Published in Scientific Works. Series C. Veterinary Medicine, Vol. LXI
Written by Magda GONCIAROV, Cristin COMAN
Bluetongue affects domestic ruminants (sheep, goats, cattle) and wild (buffalo, deer, several species of African antelope and other species of the order Artiodactyla). In epidemiology of the disease, cattle have a particularly important role due to prolonged viremia, in the absence of clinical signs of disease, except infection with serotype 8 (BTV8) in Europe, according to the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) data. The economic importance of the disease lies in economic losses consecutively reducing the productive capacity of the animals, mortality and fetal malformations, immunization costs for receptive animals, trade restrictions, reducing the selling price of animals of receptive species and products derived from them. According to the emergence and evolution of bluetongue outbreaks reported to OIE and recorded in WAHID (World Animal Health Information Database) from 1996 to September 2014 were registered worldwide more than 33.400 bluetongue outbreaks, over 28,300 outbreaks have been reported in Europe, more than 1,600 outbreaks in Africa, 3,500 outbreaks in Asia, six outbreaks in the Americas, including Central America and 4 outbreaks in Australia. Global warming is one of the possible reasons for which a change of the evolution of bluetongue in the Mediterranean region and is expected range of the vectors of the disease to spread north as global warming intensifies.
[Read full article] [Citation]
