Since its arrival two years ago (in September 2023), the Bluetongue serotype 3 virus (BTV-3) seems to have become permanently established on the European continent. As the BTV-3 Europe summer 2025 situation shows, the virus now behaves much like serotype 8 in the past.
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BTV-3 continues to circulate in Western and Northern Europe. Despite regional fluctuations, countries like France, Germany, Spain, and Switzerland are reporting new outbreaks, indicating the virus remains well established.
In the countries already mentioned in a previous article BTV-3 disease in Europe: an update before summer, the virus is still circulating:
Concerning the other countries already affected by the disease in 2024, Denmark has reported 8 cases since the resumption of vector activity last spring, compared to 101 between January and March. Similarly, in Sweden, more than 500 herds were infected in 2025, mainly near the coast. No figures are available for Belgium, however the authorities informed that cases have been reported this year. No figures are also available for the Netherlands and Luxembourg.
Poland has, to date, declared 8 outbreaks in 2025.
Beyond previously affected regions, BTV-3 has expanded east and south, reaching new countries like the Czech Republic, Romania, and Greece. Its growing presence confirms active spread across the continent.
The Czech Republic reported 29 outbreaks, mostly in August. Hungary and Croatia reported 5 and 1 outbreaks respectively. Further south, despite a late restart of the disease, Greece reported 3 outbreaks. Romania also reported 5 outbreaks, the last on October 10. An outbreak was also declared in Portugal in August.
Italy, which is also concerned by BTV-3, is a somewhat specific case. Indeed, serotype 3 has been present enzootically since 2018 in Sardinia. However, an increase in detections since 2024 suggests the introduction of the Dutch strain. Another key point is that the disease is now also present in mainland Italy.
With two years of presence now, it seems that the Bluetongue virus serotype 3 virus is permanently established in Europe. Moreover, the authorities of several countries (France, Switzerland, etc.) consider it to be enzootic and no longer exotic. Its eradication, at least in the short term, therefore seems unlikely. However, it is important to continue to protect herds to limit clinical signs and animal mortality.
In contrast, BTV-12, which appeared in 2024 in the Netherlands, has spread slightly and then seems to be no longer currently present. It is therefore difficult to predict the epidemiological dynamics of BTV viruses because each serotype behaves in a very different way. A few weeks ago, the BTV-5 appeared in Sardinia. We will see in the coming months what the behaviour of this emerging virus is.
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