High Seroprevalence of Bluetongue Virus Serotype 3 in Belgian Cattle and Sheep After the 2024 Epidemic

To monitor the epidemiological situation of bluetongue virus (BTV) in Belgium, a national surveillance programme was conducted during the 2024-2025 winter season. The objective was to estimate the apparent seroprevalence of BTV-3 following the 2023-2024 epidemic and to prove the absence of active circulation of other BTV serotypes in mixed herds (cattle and sheep). A total of 2551 cattle and 1458 sheep were sampled across Belgium. Serological analyses were performed using ELISA, and molecular detection of BTV-3, BTV-8, and BTV-12 was conducted by RT-qPCR. The majority of cattle and sheep herds showed evidence of exposure to BTV-3, with a very high herd-level apparent seroprevalence (100%; 95% CI: 96.2-100% in cattle and 98.9%; 95% CI: 93.8-99.8% in sheep). Apparent within-herd seroprevalence was also high in cattle (94.6%; 95% CI: 91.8-96.5%) and sheep (85.5%; 95% CI: 80.4-89.5%). No evidence of active circulation of BTV-8 or BTV-12 was detected. A moderate significant positive correlation between Ct values and sampling date was observed both for bovine and ovine samples, consistent with a progressive decline in detectable BTV RNA during winter in the absence of vector activity.