Nationwide surveillance for infections and diseases in roe deer in the Netherlands - Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease of deer as pilot -
The Project
Free-living roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) are widespread and quite numerous (>60,000) in the Netherlands. Therefore, surveillance and early detection of infection and disease in roe deer is useful for developing appropriate measures to prevent and control diseases in livestock and humans.
To achieve nationwide representative sampling of deer, the project has asked the cooperation of volunteers and staff of the wildlife management structures set-up under the Flora and Fauna Act (the Act that provides wild species of flora and fauna with legal protection). The samples obtained will first be used to gain insight on the situation of epizootic hemorrhagic disease virus (EHDV) infection in free-living deer in the Netherlands. Tests will be carried out by the Central Veterinary Institute of Wageningen UR (CVI).
EHD is a vector-borne virus, causing disease in ruminant species. EHDV infection was first detected in North America, where it causes high mortality in white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) and several other wild ruminant species, and where infection in domestic ruminants is also reported. Recently, EHDV infection caused disease and production losses in cattle, with epidemics occurring in Turkey, Israel and North Africa. EHDV is closely related to bluetongue virus and African horse sickness virus, and also transmitted by Culicoides spp. Due to the increased risk for occurrence in and economic damage to livestock in Europe, EHDV infection is notifiable since May 2008.
The project consists of four activities:
Initiation of a nationwide network for the representative sampling of free-living deer;
Determination of EHDV prevalence in free-living roe deer, to determine whether virus is circulating or not;
Collection of sera to determine seroprevalence of EHD in due course. This should give insight to whether or not EHDV infections occurred in the past years.
Information on EHDV to persons managing wildlife in the field, to increase the probability of early warning.
The project began late November 2009, with financial support of Agriculture.
Progress
December 2009
The wildlife management structures set-up under the Flora and Fauna Act and the hunter organizations ask hunters to participate in the project.
The first samples arrived, and then there was the snow ....
June 2010
In total, 364 envelops were returned (364/500=73%). The proportion of samples returned varied per province. In some provinces, no hunting permission was given, other than for euthanasia.
In April 2010, a request was made for 200 buck samples, using the same sampling method as for the does.
The samples of the does and calves are being tested for EHD virus, at the Central Veterinary Institute (CVI) of Wageningen UR.
