Systematics, Behavioural Ecology and Disease Transmission of Biting Diptera

咬性双翅目的系统学、行为生态学和疾病传播

• 批准号: RGPIN-2015-03802
• 负责人: Hunter, Fiona
• 金额: $ 1.89万
• 依托单位: Brock University
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2016
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2016-01-01 至 2017-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=612580
• 关键词: Systematics; Behavioural; Ecology; Disease; Transmission

My students and I will study three families of biting flies, namely, the black flies, the mosquitoes and the biting midges (also known as "no-see-ums" or "ceratopogonids").  As medical and veterinary entomologists, we are interested in biting flies that are potential vectors of animal and human diseases and aim to understand (a) phylogenetic (historical) relationships among the taxa, (b) behavioural ecology of these flies and (c) disease transmission.   (a) In the next granting cycle, we will study taxonomic relationships within the mosquito genus Culiseta, and within the family Ceratopogonidae.  Due to their small size, ceratopogonids are often ignored but they can be important vectors of disease. We have recently discovered that a ceratopogonid species (Culicoides sonorensis) is found in Ontario, and we intend to assess its distribution.  (b) We will study the sugar-feeding and blood-feeding host preferences of black flies and mosquitoes. In the area of sugar-feeding, we are trying to determine why so many of the biting flies switched from their ancestral sugar-meal, aphid honeydew, to feeding on floral nectar, especially because honeydew seems to be the better meal in terms of flight performance and protecting mosquitoes from infections. Blood-feeding host preferences are important to understand so that we know which species are likely vectors of new emerging vector-borne diseases.   (c) We have a State-of-the-Art Containment Level 3 (CL3) laboratory with insectary where we can work with live, infected mosquitoes.  We are conducting experiments on West Nile virus-infected mosquitoes to determine the vector competence of ~12 species that have tested positive for West Nile virus.  Furthermore, we are trying to determine why some mosquitoes are poor vectors and others are good vectors. In the future, we also intend to test ceratopogonid species for vector competence of Bluetongue virus, a deadly livestock disease. Work in my lab involves a combination of field research (collecting the biting flies of interest), laboratory rearing of various vector species, morphological identification of different species, molecular barcoding and vector competence studies.

我和我的学生将研究三个家庭的叮咬苍蝇，即黑蝇，蚊子和叮咬蠓（也称为“无见ums”或“ceratopogonids”）。 作为医学和兽医昆虫学家，我们感兴趣的叮咬苍蝇是动物和人类疾病的潜在载体，并旨在了解（a）分类群之间的系统发育（历史）关系，（B）这些苍蝇的行为生态学和（c）疾病传播。  (a)在下一个资助周期中，我们将研究库利塞特属蚊子和蠓科蚊子之间的分类关系。 由于它们的小尺寸，ceratopogonids往往被忽视，但它们可以是重要的疾病载体。我们最近发现，在安大略发现了一种ceratopogonid物种（库蠓sonorensis），我们打算评估其分布。 (b)我们将研究黑蝇和蚊子对以糖为食和以血为食的宿主的偏好。在糖喂养方面，我们试图确定为什么这么多的叮咬苍蝇从他们的祖先糖餐，蚜虫蜜露，转向以花蜜为食，特别是因为蜜露似乎是飞行性能和保护蚊子免受感染方面的更好的食物。了解吸血宿主的偏好很重要，这样我们就可以知道哪些物种可能是新出现的病媒传播疾病的病媒。  (c)我们有一个最先进的遏制水平3（CL3）实验室与昆虫，我们可以与活的，受感染的蚊子。 我们正在对感染西尼罗河病毒的蚊子进行实验，以确定对西尼罗河病毒检测呈阳性的约12种蚊子的媒介能力。 此外，我们正在试图确定为什么有些蚊子是不良的媒介，而另一些是良好的媒介。在未来，我们还打算测试蠓物种的蓝舌病病毒，一种致命的牲畜疾病的载体能力。 在我的实验室工作包括实地研究（收集感兴趣的叮咬苍蝇），各种媒介物种的实验室饲养，不同物种的形态鉴定，分子条形码和媒介能力研究。