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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Ames, Iowa » National Animal Disease Center » Food Safety and Enteric Pathogens Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #71667
Title: TYPE II BVD INFECTION IN A CLOSED HERD OF SIMMENTAL CATTLE

Author
item SWECKER, W - VIRGINIA TECH
item ALLISON, M - VDACS RICHMOND REG ANIM
item Bolin, Steven - Steve
item COLE, R - UNKNOWN

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/25/1996
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Eleven calves and eight cows died over an 8-week period during a disease outbreak in July-September 1993 in a herd of 68 Simmental cattle. Clinical disease was marked by profuse salivation, liquid feces, dilated pupils, fever, depression, anorexia, and death within 72 hours in calves despite treatment with long-acting oxytetracycline and oral fluids. Cows consistently exhibited diarrhea but the clinical course lasted 1 to 17 days. Calf sickness or death preceded cow death by 8-16 days in five of the eight cows that died. Mortality rates were 39% and 27% in the calves and cows, respectively; case fatality rate in the calves was 85%. No illness was noted in yearling heifers on the farm. The last vaccination for BVDV, based on the owner's memory, was a killed product administered approximately 2-3 years prior to the outbreak. The last addition to the farm was the sire of the calves who was introduced approximately 17 months prior to the outbreak. A Type II, noncytopathic BVD virus was isolated from two cows with clinical signs of disease. Four of six clinically ill cattle exhibited titers of 1:8 to 1:128 against Type II BVDV. All six cattle were seronegative against Type I BVDV. This report demonstrates a clinical outbreak of a noncytopathic, Type II BVDV infection in a herd with a poor vaccination history.