Bluetongue disease

Bluetongue is a notifiable viral disease of ruminants and camelids that can be accompanied by fever and swelling caused by vascular inflammation. Susceptible are large and small ruminants (cattle, sheep, goats), but also wild ruminants and New World camelids. Bluetongue is an infectious disease that is not directly transmissible from animal to animal, but is transmitted by certain mosquitoes (midges, Cullicoides), which mainly affects sheep and cattle and can sometimes even lead to death. The virus is not dangerous for humans. Meat and dairy products can be consumed without concern.

There are different serotypes of bluetongue, each of which requires its own vaccine. The restriction area for the BTV-3 serotype covers the whole of Germany, which is why there are no restrictions on movements within Germany.
The detection of BTV-8 on 08.10.2025 in Ortenaukreis has an impact on farms that are located within a minimum radius of 150 kilometers around the infected farm. For Baden-Württemberg, it has been determined that the preventive measures to be taken by operators in accordance with Article 124 of Regulation (EU) 2016/429 (Animal Health Law - AHL) will apply uniformly in all urban and rural districts of the state.

In accordance with Article 124 AHL, operators shall take appropriate preventive measures to ensure that the movement of kept terrestrial animals does not jeopardize the health status at the place of destination with regard to listed diseases referred to in Article 9(1)(d) and emerging diseases. Movement within Baden-Württemberg is still possible without restrictions. Animals intended to be moved or exported to other countries or even other Member States or third countries may be moved with regard to BTV-8 under the conditions specified in the MLR press release. These conditions take into account the exemptions notified by Germany to the EU. The preventive measures to be taken by operators are limited exclusively to BTV-8. In the meantime, there have been further cases of BTV-8 in Bavaria, Saarland and the district of Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald.

• General symptoms: Fever, lethargy, salivation, ulcers/erosions/crust formation on mouth and nasal mucous membranes, conjunctivitis, facial edema, coronet rim lesions and lameness
• Sheep: often severe courses with fatalities
• Goats: mild clinical courses to date
• Cattle and dairy cattle: symptoms usually milder than in sheep, but there are also severe cases, massive decline in milk yield, superficial teat necrosis
• Alpacas (camelids): Mild to severe courses, also deaths

If you notice the above symptoms in your animals, you must report this to the veterinary office immediately.

In 2024, 31 cases of bluetongue serotype 3 were detected in the Ludwigsburg district. As part of monitoring in early 2025, 11 further cases.

For the year 2024, 15,834 cases of serotype 3 were reported in TSN. Only in 2007 were there more cases (20,812, serotype 8).
Serotype 3 is considered aggressive. The state of Baden-Württemberg therefore strongly advises vaccination. The most recent findings were made as an incidental finding in cattle. We therefore assume that many infections, especially in cattle, will remain undetected.

Note:
Cases reported in the official animal disease notification system - TSN can be accessed anonymously via the link Animal disease query with a one-day delay.

Bluetongue disease

Vaccination of ruminants currently offers the only effective protection against clinical symptoms, animal losses and the spread of the virus:

Vaccination is the only way to avoid severe courses of the disease and economic losses. Unfortunately, the vaccines previously used against serotypes BTV-4 and BTV-8 do not protect against the current serotype BTV-3. For this reason, the Veterinary Office of the Ludwigsburg District Office urgently advises all owners of ruminants to have their animals vaccinated with the vaccines now available, which are effective against BTV-3. The Baden-Württemberg Animal Disease Insurance Fund and the state of Baden-Württemberg support the vaccination with a vaccination subsidy. This is €2.00 per vaccination for cattle, €1.90 per vaccination for sheep and €0.90 per vaccination for goats. As a preventative measure, all ruminants should be treated with repellents against midges, which transmit bluetongue.

In a remarkable feat of strength, three manufacturers of veterinary vaccines succeeded in developing vaccines against the new serotype and collecting data on safety and efficacy within a very short space of time. At the beginning of June, the use of three inactivated, serotype-specific BTV-3 vaccines was approved by the Federal Ministry by means of an emergency ordinance following preliminary testing by the Paul Ehrlich Institute. In a statement on the vaccination of susceptible ruminants against BTV-3, the StIKo Vet urgently recommended immunizing susceptible ruminants with one of these vaccines. According to the instructions for use, the vaccines prevent mortality caused by BTV-3 infections and reduce the extent of clinical symptoms and viraemia. They do not offer complete, sterile vaccine protection that would prevent infections.

Information from the LKV Baden-Württemberg on how to report vaccinations.

Effective insect repellents should prevent transmission. The following active ingredients are approved for cattle and sheep:

• Butox Protect
• Deltanil
• Latroxin Delta
• Spotinor

• REGULATION (EU) 2016/429 (AHL)
• Regulation (EU) 2018/1882 - Listing as category C disease
• Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/688 - Movement
• Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/689 - Status, control, monitoring
• Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/620 - BTV status of the countries
• Second Regulation on certain vaccines for protection against bluetongue (BTV-3-ImpfgestattungsV)

• Pictures of the clinical symptoms:
  • Chamber of Agriculture of North Rhine-Westphalia
    (Click on the images with the mouse to enlarge them).