Molecular and serological investigation of Bovine Viral Diarrhea Virus in dairy cattle in Konya province

Bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) infection is a viral disease observed in many parts of the world and causing significant economic losses in dairy cattle enterprises. The present study was carried out to determine the seropositivity of BVDV and perform the molecular detection of the virus in cattle in dairy enterprises situated in Konya province and its surroundings in the Central Anatolia Region. In this cross-sectional study performed between March 2017 and April 2019, a total of 393 serum samples were collected from twenty-four dairy cattle enterprises by random sampling. The presence of antibodies in the obtained blood serum samples was investigated by the virus neutralization test using NADL, the BVDV reference strain. Samples were controlled for BVDV specific antibody (Ab) presence and titter values using serum neutralization test. The serum samples were examined in terms of the presence of BVDV-specific antigens and specific RNA using a commercial ELISA kit and the RT-PCR method, respectively. According to the results of the analysis, the animal and herd-level seropositivity was 55.72% (219/393) and 79.16% (19/24), respectively. It was revealed that seropositivity between age groups was statistically significant (χ2:11.81; p=0.002). Moreover, the samples were determined to be 45.13%, 60.53%, and 73.07% seropositive in the 6 months-2 years, 2-5 years, and above 5 years age ranges, respectively. It was revealed that all of the samples tested to detect persistently infected animals were negative for antigen and BVDV-specific RNA. As a result, it indicates the presence of BVDV infection in dairy cattle enterprises in Konya province. Therefore, it is essential for the country's economy to prevent the spread of the infection in question and implement voluntary eradication programs.