The problem

Bluetongue (BT), African horse sickness (AHS) and epizootic hemorrhagic disease (EHD) are serious animal diseases caused by viruses transmitted by biting midges of the Genus Culicoides. These diseases present a major problem for the European livestock industry. The threat is growing rapidly as the diseases spread north through Europe from the Mediterranean basin. There is an urgent need to promote networking among researchers and other stakeholders to help them react to the risks and disseminate existing knowledge to regions not traditionally exposed to these Culicoides-borne threats.

Overview:

Med_Reo_Net will coordinate efforts directed at improving knowledge relevant to the control of BT, AHS and EHD in the Mediterranean Basin and Europe.

The project will:

• Promote improved collaboration among researchers and policy-makers working on these diseases
• Study the ecology and expansion of the diseases
• Develop an optimised surveillance and risk-assessment system

Contribution to policy development:

• Med_Reo_Net will facilitate policy-making through the improved and coordinated understanding of research results.
• It will establish a permanent platform to assist policy-makers beyond the lifetime of the project.
• The project will communicate with policy-makers in non-European countries trying to improve their control strategies on BT, AHS and EHD.

Project deliverables

• Reviews of existing situation – June 2007
• Guide to the identification of Culicoides vectors and potential vectors – December 2008
• Simulation models to evaluate surveillance systems – June 2009
• Euro-Mediterranean database on viral strain and disease situation – June 2009
• Recommendations for risk-based surveillance – June 2009

Dissemination

• Website acting as a portal for information on the Euro-Mediterranean situation regarding BT, AHS and EHD – Developed and updated from January 2007
• Direct contacts with national and international societies for virology, entomology and epidemiology – ongoing
• Publications in academic journals – as results become available
• Presentations at international conferences – at June 2009 project conference and as other opportunities arise

Technical information

Project acronym: Med_Reo_Net
Project’s official full title: Surveillance network of Reoviruses, Bluetongue and African Horse Sickness, in the Mediterranean basin and Europe
Research priority: Health determinants and the provision of high quality and sustainable health care services and pension systems (in particular in the context of ageing and demographic change)
CORDIS ref: http://cordis.europa.eu/search/index.cfm?fuseaction=proj.simpledocument&PJ_RCN=9643370&CFID=1650870&CFTOKEN=76710677
Specific webpage: http://medreonet.cirad.fr
Proposal/contract no: 42285
Start date: 01 January 2007
Kick off meeting: 31 January 2007
Completion date: 31 December 2009
European Commission scientific officer: Jan Paehler, Jan.PAEHLER@ec.europa.eu

Coordinator:
Name: Centre de coopération internationale en recherche agronomique pour le développement
Abbreviated name: CIRAD
Address: Départment EMVT, 42, rue Scheffer, Paris
Country: France
Tel: +33 467 593 864
Fax: +33 467 593 754
Website: http://www.cirad.fr

Partners

Name: Agence française de Sécurité sanitaire des aliments
Abbreviated name: AFSSA
Country: France

Name: Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale “G. Caporale”
Abbreviated name: IZS
Country: Italy

Name: University of Liverpool
Abbreviated name: Univ Liverpool
Country: United Kingdom

Name: Institute for Animal Health
Abbreviated name: IAH
Country: United Kingdom

Name: Swiss Federal Veterinary Office
Abbreviated name: SFVO
Country: Switzerland

Name: Institut National de Médecine Vétérinaire
Abbreviated name: INMV
Country: Algeria

Name: Institut de la Recherche Vétérinaire de Tunisie
Abbreviated name: IRVT
Country: Tunisia

Name: Laboratoire National d’Epidémiologie et des Zoonoses
Abbreviated name: LNEZ
Country: Morocco

Name: Central Veterinary Control and Research Institute
Abbreviated name: CVCRI
Country: Turkey

Name: National Diagnostic and Research Veterinary Medical Institute
Abbreviated name: NDRVMI
Country: Bulgaria

Name: University of Balearic Islands
Abbreviated name: UIB
Country: Spain

Name: Fundació Centre de Recerca en Sanitat Animal
Abbreviated name: CReSA
Country: Spain

Name: Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Facultad de Veterinaria
Abbreviated name: UCM
Country: Spain

Name: Ministry of Rural Development and Food,
Centre of Athens Veterinary Institutes, Institute of Infectious and Parasitic Diseases
Abbreviated name: CAVI-IIPD
Country: Greece

Name: Lisbon University
Abbreviated name: UTL
Country: Portugal

Name: Agricultural Research Council – Onderstepoort Veterinary Institute
Abbreviated name: ARC-OVI
Country: South Africa

Name: Federal Institute for Animal Health, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut
Abbreviated name: FLI
Country: Germany

Name: Centre d'étude et de recherches vétérinaires et agrochimiques
Abbreviated name: CERVA-CODA-VAR
Country: Belgium

Name: Stichting Dienst Landbouwkundig Onderzoek
Abbreviated name: CIDC-Lelystad
Country: Netherlands

Name: Danish Institute for Food and Veterinary Research
Abbreviated name: DFVF
Country: Denmark