Award details

BBSRC Studentship:The influence of farm-level factors on midge abundance and transmission of arboviruses

Reference	BBS/E/I/00001220
Principal Investigator / Supervisor	Professor Philip Mellor
Co-Investigators / Co-Supervisors
Institution	The Pirbright Institute
Department	The Pirbright Institute Department
Funding type	Research
Value (£)	22,803
Status	Completed
Type	Institute Project
Start date	01/10/2005
End date	31/01/2010
Duration	52 months

Abstract

Europe is currently experiencing the worst outbreak of bluetongue virus (BTV) in recorded history with over one million sheep losses to date. Through a combination of range expansion of the old world vector of BTV, C. imicola, and the involvement of novel Palaearctic vectors, the virus has moved further north than ever previously recorded in western Europe. To date, models of transmission risk have used a broad scale approach, predicting C. imicola abundance and distribution from remotely sensed correlates of climate. These models perform poorly, however, at a finer, farm-level scale, where accurate prediction of Culicoides abundance would allow an assessment of the control methods required to interrupt virus transmission. This project will provide this vital link through the use of detailed ecological surveys of Culicoides populations in UK farm-land habitats combined with state of the art satellite imagery, identifying the drivers of local-scale population abundance and distribution and hence the associated transmission risk. This information will then be used as part of a wider IAH-based project to examine the risk of BTV incursion and establishment in the UK.

Summary

unavailable

Committee	Closed Committee - Animal Sciences (AS)
Research Topics	Animal Health
Research Priority	X – Research Priority information not available
Research Initiative	X - not in an Initiative
Funding Scheme	X – not Funded via a specific Funding Scheme

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