Bluetongue, Epizootic Haemorrhagic Disease, and Other Emerging Orbiviruses

Dear Colleagues,

Orbivirus is the largest genus of the new named Sedoreoviridae family. It contains 22 species and more than 130 serotypes.  Most of the species that belong to this genus are arboviruses. Their biological transmission involves three essential actors: viruses, vectors, and vertebrates. Orbiviruses occur globally and infect a wide variety of arthropods and vertebrate hosts. Vectors include ticks, mosquitoes, sand flies, and biting midges; while vertebrate hosts include bats, birds, marsupials, rodents, sloths, equids, wild and domestic ruminants, human and non-human primates. Although some species like Lebombo and Orungo viruses are regarded as mild human pathogens, the importance of this genus is mostly associated with those species, which can cause severe diseases in livestock. Bluetongue (BTV), Epizootic Haemorrhagic disease (EHDV), and African horse sickness viruses (AHSV) are considered major animal pathogens. BTV, EHDV, and AHSV can seriously affect animal welfare and the international trade of livestock, producing severe economic losses to the livestock production and pastoral economy of the affected countries. Over the last decades, due to globalization and climate change, the distribution and activity of arthropod vectors have been exacerbated, facilitating the spread of arthropod-borne viruses in general, and of the Orbiviruses in particular. These new scenarios provided the basis for the occurrence of new emerging disease problems in many countries, as evidenced by recent incursions and outbreaks of BTV-3 and EHDV-8 in Europe.

The continual occurrence of new scenarios and evolution of the Orbivirus species pose a substantial challenge to the research community. Within this context, this Special Issue intends to collect reviews or original contributions from researchers involved in the multidisciplinary aspects that the interactions between viruses, hosts, and vectors inevitably imply. To this extent, contributions enlightening the epidemiology, pathogenesis, and diagnosis of these viruses are welcome, as well as those studies that provide further insights into the critical role played by control strategies and propose new and more efficacious control methods.

Dr. Giovanni Savini
Dr. Massimo Spedicato
Dr. Soufien Sghaier
Guest Editors

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