The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry reported on Tuesday that the Slovenian competent veterinary authority informed via its website on Friday of the official confirmation of bluetongue disease in sheep of serotype 8, and this is the first such occurrence in that country.
The disease was suspected on the basis of clinical signs in sheep at two facilities in Ilirska Bistrica Municipality, and the results of laboratory tests carried out by the National Veterinary Institute officially confirmed the bluetongue virus, serotype 8.
In 2025, outbreaks of bluetongue serotype 8 were already reported by Greece, North Macedonia, Italy, Portugal, and Spain, and in 2024, the disease was also confirmed in Switzerland.
BPJ is a viral, non-contagious infectious disease of domestic (sheep, goats and cattle) and wild ruminants. The disease is not transmitted by contact between animals, but the virus is transmitted by mosquitoes (genus Culicoides).
Bluetongue does not affect humans, the Ministry said, adding that depending on the serotype, the clinical signs of the disease are most common and most pronounced in sheep, while in cattle and goats, as a rule, a hidden infection occurs without visible signs of the disease.
