Com a quebra da moeda européia, a população sofre com desemprego, fome... e embargo econômico frente a exportações de carne também. O vírus Schmallenberg (SBV), descoberto em novembro de 2011 na cidade de Schmallenberg - Alemanha, pertence à família Bunyaviridae, gênero Orthobunyavirus, e é um arbovírus "primo" do Oropouche. Este vírus foi associado ao grupo dos "reprodutivos", levando a malformações fetais e natimortos. Acomete bovinos, ovinos e caprinos e já foi detectado, além da Alemanha, na Bélgica, Holanda, França, Luxemburgo, Itália, Espanha e Reino Unido.
A figura abaixo foi publicada em 25/03/12 no blog Fire Earth, que faz o countdown para a "vingança da mãe natureza" - sensacionalismo puro - mas vale para ilustrar como está a situação epidemiológica, investigação e casos notificados (dados obtidos de fontes confiáveis).
Em notícia veiculada pelo ProMED ontem (05/04/12 - íntegra abaixo), a boa notícia é que métodos de diagnóstico sorológico estão sendo desenvolvidos e um ELISA indireto acaba de "sair do forno" da agência francesa ANSES (Maisons-Alfort, France). Este ELISA utiliza como antígeno uma nucleoproteína viral recombinante do SBV, desenvolvida e produzida pela IDvet. O kit ainda está em fase de avaliação pelos laboratórios de referência europeus, mas pelos testes na França pareceu ser uma excelente alternativa para os inquéritos soroepidemiológicos, até o momento realizados através de virusneutralização e imunofluorescência indireta - técnicas que realmente tomam tempo para serem executadas. De acordo com a agência francesa, o ELISA apresentou especificidade de 99,75% e alta correlação com virusneutralização (98,9%). Outros kits estão em desenvolvimento, já que a urgência quanto à detecção dos portadores é grande - e há muito o que ser desvendado sobre a epidemiologia desta doença. E lá vamos nós, ao bom e velho "cross-sectional study"!!
Aguardemos outras novidades...
Outra coisa: NÃO FOI CONFIRMADO COMO ZOONOSE!!!! No panic, people (yet)!
Published Date: 2012-04-05 21:57:09
Subject: PRO/AH> Schmallenberg virus - Europe (33): serology
Archive Number: 20120405.1091807
SCHMALLENBERG VIRUS - EUROPE (33): SEROLOGY
*******************************************
A ProMED-mail post
http://www.promedmail.org
ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
http://www.isid.org
Date: Thu 5 Apr 2012
From: Emmanuel Breard [edited]
Schmallenberg virus (SBV) is a vector-transmitted orthobunyavirus related to the Shamonda and Akabane viruses. Initially reported in November 2011, it has since been detected in Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Luxembourg, Italy, the United Kingdom and Spain, where it has been associated with foetal congenital malformations and stillbirths in cattle, sheep, and goats.
Serological testing is essential for disease surveillance and epidemiological studies. While antibodies can be detected by virus neutralization and immunofluorescence, these techniques are time-consuming, difficult to implement for large numbers of samples, and do not offer standardized result interpretation.
This week, the animal health laboratory of the French agency ANSES (Maisons-Alfort, France), after a collaborative study, has approved an indirect ELISA, based on a recombinant SBV nucleoprotein antigen developed and produced by IDvet.
This kit is currently being evaluated by other European national reference laboratories.
External validation studies indicate excellent test specificity (99.75 percent, n=1179), and high correlation with other serological techniques (98.9 percent with respect to VNT), making this ELISA an efficient tool for epidemiological studies.
Stephan Zientara, Emmanuel Breard, Corinne Sailleau
Virology unit ANSES-INRA-ENVA,
Animal Health Laboratory,
94703 Maisons-Alfort, France. --
Communicated by:
Emmanuel Breard
ANSES
LNR FCO/EHD
94703 Maisons-Alfort
[The above message, received from ANSES (the French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety, a public authority reporting to the Ministries of Health, Agriculture,
the Environment, Labour and Consumer Affairs, founded in 2010), may become good news. ProMED-mail's normal policy is not to be engaged in reports dealing with commercial products;
the current deviation from the policy is based upon the urgent need for such a test (as expressed by the OIE on 16 Feb 2012), and the kit is not endorsed by us. If/when certified for field use, such kits may facilitate the performance of animal mass-testing in the 8 infected countries and elsewhere to study the epidemiology of SBV as well as to support safe international trade. A validated serological test may allow an update of the recommendations endorsed by the OIE Scientific Commission for Animal Diseases on 16 Feb 2012 (see 20120217.1045067).
Development of sero-tests for SBV has been undertaken by other laboratories as well.
In this context, we would wish to convey to our subscribers the response of the Robert Koch Institute in Germany to our commentary in posting 20120402.1088492 concerning cross-sectional seroprevalence study in shepherds living in the epidemic area in Germany (North-Rhine Westphalia). Reportedly, the RKI developed an immunofluroscence test (IFAT) and a neutralisation test (NT) for SBV tests in humans. IFAT was performed initially and NT in case of borderline results. All blood samples tested negative for specific antibodies against SBV. In view of this clarification, our suggestion that human sera from SBV-contact persons "will also undergo serological tests when the test becomes available," was, in fact, redundant. - Mod.AS]
