Classification of adult cattle infectious diseases: A first step towards prioritization of biosecurity measures.

An emphasis on biosecurity in the cattle industry was made over the years to improve animal and public health. Nevertheless, the level of implementation of biosecurity measures (BSM) remains largely insufficient due to certain constraints. It is therefore necessary to prioritize the different BSM to be applied in accordance with the individual context and the main infectious diseases affecting cattle.

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.

Autochthonous tick-borne encephalitis virus-seropositive cattle in Belgium: a risk-based targeted serological survey.

The risk of tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) introduction into Belgium remains high, and the presence of infected wildlife in Belgium is suspected. Domestic animals can serve as excellent sentinels for TBEV surveillance to install an early warning surveillance component for this emerging zoonotic disease of public health importance. In a targeted, risk-based and cross-sectional sampling design, serological screening was performed on Belgian cattle (n=650), selected from the 2010 Belgian national cattle surveillance serum bank.

Follow-up of the Schmallenberg Virus Seroprevalence in Belgian Cattle.

Schmallenberg virus (SBV), which emerged in Northwestern Europe in 2011, is an arthropod-borne virus affecting primarily ruminants. Based on the results of two cross-sectional studies conducted in the Belgian ruminant population during winter 2011-2012, we concluded that at the end of 2011, almost the whole population had already been infected by SBV. A second cross-sectional serological study was conducted in the Belgian cattle population during winter 2012-2013 to examine the situation after the 2012 transmission period and to analyse the change in immunity after 1 year.

Distribution of Schmallenberg virus and seroprevalence in Belgian sheep and goats.

A serological survey to detect Schmallenberg virus (SBV)-specific antibodies by ELISA was organized in the Belgian sheep population to study the seroprevalence at the end of the epidemic. One thousand eighty-two sheep samples which were collected from 83 herds all over Belgium between November 2011 and April 2012 were tested. The overall within-herd seroprevalence and the intraclass correlation coefficient were estimated at 84.