Seroprevalence of Bovine Herpes Virus-1, Bovine Herpes Virus-4 and
Bovine Viral Diarrhea Virus in Dairy Cattle in
Sudan
Amira M. Elhassan*, M.A Fadol and A.M. El-Hussein2
Central Veterinary Research Laboratory, Khartoum, 1Animal
Resources Research Corporation,
P. O. Box 8067, Khartoum, Sudan *Corresponding author: amirahassan98@hotmail.com
Abstract
A survey was conducted to determine prevalence of antibodies against Bovine
herpes virus-1 (BoHv-1), Bovine herpes virus-4 (BoHv-4) and Bovine viral
diarrhea (BVD) in dairy cattle in farms with reproductive problems in two areas
in Sudan. Sera samples were collected
from Khartoum state and central Sudan
during 2005-2008 and analyzed using direct ELISA. The prevalence of antibodies
was discussed with respect to age, season, sex, breed and locality BoHv-1 and
BVD antibodies were highly prevalent in Khartoum state (51.7%, P≤0.03 and 50.4%,
P≤0.001 respectively) while in central Sudan BoHv-1 (32.7%) antibodies were the
most prevalent followed by, BVD (25.7%) and BoHv-4 (19.3%). The highest
prevalence of antibodies against the three viruses in both areas was found
during the rainy season (July to October). The prevalence of antibodies to
viruses studied was significantly associated with female sex (P≤0.05) except for
BoHv-1 (P≤0.1). Prevalence of antibodies to BoHv-4 was significantly associated
with breed (P≤0.03) while those of BoHv-1 and BVD were not. The present results
indicated that older cattle were more likely to be seropositive in case of
BoHv-4 but not to BoHv-1 or BVD viruses. Furthermore, it was found that BoHv-1
and BVD antibodies were highly prevalent in aborted dams. While, infertility
problems were highly associated with BoHv-1 antibodies. BVD antibodies showed
the highest prevalence in case of death after birth. The results of this study
provide better understanding of viral epidemics of reproductive disorders and
represent the first report of BoHv-4 antibodies in cattle in Sudan.