Significant re-emergence and recirculation of Schmallenberg virus in previously exposed dairy herds in Ireland in 2016

Transbound Emerg Dis. 2017 Oct;64(5):1359-1363. doi: 10.1111/tbed.12685. Epub 2017 Aug 1.

Abstract

Schmallenberg virus (SBV) circulation was investigated in 25 previously exposed dairy herds in Ireland in 2016. A population of 1,550 spring-2014-born animals, which had been monitored for SBV infection in 2014 and 2015 as part of a previous SBV surveillance study, were resampled for evidence of SBV infection during 2016. A total of 366 blood samples were collected in the 25 study herds (15 samples per herd) between 3 March 2017 and 10 March 2017 (before the 2017 vector-active season) and analysed for SBV antibodies using a competitive ELISA kit (IDVet). A total of 256 animals tested seropositive, an AP of 69.9% (95% CI: 65.1-74.4) and TP of 77.7% (95% CI: 72.3%-82.8%) when correcting for imperfect test characteristics. These results demonstrate that a new epidemic of SBV circulation occurred in these previously exposed herds in Ireland in 2016.

Keywords: arboviruses; emerging diseases; veterinary epidemiology.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Antibodies, Viral / blood*
  • Bunyaviridae Infections / epidemiology
  • Bunyaviridae Infections / veterinary*
  • Bunyaviridae Infections / virology
  • Cattle
  • Cattle Diseases / epidemiology*
  • Cattle Diseases / virology
  • Communicable Diseases, Emerging / epidemiology
  • Communicable Diseases, Emerging / veterinary*
  • Communicable Diseases, Emerging / virology
  • Dairying
  • Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay / veterinary
  • Female
  • Ireland / epidemiology
  • Orthobunyavirus / immunology*

Substances

  • Antibodies, Viral