Often fatal to young animals, the epidemic is primarily the Netherlands and Germany, but a first case was detected in France. A new virus that affects sheep, goats and cattle appeared last fall in northern Europe. Nearly 300 companies have been affected so far in Germany and the Netherlands. Called “virus Schmallenberg”, named after the German town near Cologne, where it was detected for the first time, has been identified on several sick animals. France announced Thursday the discovery of a first case, in Lorraine. This new pathogen causing miscarriages or birth and grave breaches of the central nervous system in young animals infected during pregnancy, fever and diarrhea in adults, and a strong decrease in milk production.

“Many are stillborn lambs and have serious birth defects. This is a serious threat to the health of animals in Europe,” says the journal Science, Wim Van der Poel, The Netherlands Veterinary Center. “In some companies, between 20% and 50% of lambs are poorly trained, and most of them died,” said Thomas Mettenleiter for its part, the Friedrich-Loeffler Institute, Germany. The commercial consequences were swift: Russia has banned meat imports from the Netherlands, Germany and Belgium, and China would explore this possibility.

The epidemic is gaining ground not far from a hundred sheep farms have been hit in Belgium since the beginning of the month, and the germ is already present through the Channel in three farms. In France, a monitoring plan has been produced by the Directorate General of Food (EB). In addition to the cases detected in Lorraine, other suspected cases are analyzed. “It ‘s likely that the virus will spread throughout Europe,” says Wim van der Poel. “And ‘unlikely to stop at the border with Belgium,” he recently admitted Didier Calavas, laboratory manager for the French Food Safety Agency Lyon (handles).

Issued by a gnat

Never before described, the virus is linked to the Schmallenberg orthobunyavirus, a group until then still little studied. The European Centre for monitoring and prevention of diseases, it should not present a risk to human health. If so far no problems have been reported, caution is still recommended, because thirty viruses of this group, in Latin America, can cause disease in humans with symptoms similar to flu. For this reason, the European Center recommends an epidemiological monitoring of breeders and veterinarians in contact with sick animals.

Currently there is no veterinary treatment or vaccine to fight against this new pathogen. Theoretically, ruminants should not be allowed to contaminate them.However, the virus can cross the placenta as shown by numerous cases of young calves or lambs infected from their mothers during gestation. “The spread is made from insects, but is far from the carrier identified with precision. We think of Culicoides midge family, but it is only by analogy with the virus of the same group”, said Didier Calavas.

Source: www.lefigaro.fr