Scottish midges carrying previously unknown viruses & # 39;

According to a new study, the midge population in Scotland is carrying previously unknown viruses.

Viruses belong to species similar to those found in insects and other invertebrates.

The Scottish study also identified an alphanodavirus and scientists explained that some of these viruses could be fatal for animals, such as pigs and birds.

They said midges were not a current health problem in Scotland and that the public should not be worried.

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A notorious pest in the highlands and Argyll, midges in the study were collected in Loch Lomond National Park and Trossachs.

Scientists from the Research Center for Viruses at the Medical Research Council-University of Glasgow conducted this study, which was published in the journal Viruses.

The newly identified viruses, an alphanodavirus, two rhabdo viruses and a chuvirus, have proved to be sufficiently different from the known species to be classified as "new".

Scientists said that there was currently no evidence that these viruses posed a threat to humans.

In other parts of Europe, midges are responsible for the spread of the SBV virus, a virus that affects livestock, in 2011.

The lead author of the research, Sejal Modha, said the study was intended to increase knowledge about insect viruses.

She said: "Although gnats are not currently a public health problem in Scotland – and we point out that the public has no reason to worry – our research allows us to better understand midges and viruses that 'they can convey, thus helping us prepare for possible future emerging risks through enhanced surveillance and knowledge.'

Co-author Joseph Hughes added, "What we have discovered is the tip of the iceberg in terms of discovering new viruses.

"With about 5.5 million species of insects on Earth, several million more insect viruses will probably be discovered.

"What we are seeing overall, because of a number of factors, including climate change, is the movement of virus vectors – or vectors – to new regions."

The researchers reported that at least 41 different species of biting midges were known in the UK, 37 of which are present in Scotland.

The midget season in Scotland usually starts from mid-May to the end of September.

Billions of small flies can emerge in a season.

Females need blood to ripen the eggs they carry and their bites can leave red bumps on the skin.

Males feed on nectar and other natural sugars.

Scotland is also home to chironomids, a "family" of non-pungent midges with thousands of species around the world.