Abstract
In August 2006, the blue tongue virus (BTV-type South Africa serotype 8) was detected for the first time in cattle blood probes in the Netherlands, immediately followed by cases in Belgium and in cattle on German farms, which were situated close to Aachen at the border to those countries. Within less than 2 months the disease spread eastwards crossing the Rhine, southwards to Luxemburg and to Northern France. At the end of the year 2006, nearly 1,000 farms were affected in Germany. Catches on two German cattle farms proved that the ceratopogonid species Culicoides obsoletus was obviously the vector, since many females—fed and unfed ones—were found to be infected with this virus. This sudden outbreak of bluetongue disease (BTD) is surely not a primary result of global warming, but rather an effect of globalization—i.e. the intensive worldwide import and export of animals; but a hot summer, as in 2006, and a warm winter like that of the years 2006/2007 supported the new spread starting again in masses in August 2007 leading to 596 PCR-confirmed cases until then with more than 200,000 animals infected. Thus, new agents coming from elsewhere have only a chance to spread if appropriate vectors are available and the conditions remain favourable during a reasonably long period. Effects of global warming—of course—will support persistence of such outbreaks of diseases due to offering of spreading of imported viruses, bacteria and/or parasites.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Anonymous (1876) New disease. Report of the South Africa cattle and sheep disease commission. Report 16:189–194
Aspöck H, Dobler G (2008) Viruses. In: Mehlhorn H (ed) Encylopedia of parasitology, 3rd edn. Springer, Berlin, New York
Boorman J (1993) Biting midges (Ceratopogonidae). In: Lane RP, Crosskey RW (eds) Medical insects and arachnids. Chapman and Hall, London
Carpenter S, Darpel KE (2005) Bluetongue sheep clinical. UK Vet 10:1–5
Erasmus BJ (1990) Bluetongue virus. In: Dinter Z, Morein B (eds) Virus infections of ruminants. Elsevier, Amsterdam, pp 227–237
Hiepe T (1982) Veterinärmedizinische Arachno-Entomologie. Fischer, Stuttgart
Hutcheon D (1881) Fever of epizootic catarrh. Rep Coll Vet Surg 1880:12–15
Hutcheon D (1902) Malarial catarrh fever of sheep. Vet Rec 14:629–633
Löffler F, Frosch G (1897) Cited In: Wiener E, Ribbeck R (eds) (1978) Wörterbuch der Veterinärmedizin. G Fischer, Jena
MacLachlan NJ (2004) Bluetongue: pathogenesis and duration of viraemia. Vet Ital 40:462–467
Madder M, DeDeken R, DeDeken G, Fassotte IC (2006) Entomological monitoring of Culicoides species in Belgium and the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. Report of the Minister of Agriculture, Viticulture and rural development, Luxembourg and the Institute voor Tropische Geneeskund in Antwerpen Belgium
Martini E (1946) Lehrbuch der medizinischen Entomologie, 3rd edn. Fischer, Jena
Mehlhorn H (2008) Encylopedia of parasitology, 3rd edn. Springer, New York
Mehlhorn H, Walldorf V, Klimpel S, Jahn B, Jaeger F, Eschweiler J, Hoffmann B, Beer M (2007) First occurrence of Culicoides obsoletus—transmitted Bluetongue virus epidemic in Central Europe. Parasitol Res 101:219–228
Mehlhorn H, Schmahl G, Walldorf V, D, Haese J, Schumacher B (2008a) Butox ® pour on: a deltramethrin treatment of sheep and cattle: pilot study of killing effects on Culicoides species (Ceratopogonidae). Parasitol Res 102:515–518
Mehlhorn H, Schmahl G, Schumacher B, D, Haese J, Walldorf V, Klimpel S (2008b) Effects of Bayofly ™ on specimens of Culicoides species when incubated in hair taken from the feet of previously treated cattle and sheep. Parasitol Res 102:519–522
Mehlhorn H, Walldorf V, Klimpel S, D’Haese J, Kiehl A (2008c) Pilotstudy, on the ITS 1 and 16 ss mitochondrial DNA in Culicoides species, that are vectors of Bluetongue-disease. Parasitol Res (in press)
Mehlhorn H, Walldorf V, Klimpel S, Schmahl G, Schumacher B, Jatzlau A (2008d) Effects of Flypor®—a permethrin containing pour-on product on Culicoides specimens after contact with treated hair of cattle and sheep. Parasitol Res (in press)
Meiswinkel R, van Rijn P, Leijs P, Goffredo M (2007) Potential new Culicoides vector in northern Europe. Vet Rec 161:564–565
Mellor PS (1990) The replication of Bluetongue virus in Culicoides vectors. Curr Top Microbiol Immunol 162:143–161
Mellor PS, Boorman J, Baylis M (2000) Culicoides biting midges: their role as arbovirus vectors. Ann Rev Entomol 45:307–340
Purse BV, Mellor PS, Rogers DJ, Samuel AR, Mertens PPC, Baylis M (2005) Climate change and the recent emerge of the Bluetongue in Europe. Nature Rev Microbiol 3:171–181
Saegerman C, Berkvens D, Mellor PS (2008) Bluetongue epidemiology in the European Union. Emerg Infect Dis 14:539–544
Sattmann E et al. (2007) Report of the Austrian Bluetongue-Monitoring Team on the biodiversity of Culicoides species on Austrian farms in the year 2007. Proceedings. Congress of the Austrian Society for Tropical Medicine and Parasitology. Vienna (2007)
Savini G, Goffredo M, Monaco F, de Santis P, Meiswinkel R (2003) Transmission of Bluetongue virus in Italy. Vet Rec 152:119–129
Schmahl G, Walldorf V, Klimpel S, Al-Quraishy A, Mehlhorn H (2008) Efficacy of Oxyfly® on Culicoides species—the vectors of Bluetongue-virus and other insects. Parasitol Res (in press)
Toussaint JF, Sailleau C, Mast J et al (2007) Bluetongue in Belgium. Emerg Infect Dis 13:614–616
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Summary of a presentation given at the Workshop in Berlin.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Mehlhorn, H., Walldorf, V., Klimpel, S. et al. Outbreak of bluetongue disease (BTD) in Germany and the danger for Europe. Parasitol Res 103 (Suppl 1), 79–86 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-008-1100-7
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-008-1100-7