Stability of Schmallenberg virus during long-term storage

Area of Science:

• Veterinary Virology
• Infectious Diseases
• Ruminant Health

Background:

• Schmallenberg virus (SBV), an insect-transmitted orthobunyavirus, emerged in European livestock in 2011.
• SBV poses a significant threat to ruminant health, necessitating research for characterization and diagnostic development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the optimal storage temperature for maintaining Schmallenberg virus infectivity.
• To support in vitro studies and antibody detection assays requiring infectious SBV.

Main Methods:

• Culture-grown SBV was stored at various temperatures (37°C, 28°C, 4°C, -20°C, -70°C) for up to one year.
• Viral infectivity was assessed over the storage period.

Main Results:

• Storage at 37°C resulted in rapid loss of infectivity (days).
• Storage at 28°C led to loss of infectivity within weeks.
• At 4°C, infectivity decreased over time.
• -20°C storage maintained viral titer for approximately one month.
• -70°C storage preserved SBV infectivity for the entire study duration.

Conclusions:

• For preserving Schmallenberg virus infectivity, storage at -70°C is essential.
• Suboptimal storage temperatures compromise viral viability, impacting research and diagnostics.