First Expert Elicitation of Knowledge on Drivers of Emergence of Bovine Besnoitiosis in Europe.

Bovine besnoitiosis (BB) is a chronic and debilitating parasitic disease in cattle caused by the protozoan parasite . South European countries are affected and have reported clinical cases of BB. However, BB is considered as emerging in other countries/regions of central, eastern and northern Europe.

Diagnosis of Cattle Abortion: A One-Year Observational Study.

Q fever is a zoonosis occurring worldwide in livestock. Often neglected in differential diagnoses, Q fever can persist in herds causing financial losses. In ruminants, well-known manifestations of Q fever are metritis, infertility, abortion, stillbirth and delivery of a weak or premature calf.

Emergence of in Belgium.

Bovine besnoitiosis is a cattle disease caused by a protozoan parasite called It is of serious economic concern to the cattle industry and also compromises animal welfare. For several years, it has been considered an emerging disease in some countries and regions located in the north of Europe far away from the known endemic areas in the south. This study describes the situation in the southern part of Belgium, where the parasite was recently introduced through imports of animals coming from departments of France where the disease was present.

Environmental determinants of Anaplasma phagocytophilum infection in cattle using a kernel density function.

The study of vector-borne zoonotic diseases often relies on partial data, because of the constraints associated with observing various elements of the transmission cycle: the pathogen, the vector, the host - wild or domestic. Each angle comes with its own practical challenges, leading to data reflecting poorly either on spatial or temporal dynamics, or both. In this study, we investigated the effect of landscape on the presence of bovine ehrlichiosis infection in Walloon cattle.

Laboratory Diagnosis of Bovine Abortions Caused by Non-Maintenance Pathogenic spp.: Necropsy, Serology and Molecular Study Out of a Belgian Experience.

Bovine leptospirosis is a bacterial zoonotic disease caused by pathogenic spp. The pathology and epidemiology of this infection are influenced by the numerous existing serovars and their adaptation to specific hosts. Infections by host-maintained serovars such as Hardjo are well documented, unlike those from the incidental ones.

Pilot study assessing the possible benefits of a higher level of implementation of biosecurity measures on farm productivity and health status in Belgian cattle farms.

Over the last few years, the interest of decision-makers and control agencies in biosecurity (BS), aiming at preventing and controlling the introduction and spread of infectious diseases, has considerably increased. Nevertheless, previous studies highlighted a low implementation level of biosecurity measures (BSM), especially in cattle farms; different reasons were identified such as perceived costs, utility, importance, increased workload and lack of knowledge. In order to convince cattle farmers to adopt BSM, it is necessary to gather more information and evidence on their cost-effectiveness and their importance or utility in terms of disease prevention and control.

Characterization of three commercial ELISA kits for detection of BOHV-1 gE specific antibodies in serum and milk samples and applicability of bulk milk for determination of herd status.

Vaccination of animals with gE-deleted vaccine strains (gE- marker vaccines) and differential detection of vaccinated vs infected animals with antibody ELISA targeting the gE or the gB proteins have been proved to be useful tools in programs for control and eradication of the bovine herpesvirus 1 (BoHV-1) responsible for infectious bovine rhinotracheitis (IBR), a major pathogen of cattle. The diagnostic sensitivity (DSe) and specificity (DSp) of three commercial gE ELISA kits from IDEXX, IDVet and CIV-HIPRA were compared for serum and milk matrices. Limiting the analysis to 198 individual with concordant ELISA results in serum (91 naïve, 37 vaccinated and 70 infected) the DSe of gE kits was estimated to 0,97 for IDEXX, 0,93 for CIV-HIPRA and 0,53 for IDVet using milk samples and the DSp to 0,95 for IDEXX, 1,00 for IDVet and CIV-HIPRA.

Serogroups and genotypes of Leptospira spp. strains from bovine aborted foetuses.

Leptospirosis is a global disease of animals, with potential major economic impact on livestock industry and important zoonotic capacities. The disease represents a major challenge in the developing countries as humans and animals frequently live in close association. The serovar Hardjo of Leptospira whose primary host is cattle has been studied extensively, but few data exist on other current circulating or emerging serotypes.

Resurgence of Schmallenberg Virus in Belgium after 3 Years of Epidemiological Silence.

In spring 2016, three years after the last reported outbreak of Schmallenberg virus (SBV) in Belgium, an abortion was notified in a two year old Holstein heifer that previously had not been vaccinated against SBV. The autopsy of the eight-month-old malformed foetus revealed hydrocephalus, torticollis and arthrogryposis. Foetal brain tissue and blood were found to be SBV-positive by RT-PCR and ELISA tests, respectively.

Complete Genome Sequence of Bovine Polyomavirus Type 1 from Aborted Cattle, Isolated in Belgium in 2014.

The complete and fully annotated genome sequence of a bovine polyomavirus type 1 (BPyV/BEL/1/2014) from aborted cattle was assembled from a metagenomics data set. The 4,697-bp circular dsDNA genome contains 6 protein-coding genes. Bovine polyomavirus is unlikely to be causally related to the abortion cases.

Laboratory Findings Suggesting an Association Between BoHV-4 and Bovine Abortions in Southern Belgium.

Abortions cause heavy economic losses for the bovine sector. The use of a standardized panel of analyses covering a large spectrum of pathogens responsible of abortion in cattle allowed demonstrating the direct involvement of at least one pathogen in 57% of analysed abortions in the southern part of Belgium. This result suggests a margin of improvement in the diagnostic efficacy.

Single Nucleotide Polymorphism Genotyping and Distribution of Coxiella burnetii Strains from Field Samples in Belgium.

The genotypic characterization of Coxiella burnetii provides useful information about the strains circulating at the farm, region, or country level and may be used to identify the source of infection for animals and humans. The aim of the present study was to investigate the strains of C. burnetii circulating in caprine and bovine Belgian farms using a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) technique.

Schmallenberg Virus in Belgium: Estimation of Impact in Cattle and Sheep Herds.

Schmallenberg virus (SBV) emerged during summer 2011. SBV induced an unspecific syndrome in cattle and congenital signs (abortions, stillbirths and malformations) in domestic ruminants. To study the impact of SBV in Belgium, a phone survey was conducted upon September 2012.

Congenital jaundice in bovine aborted foetuses: an emerging syndrome in southern Belgium.

Southern Belgium faces an unusual recent increase of icteric bovine aborted foetuses. In the necropsy room, the majority of foetuses presented jaundice and splenomegaly. Despite a wide range of analyses, no definitive cause of abortion has yet been established but some analysis results support the leptospirosis hypothesis.

Large-scale cross-sectional serological survey of Schmallenberg virus in Belgian cattle at the end of the first vector season.

A cross-sectional survey was conducted in the Belgian cattle population after the first period of infection of the emerging Schmallenberg virus. A total number of 11 635 cattle from 422 herds sampled between 2 January and 7 March 2012 were tested for the presence of Schmallenberg-specific antibodies using an ELISA kit. Between-herd seroprevalence in cattle was estimated at 99.