Institute of Pathology, Wild Animals, Fish and Bees, Veterinary Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia.
Institute of Microbiology and Parasitology, Veterinary Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia.
Transbound Emerg Dis. 2020 Jul;67(4):1708-1715. doi: 10.1111/tbed.13495. Epub 2020 Feb 7.
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.
沙尔贝林病毒（SBV）是一种虫媒病毒，属于布尼亚病毒科正布尼亚病毒属。SBV 于 2011 年在欧洲出现，其特征是家畜中出现流产、死产和先天性畸形的流行。斯洛文尼亚首例 SBV 感染的证据来自 2012 年 8 月采集的一头奶牛的 ELISA 阳性样本；2013 年观察到绵羊和牛的 SBV 疾病临床症状，从总共 28 个畜群采集的样本中检测到 SBV RNA。预计当群体水平免疫力下降时，SBV 在欧洲可能会再次出现。SBV 也能够感染几种野生反刍动物物种，尽管尚未在这些物种中描述临床疾病。关于 SBV 阳性野生反刍动物的数据表明，这些物种可能是 SBV 再次出现的可能来源。本研究旨在调查 SBV 是否在斯洛文尼亚的野生反刍动物中传播，以及这些物种是否可以充当病毒储存库。在 2017-2018 年狩猎季节期间，共采集了 281 份来自野生反刍动物（包括狍、马鹿、岩羚羊和欧洲盘羊）的血液和脾脏样本。通过 ELISA 检测血清样本中针对 SBV 的抗体；总体血清阳性率为 18.1%。在所检查的动物物种中，从 1 至 15 岁的动物中报告了来自全国各地的血清阳性样本。使用实时 RT-PCR 检测血清阳性动物的脾脏样本和血清阴性动物的血清样本中 SBV RNA 的存在；所有样本均为阴性。根据血清阳性动物的结果，证明 SBV 在斯洛文尼亚的野生反刍动物种群中流行，即使在流行之后仍在传播，因为近一半（23/51）的血清阳性动物为 1 或 2 岁。
