Infectious bovine rhinotracheitis virus: experimental attempts at inducing bovine abortion with a New Zealand isolate

Authors: Forbes-Faulkner JC, Durham PJK, Poole WSH
Publication: New Zealand Veterinary Journal, Volume 23, Issue 5, pp 93-94, May 1975
Publisher: Taylor and Francis

Animal type: Cattle, Livestock, Production animal, Ruminant
Subject Terms: Abortion/stillbirth, Disease transmission, Epidemiology, Reproduction, Viral, Syndrome, Respiratory system, Disease/defect, Infectious disease, Reproduction - female, Research/development
Article class: Scientific Article

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Abstract: There are numerous reports of infectious bovine rhinotracheitis (IBR) virus being incriminated as a cause of bovine abortion usually in the U.S.A. The relevent literature has been reviewed by Durham (1974). In more recent years, veterinarians in New Zealand have paid increasing attention to the possibility of viruses being a cause of abortion in cattle, and consequently this laboratory has had many requests for serological examination of paired sera for IBR virus antibodies. Unfortunately, the use of serology to assist diagnosis of IBR abortion is of limited value, since the antibody titre rise usually precedes the abortion. A more useful approach is to attempt virus isolation from such tissues as cotyledon, or foetal liver, spleen, lymph node of other organs, coupled with the histological examination of such tissues for the characteristic lesions. In the future, the use of fluorescent antibody techniques hoIds promise for the demonstration of viral antigen in affected tissues. Results of laboratory examinations indicated some suspicion that IBR virus occasionally may be involved in bovine abortion in New Zealand, but this still awaits confirmation…

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