A review analysis of global Bluetongue virus-related research articles from 2000 to 2020

Abstract

Bluetongue virus (BTV) is an arbovirus, causes bluetongue (BT) disease of ruminants responsible for mortality and trade limitation. The objective of this study was to provide a descriptive review analysis of global research activity for the period 2000 to 2020. The number of articles, temporal evolution, geographical distribution, countries, funding agencies, authors, research theme, and the source was analyzed and presented in visualization maps. Search query resulted in 3878 documents from 5681 authors, and 2017 articles were analyzed. The annual number of publications showed a steep increase from 2005 to 2020 related to attention to BT as an exotic disease in Europe, as well as the interest in vector over-distribution due to climate change. Most of the studies were performed in Europe, followed by Asia and North America. The top active countries in article production were the United Kingdom and the United States. A considerable international collaboration network of the UK with the USA and European countries was observed. However, the collaboration was weak with Asian and African countries. The major research themes are genomic viral studies, the role of Culicoides as a vector, serological and molecular epidemiology, and vaccination. In conclusion, an increase in scientific production and international collaboration was noticed during the last two decades. However, international collaboration needs more attention to African, and South American countries. The current study provides useful references for the policymaker, academics, animal health professionals, and funding agencies to follow the past and except the future BTV themes.