THE DISTRIBUTION OF AKABANE VIRUS IN THE MIDDLE-EAST

Serological evidence was used to confirm an outbreak of Akabane diseas e in cattle in the Turkish Province of Aydin in 1980. Thereafter, seru m collections from the Middle East were screened for the presence of n eutralizing antibodies to Akabane virus. The results indicate that the virus was present in a number of provinces on the south Turkish coast in 1979 and 1980 but that it probably did not persist into 1981; the virus had also been present on Cyprus in 1980 and on at least one prev ious occasion. There was also evidence of limited virus transmission i n the Orontes river valley in Syria in 1979 and less precise evidence to show that occasional infection occurred in the lower Jordan river v alley. The failure of Akabane virus to persist in southern Turkey for more than two years indicates that this area is open to epidemic rathe r than endemic infection. The presence of neutralizing antibodies in t he eastern Turkish Provinces of Gaziantep and Diyarbakir suggests that this might be the route whereby Akabane virus occasionally invades th e Middle East region.