施马伦贝格病毒

施马伦贝格病毒病(Schmallenberg virus,SBV)是一种新发现的动物传染病,因于2011年底在德国施马伦贝格镇首次发现而临时得名,随后蔓延于西欧(包括比利时、法国、德国、荷兰、意大利、卢森堡、西班牙、英国和丹麦),并分别在奥地利、波兰、瑞典和芬兰等国的牛、山羊、绵羊中检测到抗体。遗传分析显示该病毒与布尼亚病毒科(Bunyaviridae)正布尼亚病毒属(Orthobunyavirus)西姆布血清群病毒(Simbu serogroup viruses)的亲缘关系最密切,西姆布血清群病毒是已知的反刍动物病原,可通过节肢动物媒介(蚊、蠓)传播。施马伦贝格病毒病有2种不同的临床症状:成年牛出现短暂轻微/温和的病症(产奶量减少、发热、腹泻)和新生哺乳动物(牛、羊)死产和先天缺陷。因为同群类似的病毒不是人畜共患病病原,也无该病毒致人发病的证据,但现阶段尚不能完全排除。尽管目前没有特效的药物和疫苗,但因已有类似病毒(赤羽病)的疫苗,疫苗接种应是控制该病的可能选项。因施马伦贝格病毒是一种新发现的病毒,许多方面尚不清楚,还有待于进一步研究。     

Serosurveillance of Schmallenberg virus in Switzerland using bulk tank milk samples

Infections with Schmallenberg virus (SBV), a novel Orthobunyavirus transmitted by biting midges, can cause abortions and malformations of newborns and severe symptoms in adults of domestic and wild ruminants. Understanding the temporal and spatial distribution of the virus in a certain territory is important for the control and prevention of the disease. In this study, seroprevalence of antibodies against SBV and the spatial spread of the virus was investigated in Swiss dairy cattle applying a milk serology technique on bulk milk samples. The seroprevalence in cattle herds was significantly higher in December 2012 (99.5%) compared to July 2012 (19.7%). This high between-herd seroprevalence in cattle herds was observed shortly after the first detection of viral infections. Milk samples originating from farms with seropositive animals taken in December 2012 (n = 209; mean 160%) revealed significantly higher S/P% ratios than samples collected in July 2012 (n = 48; mean 103.6%). This finding suggests a high within-herd seroprevalence in infected herds which makes testing of bulk tank milk samples for the identification farms with past exposures to SBV a sensitive method. It suggests also that within-herd transmission followed by seroconversion still occurred between July and December. In July 2012, positive bulk tank milk samples were mainly restricted to the western part of Switzerland whereas in December 2012, all samples except one were positive. A spatial analysis revealed a separation of regions with and without positive farms in July 2012 and no spatial clustering within the regions with positive farms. In contrast to the spatial dispersion of bluetongue virus, a virus that is also transmitted by Culicoides midges, in 2008 in Switzerland, the spread of SBV occurred from the western to the eastern part of the country. The dispersed incursion of SBV took place in the western part of Switzerland and the virus spread rapidly to the remaining territory. This spatial pattern is consistent with the hypothesis that transmission by Culicoides midges was the main way of spreading.     

An abnormal birth in bovine suspected of being caused by Peaton virus first occurred in Shikoku region,Japan

Peaton virus (PEAV) is a type of arthropod-borne virus (arbovirus) belonging to the genus Orthobunyavirus, much like Akabane virus and Aino virus. These arboviruses cause stillbirth and congenital malformations of fetuses in ruminants. In Japan, abnormal birth in bovine caused by PEAV were reported in Okinawa, Kyushu, and Chugoku regions, but it has never been reported in Shikoku region. The abnormal birth occurred in 2020 in Ehime Prefecture (Shikoku region) and suspected of being caused by PEAV from results of clinical signs, pathological findings, and virus neutralization test using PEAV. However, PEAV was not detected and isolated. This report describes the case of abnormal birth in bovine suspected of being caused by PEAV first occurred in Shikoku region, Japan.