Antibodies to berne virus in horses and other animals

Abstract

After inoculation into 2 foals, Berne virus induced neutralizing antibody, but did not cause clinical symptoms. In a horizontal study of seropositive mares and their offspring, a decline of maternal antibodies and a sudden synchronous seroconversion in all foals were observed, again without clinical symptoms. The virus is widespread in the Swiss horse population and has been so during the last decade; rises in antibody titers were noted in 9% of paired sera sampled at random. Positive reactions were also obtained in serum neutralization tests and ELISA using small numbers of horse sera from Germany, France and the U.S.A. The results of neutralization tests and ELISA were correlated in 83% of random samples tested; 13% were neutralization-positive and ELISA-negative and in 4% the inverse was observed. Neutralizing activity was found in the sera of other ungulates (cattle, goat, sheep and pig), laboratory rabbits and 2 species of wild mice (Clethrionomys glareolus and Apodemus sylvaticus). Inconclusive results were obtained with feline and human sera; those from dogs and foxes (Vulpes vulpes) were consistently negative. The probable occurrence of antigenic variants in Berne-type viruses is discussed.

Toroviruses: replication, evolution and comparison with other members of the coronavirus-like superfamily

“…Antibodies against toroviruses appear to be widespread in ungulates (horses, cattle, sheep, goats and pigs; Weiss et al, 1984;Brown et al, 1987;Koopmans et al, 1989). Some wild mice and laboratory rabbits have also been found seropositive, but inconclusive results were obtained with human sera .…”

Detection of Bovine Torovirus in Fecal Specimens of Calves with Diarrhea in Japan

“…Epidemiologic studies have shown that BoTV is widespread in the Netherlands [15], Germany and Switzerland [31], the United Kingdom [1], and the United States [29,34], with 55 to 90% of cattle being seropositive. Prospective studies in The Netherlands using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and in Canada using RT-PCR have demonstrated that torovirus was present in 6.4% and 36.4% of calves with diarrhea and in 1.7% and 11.6% of asymptomatic controls, respectively [4,16].…”

A New Family of Vertebrate Viruses: <i>Toroviridae</i>

“…Antibodies have also been found in two species of wild mice and in laboratory rabbits [11]. Breda virus can cause life-threatening diarrhea in calves.…”