Bluetongue disease

Cause: The disease is caused by the Bluetongue virus (Orbivirus reoviridae) and it has 26 recognised serotypes.

Symptoms: High fever, exhaustion, anorexia, excessive salivation, swelling of the face and the tongue and cyanosis of the tongue, thick nasal discharge. In severe cases there might be ophthalmic discharge – pulmonary edema and pneumonia – diarrhea – muscle damage – feet lesions. The mortality rate ranges from 1% to 90%. Miscarriages are observed as well as high levels of the virus in the infected animal’s sperm.

Prevention: Measures to prevent the disease include: a. sanitary practices, although the quarantine of the infected animals appeared to have no result, b. vaccination, using attenuated vaccines. Vaccination takes place annually in spring, right before the copulation period because it causes miscarriages if done to a pregnant animal, as well as lesions to the CNS.

Measures for the prevention of spreading are based solely on the restriction of animal importing from infected regions.

Treatment:

• Restriction of animal transports
• Practical midge (carrier of the virus) control measures
• Housing livestock during times of maximum midge activity
• Avoid using contaminated surgical instruments and hypodermic needles.
• Sanitation of all the frequently used equipment, as well as the places in the farm susceptible to midge growth