Coleta de mosquitos culicoides visando identificar a presença do vírus da língua azul no estado de Alagoas.

Abstract

Culicoides are hematophagous insects that transmit several important diseases to animals, especially the Blue Tongue virus (BT). Its main symptoms are loss of appetite, weight loss, the occurrence of abortions and, in addition, it can lead to the animal's death. This disease has a negative economic impact on livestock farming, not only because of the direct losses suffered by affected animals, but also because of the restrictions imposed by the international market. Because BT is transmitted by viruses, it is difficult to control, and there is a need to look for alternative strategies that are effective, economical and do not harm animal and human health or the environment. The aim of this study was to capture and identify the Culicoides present in the different mesoregions of the state of Alagoas in order to support future research aimed at controlling these parasites. The use of traps to attract pests that attack animals and plants has been widely explored in production systems. Culicoides were captured (capture net and light trap) in the field on properties located in the three mesoregions of the state of Alagoas: Zona da Mata, Agreste and Sertão. The specimens collected in the field were taken to the Natural Resources Research Laboratory for proper identification according to the steps consisting of selecting the insects with the naked eye, selecting them using an entomological magnifying glass and classifying them entomologically, considering the results obtained after the morphological and genetic identifications carried out during the field research, it was verified that all the insects captured (252) belong to the genus Culicoides, concluding that the capture of insects of the genus Culicoides through the use of light traps was more effective and can be used by other researchers.