Schmallenberg virus
| Schmallenberg virus | |
|---|---|
| Virus classification | |
| Group: | Group V ((−)ssRNA) |
| Order: | Unassigned |
| Family: | Bunyaviridae |
| Genus: | Orthobunyavirus |
| Species: | Schmallenberg virus |
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| Distribution of Schmallenberg virus by country in Europe | |
Schmallenberg virus is the informal name given to a recently isolated orthobunyavirus, which has not been given a formal name as of January 2013[update], initially reported in October 2011 to cause congenital malformations and stillbirths in cattle, sheep, goats, and possibly alpaca. It appears to be transmitted by midges (Culicoides spp.) which are likely to have been most active in causing the infection in the northern hemisphere summer and autumn of 2011, with animals subsequently giving birth from late 2011. Schmallenberg virus falls in the Simbu serogroup of Orthobunyaviruses; as of January 2013, it is considered to be most closely related to the Sathuperi and Douglas viruses.
The virus is named after Schmallenberg, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, from where the first definitive sample was derived. After Germany, it has also been detected in the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Luxembourg, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Ireland,Finland, Denmark, Sweden, Austria, Norway,Poland and Estonia.
The virus has been recognised by the European Commission's Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health and the Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut (German Research Institute for Animal Health). A risk assessment in December 2011 did not consider it likely to be a threat to human health, as other comparable viruses are not zoonotic.
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