Serological study of bovine viral respiratory diseases in dairy herds in Kerman province, Iran

Respiratory disorders are major concern for dairy cattle industry. Viruses and bacteria in combination with stress play a key role in triggering acute respiratory infections. The most important viral agents are bovine viral diarrhoea virus (BVDV), bovine herpes virus type 1 (BHV-1), bovine respiratory syncytial virus (BRSV), parainfluenza virus type 3 (PIV-3) and bovine adenovirus (BAV). This cross-sectional study was conducted to evaluate the serological status of BVDV, BHV-1, BRSV, PIV-3 and BAV in dairy herds in Kerman province, Iran. From June to November 2007, 181 serum samples were collected from 1–3-year-old cattle from 15 industrial dairy farms in Kerman province using cluster sampling. The samples were tested by commercial indirect ELISA kits. Antibodies were detected against BVDV, BHV-1, BRSV, PIV-3 and BAV in 77.90, 30.39, 100, 100 and 100% of serum samples, respectively. All farms were positive at least for one of these viruses and antibodies against all the 5 viruses were detected in 4 (26.66%) herds among 15 dairy farms. According to the present study, BVDV, BRSV, PIV-3 and BAV are common viruses in dairy herds in Kerman province.