BVDV monitoring by pooling and real time RT-PCR as economical monitoring technique with low BVDV prevalence

The aim of this study was to determine whether the use of pooled blood samples and real-time RT-PCR are feasible for detecting BVDV in viremic or PI animals. For this purpose, blood samples obtained from 2701 cattle, brought from 62 different farms, were used to test for the presence of bovine viral diarrhoea virus (BVDV) at the Veterinary Virology Department of Aksaray University Faculty of Veterinary Medicine. The sampling was done from all geographical regions in Turkey. Blood samples were pooled in groups of eight, creating a total of 342 pools. Each pool was checked for BVDV with a real-time RT-PCR test. BVDV nucleic acid was detected in 18 (5.26%) of a total of 342 pools. BVDV was detected in 18 of 62 farms. The most important result obtained from this study is that BVDV monitoring by pooling and real time RT-PCR can be done very economically when the disease prevalence is low (<10%). A risk/benefit estimation can be done for breeders who want to start vaccination programs.