Bluetongue (BT) is a viral disease transmitted by Culicoides (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) to domestic and wild ruminants. Infections in cattle are mainly subclinical, but severe necrotic and hemorrhagic illness and death may occur depending on the strain of the virus and other factors; cattle act as a reservoir for the virus. Although the Ecuadorian coast has climatic conditions that favor the presence of the vector, there are few serologic or virologic BTV studies available. Manabí is a coastal province in which livestock farming is mostly implemented in the northern part. We conducted two studies to assess, for the first time, the presence of active BTV infections in Manabí province. We collected 430 serum samples from 38 randomly selected farms between March and July 2019 to perform BTV competitive ELISA. In addition, six seropositive farms were selected to place eight sentinel BTV-naive calves. All these calves were blood sampled and the presence of BTV RNA and antibodies was tested for by RT-PCR and competitive ELISA, respectively, once a week for 6–8 weeks until seroconversion was evidenced. A high individual seroprevalence (99%) was obtained, and all investigated farms had BTV seropositive animals. All sentinel calves became BTV viremic and seroconverted. The first viremia appeared after 2–5 weeks from arrival at the farm; they seroconverted 1–3 weeks later. We demonstrate for the first time that there is a high level of BTV circulation north of Manabí, with active infections on these farms. Integrated control strategies such as hygienic measures on farms to reduce midge populations would be advisable for the owners as mitigation measures.

Mycoplasma gallisepticum (MG) is among the most significant problems in the poultry industry worldwide, representing a serious threat to international trade. Despite the fact that the mgc2 gene has been widely used for diagnostic and molecular characterization purposes, there is a lack of evidence supporting the reliability of this gene as a marker for molecular epidemiology approaches. Therefore, the current study aimed to assess the accuracy of the mgc2 gene for phylogenetic, phylodynamic, and phylogeographic evaluations. Furthermore, the global phylodynamic expansion of MG is described, and the origin and extension of the outbreak caused by MG in Ecuador were tracked and characterized. The results obtained strongly supported the use of the mgc2 gene as a reliable phylogenetic marker and accurate estimator for the temporal and phylogeographic structure reconstruction of MG. The phylodynamic analysis denoted the failures in the current policies to control MG and highlighted the imperative need to implement more sensitive methodologies of diagnosis and more efficient vaccines. Framed in Ecuador, the present study provides the first piece of evidence of the circulation of virulent field MG strains in Ecuadorian commercial poultry. The findings derived from the current study provide novel and significant insights into the origin, diversification, and evolutionary process of MG globally.

The serologic survey and the confirmatory molecular diagnostic suggested evidence of a fairly presence of ILT infection in the main poultry farms of Ecuador. The current work highlights the need to apply a control program of ILT based on vaccination and standard biosecurity measures in the poultry farms of Ecuador.

Bluetongue is a viral disease that affects sheep, cattle and other domestic or wild ruminants. Different species of Culicoides transmit the virus (BTV). High BTV seroprevalence was found in farms of Manabí and other two provinces of Ecuador, but the presence of the virus in the Culicoides spp. vector has not been reported. In the current study, the main goal was to demonstrate the presence of BTV in Culicoides in Ecuador for the first time and characterize the species of Culicoides collected in farms located in the central-east area of Manabí province. Six farms were selected to be monitored by BTV c-ELISA. All the 100 tested animals were positive. Using a CDC trap with ultraviolet light placed in three BTV-positive farms for three nights, 2240 specimens of Culicoides were collected. Six different Culicoides species have been identi-fied, which were presented in different abundance percent: 62% C.insignis; 7% C. batesi; 1.8% C.foxi; 1.8% C.diabolicus; 15.48% C.crepuscularis; 12% C.antunesis. These last two species have been identified for the first time in Ecuador. Q-PCR detected BTV RNA in the homogenates of female midges collected in each farm, so it was demonstrated that the epidemiological cycle of the virus is completed; since female midges infected with BTV were found, it is too a novel result for Ecuador. Keywords: Bluetongue, BTV, Culicoides, cattle, real-time PCR, competitive ELISA, Ecuador, Manabi

Bluetongue is a viral disease that affects sheep, cattle and other domestic or wild ruminants. Different species of Culicoides transmit the virus (BTV). High BTV seroprevalence was found in farms of Manabí and other two provinces of Ecuador, but the presence of the virus in the Culicoides spp. vector has not been reported. In the current study, the main goal was to demonstrate the presence of BTV in Culicoides in Ecuador for the first time and characterize the species of Culicoides collected in farms located in the central-east area of Manabí province. Six farms were selected to be monitored by BTV c-ELISA. All the 100 tested animals were positive. Using a CDC trap with ultraviolet light placed in three BTV-positive farms for three nights, 2240 specimens of Culicoides were collected. Six different Culicoides species have been identi-fied, which were presented in different abundance percent: 62% C.insignis; 7% C. batesi; 1.8% C.foxi; 1.8% C.diabolicus; 15.48% C.crepuscularis; 12% C.antunesis. These last two species have been identified for the first time in Ecuador. Q-PCR detected BTV RNA in the homogenates of female midges collected in each farm, so it was demonstrated that the epidemiological cycle of the virus is completed; since female midges infected with BTV were found, it is too a novel result for Ecuador. Keywords: Bluetongue, BTV, Culicoides, cattle, real-time PCR, competitive ELISA, Ecuador, Manabi