Prevalence of bovines persistently infected with bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) in dairy cattle herds in Paraná State, Brazil

Abstract

ABSTRACT: This study aimed to establish the prevalence of animals persistently infected (PI) with bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) in dairy farms at Parana State, Brazil. Samples were collected from 6,465 female Holstein Friesian Dairy Cattle, including animals less than two years old, females over two years old who had not given birth at the farm, and mothers of calves diagnosed as persistently infected. The cattle came from 40 dairy herds distributed in 10 municipalities in the State of Paraná. The samples were obtained from May 2015 to August 2018. The diagnosis of PI animals was made with an antigen-capture ELISA test. We detected PI animals in fifteen herds sampled (37.5%), ranging from one to sixteen animals per herd. The prevalence in Parana State’s municipalities was 1.78%, ranging from 0.3 to 8.9% at positive herds. The analysis of the individual herds shows significant dissemination of the BVDV in Parana’s municipalities, including endemic areas. With this, we highlight the need for measures to raise awareness among producers about the existence and importance of bovine viral diarrhea (BVD) in dairy herds, reinforcing the PI animals’ role in disease epidemiology and the economic impact caused by the maintenance of these farm animals.