Abstract:
Bluetongue and
epizootic hemorrhagic disease are
caused by orbiviruses transmitted by
Culicoides spp. biting midges (Diptera:
Ceratopogonidae). These diseases
are restricted to regions where
their vectors exist and seem to be
expanding to previously unaffected areas. Infection of wild and domestic
ruminants is common. Bluetongue virus
(BTV) causes severe clinical disease
in certain breeds of sheep; BTV
and epizootic hemorrhagic disease virus
(EHDV) cause clinical disease in
some species of deer.
