title: Schmallenberg virus in Italy: a retrospective survey in Culicoides stored during the bluetongue Italian surveillance program.
abstract: Following the first case of Schmallenberg (SBV) in northern Italy in February 2012, virus detection was conducted on midges collected during the national entomological surveillance program for bluetongue (BT). Six cattle farms, within a radius of 50 km from the SBV case, were selected for a 12 month study, aiming to determine when the virus entered the area, if it was capable of overwintering, and the possible role played by each species of the Obsoletus complex in disseminating the infection. A total of 33,724 Culicoides were collected at the six sites between June 2011 and June 2012. Species belonging to the Obsoletus Complex were the most abundant (94.44%) and, within the complex, Culicoides obsoletus was the most prevalent species in the studying area (65.4%). Nearly 7000 Culicoides midges were screened, either in pools or individually, for SBV by real-time RT-PCR. Viral genome was detected in six pools of the Obsoletus complex, collected at three sites between September and November 2011, and in a single parous female of C. obsoletus, collected in May 2012. As a result of the BT surveillance program in Italy it was possible to demonstrate, retrospectively, that SBV has circulated in at least three Italian provinces since early September 2011, nearly 5 months prior and as far as 40 km away from the first detected case. Similarly, the survey confirmed the presence of SBV in the vector population 3 months after the outbreak, following a cold winter during which the blacklight traps failed to catch active adult midges.
authors.affiliation: Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell'Abruzzo e del Molise "G. Caporale", Via Campo Boario, 64100 Teramo, Italy. m.goffredo@izs.it
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Goffredo
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Monaco
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Capelli
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Quaglia
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Federici
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Catalani
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Montarsi
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Polci
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Pinoni
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Calistri
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Savini
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001819:Bluetongue / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology; D002044:Bunyaviridae Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000662:veterinary* / Q000821:virology; D002417:Cattle; D002418:Cattle Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000821:virology; D002519:Ceratopogonidae / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000821:virology*; D021903:DNA, Ribosomal Spacer / Q000032:analysis; D005260:Female; D007303:Insect Vectors / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000821:virology*; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D016851:Orthobunyavirus / Q000302:isolation & purification; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000662:veterinary; D015995:Prevalence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012621:Seasons
chemical_list: D021903:DNA, Ribosomal Spacer
keywords: Blacklight traps; Cattle farm; Culicoides obsoletus; Obsoletus complex; Orthobunyavirus