Blauzungenkrankheit in Deutschland 2006

The first appearance of bluetongue disease, a biting midge-borne viral infection of ruminants, in August 2006 in Germany struck farmers, veterinary departments and superior authorities, as well as disease and pest control managers completely unprepared. During the summer and autumn months of the past year, the virus spread across borders in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, France and Luxembourg, and was eventually demonstrated on more than 2000 farms where numerous cattle and sheep fell ill or even perished. According to our limited epizootiological knowledge on bluetongue disease, the management of the crisis was of minor success. Particularly with respect to the vectors of bluetongue disease, our information is so restricted that directed vector control is impossible at present. Basic data regarding distribution, ecology and behaviour of the various species of biting midges in Germany is lacking. However, in these times of globalisation and fundamental ecological and climatic changes, in which the spread/import and establishment of vectors of disease and the agents they carry must be expected, it is essential to initiate monitoring programmes. These should be integrated into the ongoing environmental monitoring and designed by using geographic information systems and surface geodata. The monitoring data should be used to calculate predictive GIS maps of the distribution of ceratopogonids in space and time as well as to perform risk assessments with regard to bluetongue disease or other diseases transmitted by arthropods.