Control

1
Control

• Prevent entry
• Reduce exposure
• Vaccination
• Learn to live with disease

2
Competent vectors
3
Contingency plans

• Developed with core stakeholder group
• Disparate interests
• Need to involve all livestock owners
• Response must be proportionate

4
Summary of the challenges of BTV

• Molecular level
• Continual change in genetic sequence in
  replication vector and host
• Re-assortment and genetic drift
• 24 serotypes 24 diseases
• Cell level
• Avoid host defences
• within the cell
• extracellularly
• Host level
• Wide variation in virulence of the virus
• Variation in pathogenicity between species and
  breeds
• Vector level
• Virus factory which can widely disseminate the
  disease
• Potential for recruitment of new vector species.

5
Future challenges

• Vaccine development e.g. VLP subunit vaccines,
  killed vaccines
• Understanding the infection in the midge and host
  pathogenicity
• Develop sophisticated control measures base on
  manipulation of the vector and virus
• Keeping abreast of changes in sequences and
  emergence of new strains of BTV so as develop and
  refine diagnostic tests and epidemiological
  investigations.