Immunodetection of bluetongue virus and epizoötic hemorrhagic disease virus in Culicoides variipennis (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae).

The avidin-biotin complex immunoperoxidase system has been used with nitrocellulose membranes to detect bluetongue virus serotypes 10 (BTV-10) and 11 (BTV-11) and epizootic hemorrhagic disease virus (EHDV) serotype 1 (EHDV-1) in individual specimens of Culicoides variipennis (Coquillett). The cross reactivity between BTV-10 and BTV-11 indicates that polyclonal antisera cannot be used to distinguish between flies infected with BTV-10 and BTV-11; however, the procedure can be used to discriminate flies infected with BTV-10 or BTV-11 from flies infected with EHDV-1. Because the test is rapid and sensitive and does not require expensive equipment, it could be used in the field to determine the relative numbers of flies infected with BTV or EHDV.