Methodology in preserving field-collected flies for bluetongue virus assay

Preliminary tests were conducted to evaluate the use of phosphate buffered saline (PBS) as a collecting medium for the preservation of flies for virus assay from our bluetongue (BT) study areas in Colorado, USA. These tests were made possible by the use of a colony of Culicoides variipennis (Coquillett) that is highly susceptible to infection with BT virus (BTV).