Bovine herpesvirus 1 (BHV-1) is a noteworthy reason for many Cattle/Buffalo diseases. Infectious bovine rhinotracheitis (IBR) is one of the diseases which are caused by the BHV-1. In the present study a cow which was suspected of IBR was examined. The animal was suffering from fever and respiratory distress along with rhinitis (red nose), in appetence, and dyspnea. The nasal mucosa and muzzle were distinctly inflamed, with nasal discharge. DNA from blood samples and nasal swabs were subjected to nested PCR using glycoprotein B gene (gB) Primers. The samples were found positive for BHV-1 gB gene. Sequencing and phylogenetic analysis revealed close similarities with other BHV-1 gB gene sequences. The accession numbers assigned to this pioneer sequences in GenBank are MT449510 (BHV-1-Pak 1) and MT449511 (BHV-1-Pak 2). In this study, we reported for the first time the detection of DNA of BHV-1 through nested PCR assay and molecular characterization of BHV-1 gB gene in Pakistan. This study will be useful in further diagnoses of BHV-1 in Pakistan and in development of BHV-1 vaccine to reduce economical losses due to IBR.

To Cite This Article: Riaz A, Javid B, Shah MAA, Raza S, Yousaf A, Rehman SU, Sial A and Abbas S, 2021. First report on the detection and molecular characterization of bovine herpesvirus 1 from a clinical case of infectious bovine rhinotracheitis in Pakistan. Pak Vet J, 41(1): 160-162. http://dx.doi.org/10.29261/pakvetj/2020.084