Local investigation into the role of Culicoides species diversity (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) in recurrent horse dermatitis cases in southwest France.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Insect bite hypersensitivity in horses ("sweet itch") is a common pruritic, chronic, seasonal, and recurrent dermatitis affecting approximately 10% of horses in France and is a major concern for the horse industry and private owners. This dermatitis results from an allergic reaction to the saliva of specific biting flies (Diptera: Nematocera), primarily from the Culicoides genus. Given the frequent occurrence of this health problem and the limited investigation in France, we conducted a field survey in the vicinity of a riding stable in southwestern France with a reported chronic case of recurrent horse dermatitis to (i) characterize the Culicoides species associated with horse populations and (ii) estimate the relative abundance of the different species identified based

SUBMITTER: Prudhomme J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11881243 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature