The emergence of bluetongue--a disease caused by a virus able to
infect all ruminants--has serious economic consequences,
affecting the international trade of animals and animal
products. Until recently, bluetongue was confined to the
Americas, Africa, southern Asia, and northern Australia, with
only a few incursions in Europe. However, the largest epidemic
ever recorded broke in the Mediterranean Basin in 1998,
persisting for up to 4 years in many countries that had never
experienced the virus before. To counteract this disease it is
crucial to predict its risk in particular places and times. This
is why we, at the Institute of Animal Health, are investigating
where and when the blood-sucking midges that transmit this virus
occur. It might seem quite remote at first, but it was my
fascination for insects that led me into this research field. I
became aware of the sheer abundance and diversity of insects and
of their importance in the functioning of ecosystems as a
zoology undergraduate at Oxford University .