Chagas Carolina Romeiro Fernandes, Bernotienė Rasa, Bobeva Aneliya, Bukauskaitė Dovilė, Ferraguti Martina, Gutiérrez-Lopez Rafael, Kazak Margarita, Mathieu Bruno, Valavičiūte-Pocienė Kristina, Santiago-Alarcon Diego, Svobodová Milena, Veiga Jesús, Votýpka Jan, Žiegytė Rita, Martínez-de la Puente Josué
State Scientific Research Institute Nature Research Centre, Vilnius, Lithuania.
Institute of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Research, Sofia, Bulgaria.
Parasit Vectors. 2025 Aug 3;18(1):329. doi: 10.1186/s13071-025-06957-y.
Culicoides (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) biting midges are a diverse group of insect vectors that transmit pathogens affecting humans, livestock, and wild animals. Among them, Oropouche virus, African Horse sickness virus, and bluetongue virus are the most notable pathogens. However, comparatively little is known about which Culicoides species serve as vectors of wildlife parasites affecting wild birds globally, including the malaria-like parasite of the genus Haemoproteus (Haemosporida: Haemoproteidae) and kinetoplastid Trypanosoma (Trypanosomatida: Trypanosomatidae). Beyond the direct impact of their bites, infections by these parasites negatively affect wild birds from early developmental stages, significantly influencing their ecology and evolution. Here, we present a comprehensive review of the role of Culicoides species in the transmission of these two genera of avian parasites in Europe: Haemoproteus and Trypanosoma. We identify key information and methods used to study Culicoides-bird-parasite interactions, from insect sampling to vector competence assessment. Additionally, we highlight key knowledge gaps and propose future research directions in this area.
蠓（双翅目：蠓科）是一类多样的昆虫媒介，可传播影响人类、家畜和野生动物的病原体。其中，奥罗普切病毒、非洲马瘟病毒和蓝舌病毒是最著名的病原体。然而，对于全球范围内哪些蠓物种作为影响野生鸟类的野生动物寄生虫的媒介，包括血变原虫属（血孢子虫目：血变原虫科）的类疟原虫和动基体锥虫属（动基体目：锥虫科），人们了解相对较少。除了叮咬的直接影响外，这些寄生虫的感染从早期发育阶段就对野生鸟类产生负面影响，显著影响它们的生态和进化。在这里，我们全面综述了蠓物种在欧洲这两类鸟类寄生虫传播中的作用：血变原虫和锥虫。我们确定了用于研究蠓 - 鸟类 - 寄生虫相互作用的关键信息和方法，从昆虫采样到媒介能力评估。此外，我们强调了关键的知识空白，并提出了该领域未来的研究方向。
