Georgie Atton

Schmallenberg Virus: What are the facts? Schmallenberg virus (SBV) was first encountered in October, 2011 in Northern Europe.1 The virus was initially isolated from a sample from the town of Schmallenberg, which is how it got its name. The virus is associated with clinical disease in ruminants, both domesticated and wild, and can cause a wide variety of clinical signs. It is transmitted by biting midges (Culicoides spp.), much like bluetongue virus, and can cause extreme problems in infected animals.…

Listeriosis in sheep What is listeriosis? The bacterium Listeria monocytogenes causes listeriosis across the world. It is associated with serious disease in a wide variety of animals, including humans. Listeriosis is of major veterinary importance in cattle, sheep and goats. In the UK, it most commonly affects sheep.  The gram-positive bacteria can survive in the environment for a long period of time. Grazing animals ingest the organism from pasture, with transmission of the disease via the faecal-oral route.  Listeriosis is a zoonotic…