title: Spatial epidemiological analysis of bovine encephalomyelitis outbreaks caused by Akabane virus infection in western Japan in 2011.
abstract: Akabane disease, which is distributed in temperate and tropical regions in the world, is a vector-borne disease of ruminants caused by the Akabane virus, transmitted by Culicoides biting midges. In 2011, outbreaks of Akabane viral encephalomyelitis occurred in the Shimane Prefecture in western Japan. In this study, a spatial epidemiological analysis was conducted to understand environmental factors associated with the spread of Akabane disease. By applying a conditional autoregressive model, the relationship between infection and environmental variables was explored. The results showed that the dominance of farmlands and the presence of infected farms within a 3-km radius had a significant effect on infection. This result implies that land use, which would relate with the vector habitat, and the presence of neighboring infected farms as a source of infection may have influenced the spread of the disease in this region. These findings provide basic insights into the spread of Akabane disease and useful suggestions for developing a surveillance program and preventive measures against the disease.
authors.affiliation: Viral Disease and Epidemiology Research Division, National Institute of Animal Health, National Research and Development Agency Agriculture and Food Research Organization, 3-1-5 Kannondai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-0856, Japan. hayama@affrc.go.jp.
authors.forename: Yoko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hayama
authors.affiliation: Viral Disease and Epidemiology Research Division, National Institute of Animal Health, National Research and Development Agency Agriculture and Food Research Organization, 3-1-5 Kannondai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-0856, Japan.|Department of Environmental Science Graduate School of Science and Technology, Niigata University, 2-8050 Ikarashi, Nishi-ku, Niigata, 950-2181, Japan.
authors.forename: Sachiko
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Moriguchi
authors.affiliation: Kyushu Research Station, National Institute of Animal Health, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, 2702 Chuzan, Kagoshima, 891-0105, Japan.
authors.forename: Tohru
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yanase
authors.affiliation: Food Safety Promotion Division, Shimane Prefectural Government, 1 Tono-machi, Matsue, Shimane, 690-8501, Japan.
authors.forename: Youji
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ishikura
authors.affiliation: Food Safety Promotion Division, Shimane Prefectural Government, 1 Tono-machi, Matsue, Shimane, 690-8501, Japan.
authors.forename: Shigeki
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Abe
authors.affiliation: Food Safety Promotion Division, Shimane Prefectural Government, 1 Tono-machi, Matsue, Shimane, 690-8501, Japan.
authors.forename: Tomoko
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Higashi
authors.affiliation: Food Safety Promotion Division, Shimane Prefectural Government, 1 Tono-machi, Matsue, Shimane, 690-8501, Japan.
authors.forename: Hajime
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ishikawa
authors.affiliation: Viral Disease and Epidemiology Research Division, National Institute of Animal Health, National Research and Development Agency Agriculture and Food Research Organization, 3-1-5 Kannondai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-0856, Japan.
authors.forename: Takehisa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yamamoto
authors.affiliation: Viral Disease and Epidemiology Research Division, National Institute of Animal Health, National Research and Development Agency Agriculture and Food Research Organization, 3-1-5 Kannondai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-0856, Japan.
authors.forename: Sota
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kobayashi
authors.affiliation: Viral Disease and Epidemiology Research Division, National Institute of Animal Health, National Research and Development Agency Agriculture and Food Research Organization, 3-1-5 Kannondai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-0856, Japan.
authors.forename: Kiyokazu
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Murai
authors.affiliation: Viral Disease and Epidemiology Research Division, National Institute of Animal Health, National Research and Development Agency Agriculture and Food Research Organization, 3-1-5 Kannondai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-0856, Japan.
authors.forename: Toshiyuki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tsutsui
mesh_terms: D000822:Animal Husbandry; D000818:Animals; D002044:Bunyaviridae Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D002417:Cattle; D002418:Cattle Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002519:Ceratopogonidae / Q000821:virology; D003612:Dairying; D003710:Demography; D004196:Disease Outbreaks / Q000662:veterinary*; D004679:Encephalomyelitis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D005260:Female; D007303:Insect Vectors / Q000821:virology; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D016851:Orthobunyavirus / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D000069466:Red Meat
keywords: Akabane disease; Arboviral disease; Conditional autoregressive model; Culicoides biting midges; Japan; Spatial analysis