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bioRxiv · 10.64898/2026.08.06.743243

It happened again - emergence of a Shamonda-like orthobunyavirus in Central Europe, 2026

Wernike, K.·Hoffmann, B.·Link, E. K.·Rotheneder, S.·Eshak, M.·Pfaff, F.·Hoeper, D.·Beer, M.
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Abstract

Since mid-June 2026, an acute, non-fatal syndrome with high herd morbidity, reduced milk yield, diarrhea, fever and lethargy affected dairy cattle in southern Germany and Switzerland. Major viral pathogens were excluded. Pan-Simbuvirus PCR first detected an orthobunyavirus, subsequently confirmed by metagenomic sequencing, which enabled recovery of a complete "Shamonda-like" genome. One sentence summary lineMore than a decade after the emergence of Schmallenberg virus in 2011, a novel "Shamonda-like" orthobunyavirus of the Simbu serogroup has now emerged in Central Europe.

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Wernike, K., Hoffmann, B., Link, E. K., Rotheneder, S., Eshak, M., Pfaff, F., Hoeper, D., Beer, M.. 2026-08-06. It happened again - emergence of a Shamonda-like orthobunyavirus in Central Europe, 2026. https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.08.06.743243

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