Abstract
Schmallenberg virus (SBV), a teratogenic orthobunyavirus that infects predominantly ruminants, emerged in 2011 in Central Europe, spread rapidly throughout the continent, and subsequently established an endemic status with re-circulations to a larger extent every 2 to 3 years. Hence, it represents a constant threat to the continent’s ruminant population when no effective countermeasures are implemented. Here, we discuss potential preventive measures to protect from Schmallenberg disease. Previous experiences with other arboviruses like bluetongue virus have already demonstrated that vaccination of livestock against a vector-transmitted disease can play a major role in reducing or even stopping virus circulation. For SBV, specific inactivated whole-virus vaccines have been developed and marketing authorizations were granted for such preparations. In addition, candidate marker vaccines either as live attenuated, DNA-mediated, subunit or live-vectored preparations have been developed, but none of these DIVA-capable candidate vaccines are currently commercially available. At the moment, the licensed inactivated vaccines are used only to a very limited extent. The high seroprevalence rates induced in years of virus re-occurrence to a larger extent, the wave-like and sometimes hard to predict circulation pattern of SBV, and the expenditures of time and costs for the vaccinations presumably impact on the willingness to vaccinate. However, one should bear in mind that the consequence of seronegative young animals and regular renewed virus circulation might be again more cases of fetal malformation caused by an infection of naïve dams during one of their first gestations. Therefore, an appropriate and cost-effective strategy might be to vaccinate naïve female animals of all affected species before the reproductive age.
Highlights
In summer and autumn 2011, an unidentified disease characterized by fever, decreased milk production, and diarrhea was noticed in cattle in Germany and the Netherlands
The unexpected emergence of Schmallenberg virus (SBV) demonstrates the constant threat that yet unknown insect-transmitted viruses suddenly appear in previously unaffected regions, probably driven by a rapid change in global climate, trade and travel habits
It represents a constant threat to the ruminant population when no countermeasures, in particular vaccinations, are implemented
Summary
In summer and autumn 2011, an unidentified disease characterized by fever, decreased milk production, and diarrhea was noticed in cattle in Germany and the Netherlands. After its initial appearance near the German/Dutch border region, SBV spread very rapidly throughout Europe, causing large epizootics in the continent’s ruminant population [4]. The virus was detected Europe-wide only 1 year after its initial discovery [23,24]. Thereafter, it established an endemic status with a pattern of cyclic re-emergence to a larger extent every 2 to 3 years [25,26,27,28]. Under Central European weather conditions, the peak season of the vectors responsible for virus transmission, i.e., the time of highest activity of the Culicoides biting midges, is during the summer and autumn months
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