Associations between exposure to bovine herpesvirus 1 (BoHV-1) and milk production, reproductive performance, and mortality in Irish dairy herds

Abstract

As cost-benefit analyses are required to prioritize and promote disease control and eradication programs within a jurisdiction, national data relating to disease-related production losses are particularly useful. The objectives of the current study were to use Irish bovine herpesvirus 1 (BoHV-1) prevalence data in dairy herds, obtained by bulk milk sampling on 4 occasions over the 2009 lactation, to document associations between milk production, fertility performance, mortality, and BoHV-1 herd status. Bulk milk (n = 305) antibody ELISA was used to classify farms as positive or negative in terms of endemic BoHV-1. Cow-level (milk parameters only) and herd-level performance data were sourced from the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation. Ordinary linear and negative binomial regressions were used to investigate associations between milk, fertility, and mortality performance and herd-level BoHV-1 results (both categorical and continuous variables). Only slight effects on the rates of carryover cows, nonpregnant cows, and total deaths were highlighted with increasing ELISA sample/positive (%) values (incidence rate ratio = 1.001). Multiparous cows in herds BoHV-1 bulk milk antibody positive recorded a reduction in milk yield per cow per year of 250.9 L in the multivariable linear model. Milk fat and protein yields were also affected by herd BoHV-1 status, again highlighting sub-optimal milk production in BoHV-1 bulk milk-positive herds. The current study has highlighted an economical method of investigating losses due to endemic infection using repeated bulk milk sampling over a single lactation. These data can contribute to analyzing the cost-benefit of applying BoHV-1 control strategies both on farm and at a national level.

Comparative detection of bovine herpesvirus-1 using antigen ELISA, immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence methods in cattle with pneumonia

“…Furthermore, Loneregan et al found BoHV-1 immunopositivity in 2 out of 108 acute interstitial pneumonia lungs and 3 out of 50 bronchopneumonia lungs (28). In the present study, more than 50 % BoHV-1 immunopositivity in fibrin bronchopneumonia and interstitial pneumonia cases was associated with predisposition to viral agents and secondary bacterial agents such as pneumonic pasteurellosis (29,30).…”

Importance of Viral Disease in Dairy Cow Fertility

“…Another study found that calving intervals were increased by 12% in mature cows that had experienced severe BRD as calves during their first three months [77,78]. In Irish herds with a seasonal calving pattern that were identified as positive by a bulk tank BHV-1 enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), the three-week calving rate was significantly lower in multiparous cows in comparison with BHV-1 negative herds [79]. Two related epidemiology studies in Ethiopia found significantly higher rates of uterine infection and retained fetal membranes in cows that were seropositive for BHV-1 [80,81].…”

Prevalencia del virus de la rinotraqueitis infecciosa bovina en el departamento del Caquetá, Amazonia Colombiana

“…La IBR es una patología de gran cuidado y vigilancia en los hatos, puesto que puede causar abortos, afectar los periodos de lactancia y subsecuentemente, los índices productivos y reproductivos, ocasionando notables pérdidas económicas (Ruiz-Sáenz et al 2010;Sayers 2017). En Colombia, la normatividad para la movilización de bovinos no contempla la IBR, por lo que la infección puede diseminarse desde zonas endémicas a libres fácilmente (Montoya et al 2011).…”

“…La rinotraqueitis infecciosa bovina, IBR por sus siglas en inglés, es una enfermedad de distribución mundial producida por el virus herpes bovino tipo 1 (VHB-1), perteneciente a la familia Herpesviridae, subfamilia Alphaherpesviridae (Ackermann y Engels 2006). Es una enfermedad viral con alto impacto sobre la salud y productividad del ganado que afecta principalmente el tracto respiratorio y reproductivo (Raaperi et al 2014;Muratore et al 2017;Sayers 2017). Tiene gran impacto económico en los hatos a nivel mundial causando muchos síndromes clínicos en el ganado (Chase et al 2017).…”