Emerging Bluetongue Virus Serotype 4 in the Balearic Islands, Spain (2021): Outbreak Investigations and Experimental Infection in Sheep.

ABSTRACT: Bluetongue is an infectious, non-contagious, arthropod-borne viral disease of ruminants caused by bluetongue virus (BTV), producing severe impacts on livestock. Historically, Southern Europe has suffered multiple incursions of different BTV serotypes with serious consequences. In 2021, BTV re-emerged in the Balearic Islands (Spain) after 16 years free of the disease, causing a large outbreak that mainly affected sheep, as well as cattle and goats. A novel emerging strain of BTV serotype 4 (BTV-4) was identified via preliminary molecular characterization as the etiological culprit of the epizootic. This study delineates the outbreak in the Balearic Islands in 2021, encompassing field-based clinical observations and laboratory findings. Additionally, an experimental infection was conducted i

SUBMITTER: Romero-Trancon D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11858583 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature