Aug 12, 2026 - Foods
Climate change and "Trojan horses" that can harbor new viruses
It's actually quite simple: as average temperatures rise, nature changes. This goes far beyond our personal sensitivities. For example, certain vectors = "Trojan horses" for partially exotic pathogens are increasingly being detected in our regions, e.g., the Chikungunya virus, which is spread by certain mosquito species (such as the Asian tiger mosquito) and is particularly feared by pregnant women.
Now, in approximately 100 dairy farms in Baden Württemberg, a novel viral disease for our latitudes has been detected, apparently spread by a new mosquito species here: four samples contained an uncharacterized Orthobunyavirus from the Simbu serogroup ("Shamonda-like" virus), according to the researching and responsible Federal Institute for Animal Disease Research (Friedrich-Loeffler-Institute (FLI) on the island of Riems near Greifswald. The cows showed fever, diarrhea, and decreased milk production. Viruses of the mentioned group are mainly found in Africa, Asia, and Australia. Since the transporting midges are active until November, the virus could spread further, according to the FLI.
At the BAV Institute, we continuously monitor for you the not uncommon changes in ecosystems that might be relevant to food, humans, and animals.
Sources/Notes:
- https://www.tagesschau.de/inland/virus-rinder-100.html from 3.8.26, 18.38 hrs, retrieved on 4.8.26
- https://www.fli.de/en/press/press-releases/press-detailview/fli-detects-new-orthobunyavirus-of-the-simbu-serogroup-shamonda-like-in-cattle-in-germany/, retrieved on 4.8.26
- https://www.openagrar.de/servlets/MCRFileNodeServlet/openagrar_derivate_00071536/Steckbrief_Shamonda-Virus_03-08-2026.pdf; retrieved on 4.8.26
- https://www.bnitm.de/news/questions-and-answers/faq-on-chikungunya-virus, retrieved on 4.8.26