scale study of the distribution and abundance of Scottish midge species. We found that all four species of midges were present in all areas of Scotland, but the relative numbers of each species differed between the trapping sites. We also found the mixture of species differed at individual sites at different times of the year. These differences between and within sites appear to be due to differences in climatic conditions and habitat. Our findings provide vital information for assessing the risk of bluetongue being transmitted in Scotland and the effects of climate change on the spread of this and other animal diseases,” DeGabriel explains.

“Given the introduction of bluetongue into England and the persistence of favourable climatic conditions such as the recent milder winters, this research is extremely urgent and important. Our results will help scientists and policy makers develop risk mitigation and management strategies for bluetongue and other animal diseases,” DeGabriel says.

Jane DeGabriel will present her full findings at 09:10 on Thursday 4 September 2008 to the British Ecological Society’s Annual Meeting at Imperial College, London.

Her research is being carried out under a Scottish Government grant to the University of Aberdeen, Advanced Pest Solutions Ltd and the Institute for Animal Health, Pirbright.

Notes for editors

1. For further information contact Jane DeGabriel, email: j.degabriel@abdn.ac.uk or Alison Blackwell, Advanced Pest Solutions, tel: 0131 651 3328, email: ablackwell@advancedpestsolutions.co.uk.

2. The British Ecological Society’s Annual Meeting takes place from 3-5 September 2008 at Imperial College, London. The meeting attracts hundreds of ecologists, making it Europe's largest ecological conference. Press passes and further information are available from Becky Allen, Press Officer, British Ecological Society, tel: 01223 570016, mob: 07949 804317, email: beckyallen@ntlworld.com.

3. A full programme for the meeting is available at www.britishecologicalsociety.org/articles/meetings/current/2008_annualmeeting/.

4. The British Ecological Society is a learned society, a registered charity and a company limited by guarantee. Established in 1913 by academics to promote and foster the study of ecology in its widest sense, the Society has 4,000 members in the UK and abroad. Further information is available at www.britishecologicalsociety.org.

5. There are two major species groups of biting midges that can spread bluetongue in the UK. These two groups are present across all of Europe, from northern Africa and the middle east to northern Scotland and the southern areas of Scandinavia. The Culicoides pulicaris species complex contains five species, which can be told apart morphologically (by visual inspection under a microscope). This study looked at the Culicoides obsoletus complex, which contains four species (Culicoides chiopterus, C. dewulfi, C. obsoletus ss, C. scoticus). These four species cannot be distinguished by morphological characteristics, so we need to use our genetic bar-coding technique to identify them. Previously bluetongue had only been known to be spread by another species complex, Culicoides imicola whose distribution only extends as far north as the Mediterranean. However, the northward spread of this midge group into Europe means that the native European species were exposed to the virus, enabling its spread throughout Europe.

6. This study is a collaborative project between the University of Aberdeen, which is responsible for the molecular component of the work; Advanced Pest Solutions Ltd. Edinburgh, which is carrying out the midge trapping and overall project management; and the Institute for Animal Health, Pirbright, which is conducing the vector competence study.

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