Schmallenberg virus (SBV)

Schmallenberg virus (SBV) is an enveloped, negative-sense, single-stranded RNA virus with a tripartite genome, classified within the Orthobunyavirus genus of the Peribunyaviridae family (Hoffmann et al., 2012). First identified in 2011 in Germany, it is transmitted to ruminants like cattle, sheep, and goats via biting midges of the Culicoides genus (Beer et al., 2013). While adult animals typically experience mild symptoms such as transient fever and reduced milk yield, the virus is highly pathogenic to fetuses when the dam is infected during specific stages of pregnancy. This leads to severe congenital malformations, including arthrogryposis and hydranencephaly, which often result in stillbirth or neonatal death (Wernike et al., 2014). There are no specific small-molecule antiviral drugs approved for field use; however, inactivated vaccines have been developed to provide protective immunity and prevent the devastating effects of transplacental transmission in livestock populations (Tarlinton et al., 2012).

Other names

Schmallenberg orthobunyavirusSBV

Vaccines induce neutralizing antibodies primarily targeting the viral envelope glycoproteins (Gn and Gc) to prevent viral attachment and entry into host cells (Wernike et al., 2014); ribavirin acts as a broad-spectrum inhibitor of viral RNA-dependent RNA polymerase in vitro.