title: Bluetongue virus in Lebanon.
abstract: Since 2000, several incursions of bluetongue virus (BTV) occurred in the Mediterranean Basin involving European and surrounding Countries. The Middle East represents one of the most important gateways for the access of BTV in Europe. Limited data on the BTV situation in this area are available. In this perspective, an epidemiological survey on the presence of BTV in Lebanon was conducted. Of the 181 serum samples tested, 97 (mean = 53.6%; 95% CI: 46.3-60.7) resulted positive when tested for the presence of BTV antibodies by c-ELISA, of these 42 (mean = 42%; 95% CI: 32.8-51.8) serum samples were from sheep and 55 (mean = 67.9%; 95% CI: 57.1-77.1) serum samples were from goats. Fourteen blood samples (14/110; mean = 12.7%; 95% CI: 7.8-20.3), 6 (6/66; mean = 9.1%; 95% CI: 4.4-18.5) from sheep and 8 (8/44; mean = 18.2%; 95% CI: 9.6-32.0) from goats, were positive by qRT-PCR. The results with serum-neutralization assay and typing performed by RT-PCR confirmed that six BTV serotypes are currently circulating in Lebanon, and these serotypes are as follows: 1, 4, 6, 8, 16 and 24. This study is the first report that confirms the presence and circulation of BTV in Lebanon.
authors.affiliation: Lebanese Agricultural Research Institute, Fanar, Lebanon.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: El Hage
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lorusso
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Carmine
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Di Gennaro
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Portanti
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Olivieri
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Casaccia
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pisciella
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Teodori
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sghaier
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Savini
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood*; D001819:Bluetongue / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology; D001820:Bluetongue virus / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay / Q000662:veterinary; D015511:Goat Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology; D006041:Goats / Q000276:immunology; D007861:Lebanon / Q000453:epidemiology; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies; D012703:Serotyping; D012756:Sheep / Q000276:immunology; D012757:Sheep Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral
keywords: Lebanon; RT-PCR; bluetongue virus; c-ELISA; genotyping; serum-neutralization