Effect of agro-ecological landscape on the distribution of Culicoides obsoletus in northeast China.

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Culicoides obsoletus is an important pest for animal husbandry. In the world, it is a major vector of bluetongue disease, which has been added to the list of Class A Animal Diseases by the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) and must be reported in the event of an outbreak. Although numerous studies on Culicoides sampling in farms exist, the distribution of C. obsoletus in different landscapes remains unclear. RESULTS: This study aimed to assess the effect of landscape type on the distribution of C. obsoletus. Samples were collected using light traps during spring and fall. The effect of landscape type on the distribution of C. obsoletus samples was measured by the maximum entropy model (MaxEnt). Results show that C. obsoletus mainly appears in forests and pastures. CONCLUSION: Our results may provide references for controlling the C. obsoletus population and provide suggestions of other areas that may also face the challenge of bluetongue.