Schmallenberg Virus in Domestic Cattle, Belgium, 2012

To determine prevalence of antibodies against Schmallenberg virus in adult cows and proportion of infection transmitted to fetuses, we tested serum samples from 519 cow/calf pairs in Belgium in spring 2012. Of cattle within 250 km of location where, the virus emerged, approximate to 91% tested positive for IgG targeting nucleoprotein. Risk for fetal infection was approximate to 28%.