Bluetongue virus in South America, Central America and the Caribbean

•We review information about BTV in Caribbean, Central and South America.•There is the lack of information about the virus in the region.•Surveillance programs and control networks are needed in that region.•It is proposed a genetic continuity for the whole continent.

Bluetongue virus (BTV) has been detected in many parts of the world but the data available from each continent are substantially different. Some regions are not covered by proper surveillance programs and thus, the real situation concerning the incidence of BTV in those regions is unknown. This is the case of Central America, South America and the Caribbean, where few outdated data about the presence and spread of BTV have been reported. In the present review, we update the BTV situation in those regions by compiling the serologic data available and analyzing the genetic information reported by the different research groups which are studying the disease in the region.