[Role of biting midges (Ceratopogonidae) in the circulation of arboviruses (a review)].
Over 30 arboviruses belonging to the families Togaviridae (2), Rhabdoviridae (2), Reoviridae (more than 10), Bunyaviridae (17) and non-classified ones (about 4) were isolated from midges. The distribution area of some viruses, which are of great medical and veterinary importance, is located in immediate proximity to southern borders of the USSR. Biological and ecological peculiarities of midges in addition to the above data on the isolation of viruses define the perspectives of virusological examination of midges, primarily in Transcaucasia, Middle Asia, southern regions of Siberia and Far East of the USSR.