New bluetongue strain found in Belgium

A new strain of bluetongue has been discovered by scientists in Belgium.

The serotype, BTV11, was found in a sample from a cow from a herd in East Flanders on 15 January.

The cow was sampled in November 2008 as part of a routine investigation, but it has taken until now for the European reference laboratory at Pirbright to confirm the new variant.

FAVV, Belgium’s foods standards body, said the discovery had no immediate consequences, as further tests on the affected herd found the disease had not spread to any other animals.