Abstract
A newly developed Enzym Like Immuno Sorbant Assay (ELISA) based on the recombinant nucleocapsid protein (N) of Schmallenberg virus (SBV) was evaluated and validated for the detection of SBV-specific IgG antibodies in ruminant sera by three European Reference Laboratories. Validation data sets derived from sheep, goat and bovine sera collected in France and Germany (n = 1515) in 2011 and 2012 were categorized according to the results of a virus neutralization test (VNT) or an indirect immuno-flurorescence assay (IFA). The specificity was evaluated with 1364 sera from sheep, goat and bovine collected in France and Belgium before 2009. Overall agreement between VNT and ELISA was 98.9% and 98.3% between VNT and IFA, indicating a very good concordance between the different techniques. Although cross-reactions with other Orthobunyavirus from the Simbu serogroup viruses might occur, it is a highly sensitive, specific and robust ELISA-test validated to detect anti-SBV antibodies. This test can be applied for SBV sero-diagnostics and disease-surveillance studies in ruminant species in Europe.
Highlights
In 2011, an unidentified disease in cattle was first reported in Germany and the Netherlands
This paper describes the evaluation and validation of an indirect Enzym Like Immuno Sorbant Assay (ELISA) for the detection of anti-Schmallenberg virus (SBV) antibodies
During the first months following the discovery of this new virus, case confirmation was done by the detection of viral RNA using rt-RTPCR in brain tissue sampled from death newborns
Summary
In 2011, an unidentified disease in cattle was first reported in Germany and the Netherlands. Because of the origin of the first positive samples, the virus was named Schmallenberg virus (SBV). Few months after this first SBV infection, newborns with severe neurological disorders leading mostly to the death of the animal several hours or days after birth and foetuses with atypical malformations leading mostly to intra-uterine death or death immediately after birth were observed. In Europe, 5,234 farms have reported such abnormal newborns or foetuses in cattle (2,865), sheep (2,491) and goats (78) (source: www.survepi.com). Since the detection of this virus, 14 European countries were reported as infected (Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, France, Luxembourg, UK, Denmark, Spain, Italy, Switzerland, Sweden, Austria, Poland and Finland)
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