title: Monitoring for bovine arboviruses in the most southwestern islands in Japan between 1994 and 2014.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  In Japan, epizootic arboviral infections have severely impacted the livestock industry for a long period. Akabane, Aino, Chuzan, bovine ephemeral fever and Ibaraki viruses have repeatedly caused epizootic abnormal births and febrile illness in the cattle population. In addition, Peaton, Sathuperi, Shamonda and D'Aguilar viruses and epizootic hemorrhagic virus serotype 7 have recently emerged in Japan and are also considered to be involved in abnormal births in cattle. The above-mentioned viruses are hypothesized to circulate in tropical and subtropical Asia year round and to be introduced to temperate East Asia by long-distance aerial dispersal of infected vectors. To watch for arbovirus incursion and assess the possibility of its early warning, monitoring for arboviruses was conducted in the Yaeyama Islands, located at the most southwestern area of Japan, between 1994 and 2014.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Blood sampling was conducted once a year, in the autumn, in 40 to 60 healthy cattle from the Yaeyama Islands. Blood samples were tested for arboviruses. A total of 33 arboviruses including Akabane, Peaton, Chuzan, D' Aguilar, Bunyip Creek, Batai and epizootic hemorrhagic viruses were isolated from bovine blood samples. Serological surveillance for the bovine arboviruses associated with cattle diseases in young cattle (ages 6-12 months: had only been alive for one summer) clearly showed their frequent incursion into the Yaeyama Islands. In some cases, the arbovirus incursions could be detected in the Yaeyama Islands prior to their spread to mainland Japan.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We showed that long-term surveillance in the Yaeyama Islands could estimate the activity of bovine arboviruses in neighboring regions and may provide a useful early warning for likely arbovirus infections in Japan. The findings in this study could contribute to the planning of prevention and control for bovine arbovirus infections in Japan and cooperative efforts among neighboring countries in East Asia.
authors.affiliation: Kyushu Research Station, National Institute of Animal Health, NARO, 2702 Chuzan, Kagoshima, 891-0105, Japan.
authors.forename: Tomoko
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kato
authors.affiliation: Kyushu Research Station, National Institute of Animal Health, NARO, 2702 Chuzan, Kagoshima, 891-0105, Japan. tyanase@affrc.go.jp.
authors.forename: Tohru
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yanase
authors.affiliation: Okinawa Prefectural Institute of Animal Health, 1-24-29 Kohagura, Naha, Okinawa, 900-0024, Japan.
authors.forename: Moemi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.affiliation: Okinawa Prefectural Institute of Animal Health, 1-24-29 Kohagura, Naha, Okinawa, 900-0024, Japan.
authors.forename: Yoshito
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Katagiri
authors.affiliation: Yaeyama Livestock Hygiene Service Center, 1-2 Miyara, Ishigaki, Okinawa, 907-0022, Japan.
authors.forename: Kazufumi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ikemiyagi
authors.affiliation: Okinawa Prefectural Institute of Animal Health, 1-24-29 Kohagura, Naha, Okinawa, 900-0024, Japan.
authors.forename: Katsunori
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Takayoshi
authors.affiliation: Kyushu Research Station, National Institute of Animal Health, NARO, 2702 Chuzan, Kagoshima, 891-0105, Japan.
authors.forename: Hiroaki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Shirafuji
authors.affiliation: Viral Disease and Epidemiology Research Division, National Institute of Animal Health, NARO, 3-1-5 Kannondai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-0856, Japan.
authors.forename: Seiichi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ohashi
authors.affiliation: Exotic Disease Research Station, National Institute of Animal Health, 6-20-1 Josuihoncho, Kodaira, Tokyo, 187-0222, Japan.
authors.forename: Kazuo
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yoshida
authors.affiliation: Exotic Disease Research Station, National Institute of Animal Health, 6-20-1 Josuihoncho, Kodaira, Tokyo, 187-0222, Japan.
authors.forename: Makoto
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yamakawa
authors.affiliation: National Institute of Animal Health, NARO, 3-1-5 Kannondai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-0856, Japan.
authors.forename: Tomoyuki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tsuda
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood; D001102:Arbovirus Infections / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000662:veterinary*; D001103:Arboviruses / Q000302:isolation & purification; D002417:Cattle; D002418:Cattle Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D062312:Islands; D007564:Japan; D011159:Population Surveillance
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral
keywords: Arbovirus; Bovine ephemeral fever; Cattle; Congenital abnormality; Culicoides biting midges; Epizootic hemorrhagic disease; Orbivirus; Orthobunyavirus; Rhabdovirus; Serosurveillance