Isolation of Akabane Virus from Culicoides oxystoma in Kagoshima, Japan in 1984

Abstract

Biting midges of the genus Culicoides were collected in a cowshed in Kagoshima City over a period from June to December, 1984. They were fed for 3-4 days and classified. An attempt was made to isolate virus from them by the intracerebral inoculation method with suckling mice.
1. The midges collected were classified into 13 species of Culicoides: actoni, arakawae, brevitarsis, jacobsoni, kibunensis, lungchiensis, matsuzawae, maculatus, ohmorii, oxystoma, punctatus, sumatorae and wadai. The five species marked with an asterisk were predonimant. C. oxystoma was the most predominant.
2. Three strains of Akabane virus were first isolated from materials in which C. oxystoma had been mixed with C. jacobsoni, C. muclatus, or C. punctatus collected on October 12 and 15 and Novemler 4.
3. A survey on antibody against arbovirus was conducted in two sentinel calves. Neutralizing antibody turned to be positive against Aino virus in one calf on October 1 and 15 and against Akabane virus in the two calves on November 1. No neutralizing antibodies turned to be positive against Bluetongue virus type 1, Bovine ephemeral fever virus, Getah virus, Ibaraki virus, or Japanese encephalitis virus in either calf.