SEROPREVALENCE OF INFECTIOUS BOVINE RHINOTRACHEITIS (IBR) IN THE ANDAMAN AND NICOBAR ISLANDS, INDIA

Infectious Bovine Rhinotracheitis (IBR) is caused by Bovine herpesvirus-1 (BoHV-1), an infectious diseasecausing huge economic loss in dairy cattle. To keep dairy farming healthy and highly productive, there should be an IBR surveillance programme in dairy cattle, hence a study on the seroprevalence of IBR was undertaken in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands where the density of livestock population was more. A total of 418 cattle serum samples during 2019-20 from 11 villages of two districts of Andaman and Nicobar Islands were screened for IBR antibodies using ICAR-NIVEDI Avidin Biotin ELISA, of which 107 were found positive revealing 25.60% of seropositivity. HF crossbred and Jersey breed showed seropositivity of 24.06% and 33.33% respectively. Cattle of 5-6 years of age showed high seropositivity of 27.65- 38.98%. Hence, it is recommended to test raw fresh semen/frozen semen straws, dairy animals regularly for IBR antigen/ antibodies to avoid the spread of infection.