Post-epidemic investigation of Schmallenberg virus in wild ruminants in Slovenia

Vengušt, Gorazd (author), Žele-Vengušt, Diana (author), Toplak, Ivan (author), Černe, Danijela (author), Kuhar, Urška (author)

Schmallenberg virus (SBV) is a vector‐borne virus belonging to the genus Orthobunyavirus within the Bunyaviridae family. SBV emerged in Europe in 2011 and was characterized by epidemics of abortions, stillbirths and congenital malformations in domestic ruminants. The first evidence of SBV infection in Slovenia was from an ELISA‐positive sample from a cow collected in August 2012; clinical manifestations of SBV disease in sheep and cattle were observed in 2013, with SBV RNA detected in samples collected from a total of 28 herds. A potential re‐emergence of SBV in Europe is predicted to occur when population‐level immunity declines. SBV is also capable of infecting several wild ruminant species, although clinical disease has not yet been described in these species. Data on SBV‐positive wild ruminants suggest that these species might be possible sources for the re‐emergence of SBV. The aim of this study was to investigate whether SBV was circulating among wild ruminants in Slovenia and whether these species can act as a virus reservoir. A total of 281 blood and spleen samples from wild ruminants, including roe deer, red deer, chamois and European mouflon, were collected during the 2017–2018 hunting season. Serum samples were tested for antibodies against SBV by ELISA; the overall seroprevalence was 18.1%. Seropositive samples were reported from all over the country in examined animal species from 1 to 15 years of age. Spleen samples from the seropositive animals and serum samples from the seronegative animals were tested for the presence of SBV RNA using real‐time RT‐PCR; all the samples tested negative. Based on the results of the seropositive animals, it was demonstrated that SBV was circulating in wild ruminant populations in Slovenia even after the epidemic, as almost half (23/51) of the seropositive animals were 1 or 2 years old.

• Language: English
• Keywords: ELISA, real-time RT-PCR, SBV, Schmallemberg virus, serology, wild ruminants
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: VF - Veterinary Faculty
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2020
• Number of pages: Str. 1708-1715
• Numbering: Vol. 67, iss. 4
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-125429
• UDC: 636.09:616.9-036.22
• ISSN on article: 1865-1674
• DOI: 10.1111/tbed.13495
• COBISS.SI-ID: 4933754
• Publication date in RUL: 16.03.2021

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Transboundary and emerging diseases
• Shortened title: Transboun Emerg Dis
• Publisher: Wiley
• ISSN: 1865-1674
• COBISS.SI-ID: 2922874

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.
• Licensing start date: 06.07.2020

Projects

• Funder: ARRS - Slovenian Research Agency
• Project number: P4-0092
• Name: Zdravje živali, okolje in varna hrana

• Funder: Other - Other funder or multiple funders
• Funding programme: Hunting Association of Slovenia