REVIEW article
Front. Cell. Infect. Microbiol.
Sec. Molecular Viral Pathogenesis
Volume 15 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fcimb.2025.1633030
This article is part of the Research TopicAdvancements in the Understanding, Diagnosis, and Control of Viral Diseases of Cattle, Goats, and SheepView all articles
Schmallenberg Virus Epidemiology and Regional Control Strategies: Diagnostics, Vaccines, and Vector Management
Provisionally accepted
- 1Harbin Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Harbin, China
- 2College of Animal Science and Technology, Ningxia University, Yinchuan, China
Select one of your emails
You have multiple emails registered with Frontiers:
Notify me on publication
Please enter your email address:
If you already have an account, please login
You don't have a Frontiers account ? You can register here
Schmallenberg virus (SBV) is an emerging orthobunyavirus transmitted by Culicoides midges. It poses a serious global health threat to ruminants, especially during pregnancy, causing abortion, stillbirths, and congenital malformations. Since its first outbreak in 2011, SBV has spread across Europe and other regions. Its transmission has expanded due to global climate change and increased animal trade, resulting in recurrent outbreaks in endemic regions and a growing risk of introduction into non-endemic areas. This situation highlights the urgent need for improved control strategies. This review summarizes the pathogenic and epidemiological characteristics of SBV and provides an overview of recent advancements in diagnostic approaches, vaccine development, and vector control. Diagnostic approaches, such as serological assays and nucleic acid-based tests, have become the primary tools for SBV detection.However, their applicability in clinical settings still requires further optimization. In terms of vaccine development, existing inactivated vaccines have limitations, including the inability to distinguish between vaccinated and infected animals. This has driven the development of next-generation vaccines, such as recombinant protein, viral vector, and mRNA-based platforms. For vector control, integrated approaches combining chemical, ecological, and biological strategies have been proposed to interrupt the transmission of the virus by Culicoides midges. Additionally, this review emphasizes the necessity of region-specific control strategies tailored to the differing epidemiological contexts. In endemic regions, comprehensive measures, including pathogen surveillance, vaccination programs, and Culicoides control, are critical. In non-endemic regions, the focus should be on enhancing border biosecurity, monitoring international trade, and establishing early warning systems. These strategies not only provide a scientific foundation for SBV control but also offer practical guidance for managing the spread of similar vector-borne viruses globally.
Keywords: Schmallenberg virus, Diagnostic approaches, vaccination strategies, vector control, endemic regions, Non-endemic regions
Received: 22 May 2025; Accepted: 24 Jun 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Wang, Jia, Xiang, Wang, CHAO, Chang, Jiang and Yin. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Zhigang Jiang, Harbin Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Harbin, China
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.