The possible route of introduction of bluetongue virus serotype 3 into Sicily by windborne transportation of infected Culicoides spp.

ABSTRACT: In October 2017, the first outbreak of bluetongue virus serotype 3 (BTV-3) began in Italy, specifically in western Sicily. The route of entrance remains unclear, although since 2016 the same strain had been circulating only 150 km away, on the Tunisian peninsula of Cape Bon. The present analysis assessed the feasibility that wind could have carried BTV-3-infected Culicoides spp. from Tunisia to Sicily. An advection-deposition-survival (ADS) model was used to estimate when and where Culicoides spp. were likely to be introduced prior to the first BTV-3 report in Italy. Additionally, the Hybrid Single-Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory (HYSPLIT) model was used to support ADS outputs. The modelling suggests that during September 2017, strong wind currents and suitable climatic condition

SUBMITTER: Aguilar-Vega C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6850078 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature