Schmallenberg virus: continuing a trend?

Rob Noad, Joe Brownlie Department of Pathology and Pathogen Biology, Royal Veterinary College, Hatfield, UK Abstract: Since its first isolation in Germany in 2011 the Schmallenberg strain of the Sathuperi virus has been detected across northern Europe. The virus is associated with neurological disease, abortion, and congenital deformities in ruminants, particularly among sheep and cattle. The rapid dissemination of the pathogen is reminiscent of the transmission of another midge-borne arbovirus, Bluetongue virus, which also spread to Europe on several separate occasions between 1998 and 2007. In this review we detail the characteristic features of the Schmallenberg virus and consider whether the virus highlights a European vulnerability for other midge-transmitted pathogens. Keywords: Schmallenberg, Sathuperi, Culicoides, bunyavirus, midge, bluetongue