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Advisor(s)
Abstract(s)
A few years after the initial 2011 large scale Schmallenberg virus (SBV) epidemic that affected Europe, a subsequent decrease in new SBV infections was observed presumably associated with natural substitution of previously exposed animals. In the present work, a 2-year prospective serosurvey was performed to evaluate SBV circulation in a population of sheep living at high altitude in the central region of Portugal and with restricted movement. Blood from a representative sample of 168 autochthonous sheep was collected in 2015 and again in 2016, and tested for the presence of anti-SBV IgG by ELISA. Of the 2015 sample collection, seven animals tested positive for anti-SBV IgG, corresponding to a seroprevalence of 4.2% while of the 2016 sample collection, 10 presented SBV antibodies, showing a seroprevalence of 6.0% (p = 0.619). Results show that SBV is endemic in sheep of central Portugal, even in herds at high altitude locations. When comparing anti-SBV seroprevalences of 2015/2016 found in this study, to one detected in 2014 in the same region, a steep decrease could be observed (p < 0.001). This is in accordance with what has been documented in Western European countries, where a decrease in the number of SBV-infected sheep has been found, a fact which may pose a new threat for SBV re-emergence.
Description
Keywords
Portugal Schmallenberg virus endemicity high altitude sheep
Citation
Esteves, F., Cruz, R., Vasconcelos-Nóbrega, C., Santos, C., Ferreira, A. S., Petrovic, T., Cardoso, L., Coelho, A. C., Vala, H., Nascimento, M. S. J., & Mesquita, J. R. (2018). Serologic evidence for Schmallenberg virus circulation at high altitude, Central Portugal, 2015-2016. Transboundary and Emerging Diseases, 65(6), 1553–1556. https://doi.org/10.1111/tbed.12899