Emergence of a bufonid herpesvirus in a population of the common toad Bufo bufo in Germany.

Bufonid herpesvirus 1 (BfHV1) was initially described in 2014 from cases of mortalities and dermatitis in Swiss populations of the common toad Bufo bufo. We identified a closely related herpesvirus strain in a German common toad population affected by an ongoing epidemic of multifocal proliferative to ulcerative skin disease since 2018.

Comprehensive literature review of the sources of infection and transmission routes of Coxiella burnetii, with particular regard to the criteria of "evidence-based medicine".

The present review aims to compile the currently available literature since 1936 according the sources of infection of the Q fever pathogen (Coxiella (C.) burnetii) as well as the transmission from animal to man and also from human to human. In terms of quality and validity, the existing publications were reviewed systematically.

Detection of canine adenovirus 1 in red foxes ( Vulpes vulpes) and raccoons ( Procyon lotor) in Germany with a TaqMan real-time PCR assay.

We developed a real-time (rt)PCR assay based on TaqMan probe technology for the specific detection of canine adenovirus 1 (CAdV-1). The assay is able to detect three 50% tissue culture infectious dose/mL in CAdV-1-containing cell culture supernatant. Viral genomes were not amplified of canine adenovirus 2 or of several bovine, porcine, and avian adenoviruses.

Development of a monoclonal sandwich ELISA for direct detection of bluetongue virus 8 in infected animals.

Bluetongue is an infectious viral disease which can cause mortality in affected ruminants, and tremendous economic damage via impacts upon fertility, milk production and the quality of wool. The disease is caused by bluetongue virus (BTV) which is transmitted by species of Culicoides biting midge. Rapid detection of BTV is required to contain disease outbreaks and reduce economic losses.

Screening red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) for possible viral causes of encephalitis.

Background: Next to various known infectious and non-infectious causes, the aetiology of non-suppurative encephalitis in red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) often remains unclear. Known causes in foxes imply rabies, canine distemper, toxoplasmosis, Aujeszky's disease, as well as parvovirus, adenovirus, circovirus and flavivirus infections. In this study, particular attention was paid on bornaviruses, since red foxes are predators of bicoloured white-toothed shrews, a reservoir of Borna disease virus 1 (BoDV-1).

Epidemic Spread of Usutu Virus in Southwest Germany in 2011 to 2013 and Monitoring of Wild Birds for Usutu and West Nile Viruses.

Mosquito-borne viruses are becoming an increasing threat for Europe. One of these viruses is Usutu virus (USUV), a single-stranded RNA virus belonging to the Japanese encephalitis virus group within the family Flaviviridae. Since the occurrence of USUV among wild birds in June, 2011, infected Blackbirds (Turdus merula) have frequently been found dead in southwest Germany, cumulating in a massive die-off.

[Pathologic-anatomical changes in newborn goats caused by an intrauterine Schmallenberg virus infection].

A complex of various malformations in newborns was observed to an increased extent in sheep farms in the 2011/2012 lambing season. An intrauterine Schmallenberg virus (SBV) infection was identified as the cause of these malformations. To date, a detailed pathological description of the deformity complex has only been given for bovine and ovine newborns.

Isolation of potentially novel Brucella spp. from frogs.

Bacterial isolates from frogs were phenotypically identified as Ochrobactrum anthropi, but 16S rRNA sequencing showed up to 100% identity with Brucella inopinata. Further analysis of recA, omp2a, omp2b, bcsp31, and IS711 and multilocus sequence analysis (MLSA) verified a close relationship with Brucella, suggesting the isolates may actually represent novel members of this growing genus of zoonotic pathogens.

Reassorted pandemic (H1N1) 2009 influenza A virus discovered from pigs in Germany.

A natural reassortant influenza A virus consisting of seven genome segments from pandemic (H1N1) 2009 virus and a neuraminidase segment from a Eurasian porcine H1N1 influenza A virus was detected in a pig herd in Germany. The obvious reassortment compatibility between the pandemic (H1N1) 2009 and H1N1 viruses of porcine origin raises concern as to whether swine may become a reservoir for further reassortants of pandemic (H1N1) 2009 viruses with unknown implications for human health and swine production.