Adrien Nahayo

Bluetongue Virus in Wild Deer, Belgium, 2005–2008

To investigate bluetongue virus serotype 8 infection in Belgium, we conducted a virologic and serologic survey on 2,416 free-ranging cervids during 2005–2008. Infection emerged in 2006 and spread over the study area in red deer, but not in roe deer.

Enteropathogenic (EPEC), enterohaemorragic (EHEC) and verotoxigenic (VTEC) Escherichia coli in wild cervids

Aims:  The aim of this study was to investigate the presence of enteropathogenic (EPEC), enterohaemorragic (EHEC) and verotoxigenic (VTEC) Escherichia coli strains in free‐ranging wild ruminants in Belgium and to characterize the positive isolates (serogroups and virulence‐associated factor‐encoding genes).

Detection of Anaplasma phagocytophilum in Dermacentor reticulatus ticks.

IN Europe, cases of Lyme borreliosis, tickborne encephalitis and granulocytic anaplasmosis have increased in human beings, domestic animals and wildlife, expanding their geographical ranges to much of Scandinavia and eastern Europe. Proposed explanations include improved surveillance and diagnosis,

Wild cervids are host for tick vectors of babesia species with zoonotic capability in Belgium.

Babesiosis is a tick-borne disease caused by different species of intraerythrocytic protozoan parasites within the genus Babesia. Different species of Babesia are described as potentially zoonotic and cause a malaria-like disease mainly in immunocompromised humans. Interest in the zoonotic potential of Babesia is growing and babesiosis has been described by some authors as an emergent zoonotic disease. The role of cervids to maintain tick populations and act as a reservoir host for some Babesia spp. with zoonotic capability is suspected. To investigate the range and infection rate of Babesia species, ticks were collected from wild cervids in southern Belgium during 2008. DNA extraction was performed for individual ticks, and each sample was evaluated for the absence of PCR inhibition using a PCR test. A Babesia spp. genus-specific PCR based on the 18S rRNA gene was applied to validated tick DNA extracts. A total of 1044 Ixodes ricinus ticks were collected and 1023 validated samples were subsequently screened for the presence of Babesia spp. DNA. Twenty-eight tick samples were found to be positive and identified after sequencing as containing DNA representing: Babesia divergens (3), B. divergens-like (5), Babesia sp. EU1 (11), Babesia sp. EU1-like (3), B. capreoli (2), or unknown Babesia sp. (4). This study confirms the presence of potentially zoonotic species and Babesia capreoli in Belgium, with a tick infection rate of 2.7% (95% CI 1.8,3.9%). Knowledge of the most common reservoir source for transmission of zoonotic Babesia spp. will be useful for models assessing the risk potential of this infection to humans.

Tickborne encephalitis virus antibodies in wild cervids in Belgium

TICKBORNE encephalitis (TBE) is currently a growing public health concern in Europe. An average of about 9000 reported human cases of TBE per year was recently reported for Europe and Russia between 1990 and 2007 (Donoso Mantke and others 2011). Until now, no cases of TBE have been reported from Belgium or from other countries such as the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Portugal, Spain, the UK, Ireland and Iceland. In 2011, serological screening in Belgian sentinel dogs detected one TBE-seropositive …

Molecular evidence of Anaplasma phagocytophilum in wild boar (Sus scrofa) in Belgium

BackgroundAnaplasma phagocytophilum is a tick-borne pathogen of veterinary and human importance. Both ticks as vectors and vertebrates as reservoir hosts are essential for the cycle maintenance of this bacterium. Currently, the whole range of animal species reservoirs for A. phagocytophilum in natural environment is still unknown. Therefore, the aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of infection with A. phagocytophilum in the wild boar population in southern Belgium.ResultsIn the frame of a targeted surveillance program, 513 wild boars were sampled during the hunting season 2011. A nested 16S rRNA PCR was used to screen the presence of A. phagocytophilum DNA in spleen of boars. Within 513 samples, 5 (0,97%) were tested PCR positive and identification was confirmed by sequencing.ConclusionsThis study gives the first insight of presence of A. phagocytophilum in wild boars in southern Belgium.