BOVINE VIRALDIARRHEAIN QAZVIN PROVINCE (IRAN): ASEROPREVALENCE STUDY

BVDVis one of the commonest infectious agents causing significant economical losses in the worldwide dairy cow industry. Serious control measures have been adopted against the infection in many countries, particularly in the developed ones. Investigation of the presence and prevalence of the infection is the first step, and an important one, for efficient control. This survey is aimed at these aspects of BVD in Qazvin Province. A total of 2,205 serum samples were gathered, almost randomly, from cows over 1-year old residing in 59 industrial dairy farms of Qazvin Province. The samples were taken from the cities of Abyek, Alborz and Buinzahra in the autumn of 2007 and the summer of 2008. A standard ELISA kit was applied for detecting antibodies against BVDV, using SPSS software (version 17) for corresponding analyses. The results indicated that 1,644 serum samples had positive reaction. Consequently, overall seroprevalence of infection in animals during the period surveyed was estimated at about 74.5%. Prevalence of the infection at herd level was 100%. Alborz with 83.2%, Abyek with 76.2%, and Buinzahra with 59.6% stood in order of seroprevalence. In the cases with an exact recorded history of parity and abortion, statistically significant relations were found between both variables and the test results (chi-square test with p=0.0005 & p=0.03, respectively). This high seroprevalence of BVD infection in Qazvin Province, as in other parts of Iran, suggests that more and more emphasizes needs to be placed on the application of emergency measures for controlling the problem as soon as possible. In this regard, the detecting and elimination of PI calves must be considered as the first and essential action.