In this study, six immunocompetent calves were experimentally infected with a noncytopathic strain of bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV), and the effects of the viral infection on parameters of the innate immune response of the host were analyzed. Clinical and virological data were compared with the temporal activation of the alpha/beta interferon-regulated Mx gene in white blood cells (WBC) and skin as well as the upregulation of the acute-phase serum proteins haptoglobin (Hp) and serum amyloid A (SAA). The viral strain used did provoke transient health impairment, namely, fever and leukopenia that were associated with viremia, viral shedding with nasal secretions, and antiviral seroconversion. Complete recovery was observed within 3 weeks. Elevated levels of SAA and Hp were apparent from days 4 to 13 and 8 to 11, respectively. In WBC, the levels of Mx mRNA and Mx protein were elevated from days 2 to 15. In the context of this study with BVDV, the level of Mx protein expression in WBC provided the most telling diagnostic window to monitor the host's ongoing innate immune response.

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Borna Disease (BD) is a mostly fatal disease of horses and sheep endemic in central Europe. Antibodies to Borna disease virus (BDV) have been described in sheep and other species living in BD non-endemic areas. Meaningful clinical BDV serology is hampered by difficulties in defining serological cut-offs, which require the investigation of populations from endemic areas. Here we studied BD serology in sheep from endemic and non-endemic areas of similar geography in Switzerland. Antibodies to BDV antigens were detected by ELISA and indirect immunofluorescence analysis (IFA) only in sera from 3 of 6 sheep with autopsy confirmed BD. One serum was positive by IFA but not by ELISA, while 2 sera were negative in both assays, indicating that not all diseased animals develop BDV specific antibodies. Six % of clinically healthy animals (6/106) from an endemic area and 2% from a non-endemic area (4/192) had serum antibody to either BDV p40 or p24 as detected by ELISA. None of the animals showed a cellular immune response to BDV p40. In some healthy sheep from the endemic area, serum antibody titers to BDV p24 antigen remained elevated over several months without onset of disease symptoms. Infections with either BDV or related viruses may thus occur at low frequency in sheep from non-endemic areas leading to the production of antibodies to BDV antigens. We further propose viral strain differences or environmental factor(s) may determine the clinical outcome.