What is a bluetongue disease?

Bluetongue disease is unusual diseases affecting ruminants, especially sheep. It is caused by the Bluetongue (BTV) virus and transmitted by biting Midges of the family culicoides . Bluetongue disease can destroy livestock populations, but there has been no reported cases of human infection. Since October 1998 it has been spreading north. Bluetongue disease is seasonal in the Mediterranean climate, where it retreats during the winter because Midges cannot survive in the cold. The survival of the disease during the winter season is caused either by Midges, which will survive the winter in the sleeping state or by the transmission of the disease to the offspring of infected ruminants. If this were the case, the affected descendants would be asymptomatic carriers and in the summer they would spread the disease to others.

Bluetongueje named because infected animals sometimes develop cyanosis or blue color of the tongue. Other common symptoms include high fever, swelling of the face and excessive saliva. Some animals are experiencing other symptoms such as nasal goods discharge or difficulty withby breathing. In advanced cases, an animal with Bluetongue disease can have so serious on the feet that it prevents walking.

Some infected animals do not have any symptoms, but for those who do it, the disease proceeds quickly. After the incubation period of five to twenty days, all symptoms usually occur within a month. In some sheep breeds, mortality is up to 90%and the most powerful animals may die during the week after manifestation of symptoms. Recovery is often a monthly process.

There is no treatment of Bluetongue, but can be controlled by quarantine, vaccination and Control Midge vector. Vaccination is only available for some BTV tribes. Midges can be controlled by preventing places for reproduction of midge, often pile of manure and humid soil, proliferation and maintaining animals protected during dusk by dawn when they are the most active centers.