Detection and Serological Evidence of European Bat Lyssavirus 1 in Belgian Bats between 2016 and 2018.

Lyssaviruses are neurotropic viruses capable of inducing fatal encephalitis. While rabies virus has been successfully eradicated in Belgium, the prevalence of other lyssaviruses remains uncertain. In this study, we conducted a survey on live animals and passive surveillance to investigate the presence of lyssaviruses in Belgium.

Belgian Mosquitoes Are Competent for Japanese Encephalitis Virus and Readily Feed on Pigs, Suggesting a High Vectorial Capacity.

, a day-active mosquito known to feed aggressively on humans, was reported as a nuisance species near an abandoned pigsty in Belgium. Since Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) is an emerging zoonotic flavivirus which uses pigs as amplification hosts, we investigated (1) whether would feed on pigs and (2) its vector competence for JEV, to investigate whether this species could be a potential vector. Three- to seven-day-old F0-generation adult mosquitoes, emerged from field-collected larvae, were fed on a JEV genotype 3 Nakayama strain spiked blood meal.

Remarkable fungal biodiversity on northern Belgium bats and hibernacula.

Bats can be affected by fungal pathogens such as , the causative agent of the white-nose syndrome. Their body surface can also be colonized by fungal commensals or carry transient fungal species and participate in their dispersal. In this study, 114 bat specimens belonging to seven species were sampled from various locations in northern Belgium.

Relevant Day/Night Temperatures Simulating Belgian Summer Conditions Reduce Japanese Encephalitis Virus Dissemination and Transmission in Belgian Field-Collected Mosquitoes.

Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV), a zoonotic mosquito-borne Flavivirus, can be considered an emerging infectious disease. Therefore, vector competence studies with indigenous mosquitoes from regions where JEV is not yet endemic are of great importance. In our study, we compared the vector competence of mosquitoes emerged from Belgian field-caught larvae under two different temperature conditions: a constant 25 °C and a 25/15 °C day/night temperature gradient representing typical summer temperatures in Belgium.

Temperature and food sources influence subadult development and blood-feeding response of Culicoides obsoletus (sensu lato) under laboratory conditions.

Background: Culicoides obsoletus (s.l.) is the most abundant Culicoides species in northern Europe and an important vector of bluetongue virus and Schmallenberg virus.