Seroprevalence of Schmallenberg Virus in Sheep in Belgrade Epizootic Area

Abstract

Schmallenberg disease is an infectious disease of cattle, sheep, and goats of viral aetiology caused by the Schmallenberg virus that belongs to the family Bunyaviridae and the genus Ortobunyavirus. Schmallenberg disease is a vector-borne disease transmitted by midges from the genus Culicoides but also by other hematophagous insects. The disease has a seasonal character and most often occurs in the warm months, from late spring to autumn. In this study, we investigated the seroprevalence of Schmallenberg disease in sheep in the epizootic area of Belgrade in the period from 2017 to 2022. A total of 600 sheep serums from the serum bank were tested, 100 serum samples from each year. Sera were tested by commercial ELISA test for the detection of specific antibodies against the Schmallenberg virus. The results showed an average annual seroprevalence of 24.5% in sheep in the Belgrade area in these six years with an increasing trend predicted for the next years.