Bluetongue: The PRIMA Blue-Med Project’s response to a growing crisis

February 3, 2025
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A European project has brought together research teams, using science to support an agricultural sector already weakened by the challenges of climate change. The Blue-Med project, funded by PRIMA, adopts a cross-border approach to combat the spread of this virus, which now affects the entire Mediterranean basin.

 

The Blue-Med project, coordinated by Dr. Giovanni Savini from the Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell’Abruzzo e del Molise (IZSAM), brings together researchers and experts from Italy, Tunisia, and France to establish effective surveillance and control of Bluetongue in some countries of the Mediterranean basin. This partnership includes the National School of Veterinary Medicine of Sidi Thabet in Tunisia and the French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety (ANSES). The goal is clear: to improve early detection of the virus, better understand the mechanisms of its spread from country to country, and strengthen prevention measures throughout the Mediterranean region. As Dr. Giovanni Savini explains, “The key to fighting Bluetongue is surveillance. Strengthening surveillance allows us to adapt our strategies and take effective measures, particularly in terms of vaccination and control of animal movements.”

 

A major priority, the researchers in the Blue-Med project began by harmonizing diagnostic methods across partner countries. By ensuring that all laboratories use the same techniques and have the same performance, Blue-Med created a standardized approach for detecting and identifying pathogens. “This has allowed Tunisia to enhance its detection capabilities, ensuring quick identification of the virus and a better response to outbreaks,” continues Savini. Among the major successes of the project, the creation of an early warning system and the harmonization of cross-border control efforts stand out. The project also helped better understand the temporal and geographical links between the disease outbreaks in North Africa and Southern Europe, identifying key factors driving the spread of the virus and its vectors.

 

Among the tangible results of the project, a major breakthrough concerns the development of a prototype inactivated vaccine against EHDV-8 (Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease virus, serotype 8), a virus closely related to Bluetongue. Trials conducted on Holstein-Friesian calves showed that the vaccine prevents clinical symptoms and reduces the spread of the virus within herds, providing a new tool in the fight against the disease.

Countries covered:

  • Tunisia