SCOTS virus experts are developing the world's first vaccine against an animal disease responsible for a spate of birth defects and miscarriages in livestock across Europe.

Scientists at the Medical Research Council's Centre for Viral Research at Glasgow University have been studying the genetic fabric of Schmallenberg virus (SBV) since February, and now believe they can develop a vaccine against the disease.

It comes just days after the National Farmers' Union (NFU) warned the midge-borne virus – which affects cows, sheep and goats – was headed for Scotland after it was detected for the first time among livestock in North Yorkshire and Northumberland.

Animals generally recover from it but if females become infected during the early stage of pregnancy, it can lead to still-births, abortions and catastrophic malformations in offspring, such as swollen heads, curved spines, twisted necks, muscle weakness and bent limbs. It also causes fever, diarrhoea and loss of milk production in adult cattle.

Professor Massimo Palmarini, director of the MRC Centre for Virus Research, said researchers believe the virus causes birth defects by invading and multiplying inside the neuron cells of the developing foetus, causing extensive damage to its brain and spinal tissue.

The team at Glasgow, led by Prof Palmarini and Dr Alain Kohl, have now devised methods to manipulate the genome of SBV and have identified a viral protein suitable for use in a vaccine.

Mr Palmarini said: "The development of a vaccine against Schmallenberg virus is now feasible and can be achieved if farmers and vaccine manufacturers feel the need for such a product."

The virus was named after the German town of Schmallenberg where it was first discovered among cattle in August last year, though scientists are baffled about how or where it originated.

Since then it has swept across western Europe, first entering the south of England in January and spreading rapidly. By early August, cases had been documented at 276 farms, and last week Scots farmers were urged to be on their guard as it neared the Border.

Prof Palmarini said: "It's endemic in Europe and it's been diagnosed quite a lot in England, but not in Scotland yet. In some farms almost 90% of the animals are infected.

"This is a virus that is transmitted by midges going from animal to animal so it spreads a lot. It is similar to blue tongue, a virus that has been around for the last few years, and nobody knows exactly how it's been introduced in Europe."

The National Farmers' Union Scotland (NUFS) has urged producers who have imported stock from risk areas in England and Wales to delay their animals from mating until they can be tested for the virus.

NFUS president, Borders livestock farmer and vet Nigel Miller, said: "There is no structured 'sentinel' surveillance in northern England or Scotland and it is therefore possible that the disease is circulating in Scotland. As the virus is transmitted by midges, which are likely to be active for at least another three weeks, we are advising all our members to speak to their vet if they are concerned about their livestock."

NFUS is working with the Scottish Government, the Scottish Agricultural College, and Moredun – the centre for infectious diseases in sheep – to develop an early alert system for the virus. The scheme aims to use voluntary screening of animals brought into Scotland from areas of the UK known to be affected by SBV. NFUS said it has funding available to farmers to pay for testing at 400 farms.