Lack of schmallenberg virus in ruminant brain tissues archived from 1961 to 2010 in Germany

Schmallenberg virus (SBV) is an orthobunyavirus of the family Bunyaviridae that is associated with stillbirth and malformations in ruminants. The infection has been identified in many European countries since August 2011. The present study investigated retrospectively the occurrence of SBV infection in ruminants using immunohistochemistry and in-situ hybridization in brain tissues archived between 1961 and 2010 (112 cattle, 57 sheep, 16 goats and 27 wild ruminants). Eighty-five animals with inflammatory brain lesions and 47 animals with malformations were included. Due to the lack of SBV protein and RNA detection, SBV appears to have been introduced recently into Northern parts of Europe from tropical or subtropical regions.