The first occurrence of the small hive beetle has been observed in Sao Paulo, Brazil on 1st. March 2015. The beetle was suspected in 46 bee hives. Beetle specimens were sent to the University of São Paulo for taxonomic identification on May 2015. Preliminary results were communicated to the official veterinary service on December 2015. Beetles were sent to the Biological Institute of São Paulo which confirmed the entomological identification of Aethina tumida on 16th February 2016 in one hive. The main measures applied were quarantine and surveillance within protection zone.  The source of the outbreak is unknown for the moment. Epidemiological investigations are on-going within a 20km radius of the location of the first infested hive. Adult beetle specimens from an apiary in a neighboring municipality have been sent for identification. Meetings with beekeeper associations and industries were carried out to communicate on the SHB detection, spread and control measures to implement. More information can be found on the OIE website.

Note prepared by the EU RL for Bee Health (Laboratory of  Anses Sophia Antipolis)   Updated news (29th December 2015)   This article will no longer be updated. A new article on the surveillance of Aethina tumida in Italy in 2016 has been created here.   To see the details of the outbreaks observed in 2014 and the state of play of the situation early 2015, please click here.       

One proficiency-test will be organized by the EU RL in 2016. It will follow the proficiency test performed in 2015 and it will aim at evaluating the specificity of the real-time RT-PCR method for the detection and quantification of the chronic bee paralysis virus (CBPV) in bees. More information related to the time schedule will come soon.

Additional data editing were performed on the EPILOBEE data leading to new calculations. Thus, a revised version of the EPILOBEE 2012-2014 report with corrected figures was produced. You can check out this new document, available on the European Commission website (click here).

The formal invitation was sent last week. Do not hesitate to contact us in case of need.

♦ 03 December 2015 ♦ [Relayed from OIE website – 4 December] OIE and CITES signed recently an agreement to deepen the collaboration between the two organisations. This agreement provides a formal foundation for expanded communication, cooperation and collaboration in order to protect CITES-listed species and conserve biodiversity by ensuring the efficient implementation of surveillance and disease control measures needed to protect animal and human health worldwide. Rabies, Ebola haemorrhagic fever, West Nile Fever, Avian influenza, Brucellosis, Foot and mouth disease: these are only a few examples of well-known, emerging, or re-emerging diseases that are originally found or circulated in wildlife and which potentially have (… Read more).  

♦ 10 November 2015 ♦ [Relayed from FAO website – 10 November] FAO and GARC have agreed to collaborate on the following: encourage the development and implementation of national and regional rabies control and elimination strategies; promote national rabies surveillance systems, including transparency/notification, and rabies control or elimination strategies in line with international standards; advocate for more involvement of national and local authorities in rabies control, in particular Ministries of Agriculture and veterinary services; promote World Rabies Day activities through their respective networks, including communication strategies related to it. (…Read more)  

♦ 10-11 December 2015 ♦ [Relayed from OIE & WHO websites] A new framework to eliminate human rabies and save tens of thousands of lives each year has been launched by WHO, the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Global Alliance for the Control of Rabies (GARC). The framework calls for 3 key actions - making human vaccines and antibodies affordable, ensuring people who get bitten receive prompt treatment, and mass dog vaccinations to tackle the disease at its source. Read more on the official meeting website, and the press releases on: WHO website, OIE website, and FAO website.  

♦ 04 January 2016 ♦ [Relayed from the GARC website] Many of us invest time and resources in vaccinating dogs against rabies. We know this will not only protect dogs but also the people they live amongst. There are many examples of studies reporting vaccination of dogs to be a highly effective method of protecting public health, but do you have evidence from your own work? Many of us also invest in managing the dog population in other ways, such as limiting reproduction or persuading and supporting owners to provide greater care and oversight to their dogs. But how do you know if these activities are impacting dogs and their communities in the way you hoped? In short; how do we know our hard work is making a difference? (… See the guide)  

♦ 04 January 2016 ♦ As every year, the EURL for rabies will organize a rabies diagnostic inter-laboratory test in 2016. This year, the test will be performed on a unique panel of 10 samples using at least one of the following techniques: FAT (Fluorescent Antibody Test), RTCIT (Rabies Tissue Culture Infection Test), Conventional RT-PCR and/or Real-Time RT-PCR. The test is composed of the panel to be tested with the chosen technique(s) as well as a corresponding online technical questionnaire for each tested technique. Registration is opened until 15 January 2016. Should you wish to register for the 2016 test, please contact the EURL for rabies for more information.