Register      Login
Microbiology Australia Microbiology Australia Society
Microbiology Australia, bringing Microbiologists together
RESEARCH ARTICLE

Bovine ephemeral fever: cyclic resurgence of a climate-sensitive vector-borne disease

Peter J Walker
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

CSIRO Animal, Food and Health Sciences
Australian Animal Health Laboratory (AAHL)
Geelong, Vic. 3220, Australia

Microbiology Australia 34(1) 41-42 https://doi.org/10.1071/MA13013
Published: 20 March 2013

Abstract

Bovine ephemeral fever is one of Australia's most important viral diseases of cattle. It is caused by a rhabdovirus that is transmitted by haematophagous insects, most likely mosquitoes, producing seasonal epizootics that can have serious impacts on beef and dairy production. Since 2008, extreme summer rainfall and extensive flooding have provided ideal conditions for the emergence of large mosquito populations, accompanied by successive extensive epizootics of bovine ephemeral fever. Climate change predictions of the increasing intensity and frequency of alternating droughts and severe La Niña events in Australia suggest there is a need to explore new intervention strategies to reduce or eliminate the future impacts of this costly disease.


References

[1]  Dietzgen, R.G., et al. (2011) Rhabdoviridae. In Virus Taxonomy, 9th Report of the ICTV (King, A.M.Q. et al., eds), pp. 654–681, Elsevier.

[2]  Walker, P.J., et al. (2012) Ephemeroviruses: arthropod-borne rhabdoviruses of ruminants, with large and complex genomes. In Rhabdoviruses: Molecular Taxonomy, Evolution, Genomics, Ecology, Cytopathology and Control (Dietzgen, R.G., and Kuzmin, I.V., eds), pp. 59–88, Horizon Scientific Press.

[3]  Walker, P.J. (2005) Bovine ephemeral fever in Australia and the world. Curr. Top. Microbiol. Immunol. 292, 57–80.
Bovine ephemeral fever in Australia and the world.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 1:CAS:528:DC%2BD2MXnslyiurY%3D&md5=eed0f9b1aaed0020a195d11d9b0d2dcaCAS |

[4]  Hsieh, Y.-C. et al. (2005) Bovine ephemeral fever in Taiwan (2001–2002). J. Vet. Med. Sci. 67, 411–416.
Bovine ephemeral fever in Taiwan (2001–2002).Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

[5]  Yeruham, I. et al. (2002) Epidemiological investigations of outbreaks of bovine ephemeral fever in Israel. Vet. Rec. 151, 117–121.
Epidemiological investigations of outbreaks of bovine ephemeral fever in Israel.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 1:STN:280:DC%2BD38visVWisA%3D%3D&md5=0219a5712fe627b52cd7ac0b909bd228CAS |

[6]  Zheng, F.Y. and Qui, C.Q. (2012) Phylogenetic relationships of the glycoprotein gene of bovine ephemeral fever virus isolated from mainland China, Taiwan, Japan, Turkey, Israel and Australia. Virol. J. 9, 268.
Phylogenetic relationships of the glycoprotein gene of bovine ephemeral fever virus isolated from mainland China, Taiwan, Japan, Turkey, Israel and Australia.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 1:CAS:528:DC%2BC3sXlvFOktw%3D%3D&md5=d4535ab8ec557fe78b5b9d7e5c08ac9bCAS |

[7]  Finlaison, D.S. et al. (2010) An epizootic of bovine ephemeral fever in New South Wales in 2008 associated with long-distance dispersal of vectors. Aust. Vet. J. 88, 301–306.
An epizootic of bovine ephemeral fever in New South Wales in 2008 associated with long-distance dispersal of vectors.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 1:STN:280:DC%2BC3cnns1Wntw%3D%3D&md5=5a2ba241c7b721d69ef8ef1632126cf9CAS |