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: 2018
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2018-01-01 至 2019-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=654112
• 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咬人的苍蝇的三个科，即黑蝇、蚊子和咬人的蚊子(也被称为“见不到”或“角毛虫”)。作为医学和兽医昆虫学家，我们对叮咬可能传播动物和人类疾病的苍蝇感兴趣，目的是了解(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和(C)疾病传播。*(A)在下一个批出周期内，我们会研究蚊属库蚊和角蚊科的分类关系。由于它们的体积很小，角叉菜经常被忽视，但它们可能是疾病的重要媒介。我们最近在安大略省发现了一种龟形动物(库蚊)，我们打算评估其分布。*(B)我们将研究黑蝇和蚊子的食糖和吸血宿主偏好。在食糖方面，我们正在试图确定为什么这么多叮咬的苍蝇从它们祖先的糖粉--蚜虫蜜露--转向以花蜜为食，特别是因为从飞行性能和保护蚊子免受感染方面，蜜露似乎是更好的食物。了解嗜血宿主的喜好很重要，这样我们才能知道哪些物种可能是新出现的媒介传播疾病的媒介。*(C)我们有一个最先进的遏制3级(CL3)实验室，里面有杀虫剂，我们可以在那里处理活的、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，以确定西尼罗河病毒检测呈阳性的大约12种蚊子的媒介能力。此外，我们正在试图确定为什么一些蚊子是糟糕的媒介，而另一些是良好的媒介。在未来，我们还打算测试角类物种蓝舌病病毒的媒介能力。*我在实验室的工作包括实地研究(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。**