Molecular cloning of DNA from a bovine herpesvirus 1 strain isolated in Hungary

Molecular cloning of the HindIII fragments of bovine herpesvirus 1 (BHV-1) strain HB144, isolated from infectious bovine rhinotracheitis (IBR) in Hungary, and of an infectious pustular vulvovaginitis (IPV) reference strain (K22) is reported. So far 52% of the IBR viral genome and 28% of the IPV viral genome have been cloned. The analysis of differences between the strains is currently in progress.     

A comparison of polypeptides and restriction endonuclease sites of BHV-1 isolates and identification of IPV virus in Japan

Bovine herpesvirus 1 (BHV-1) isolates from respiratory tract and from vagina of bovine in Japan were analyzed by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and the DNA restriction endonuclease cleavage pattern, and compared with European BHV-1 strains. Both protein profile and DNA cleavaged pattern of BHV-1 isolates from respiratory tract were the same as those of European infectious bovine rhinotracheitis (IBR) virus, whereas the protein profile and DNA cleavage patterns of one isolate (M1) from vagina was the same as those of the European infectious pustular vulvovaginitis (IPV) virus. The facts indicate that IPV virus has existed in Japan.     

A Comparison of The Viruses of Infectious Bovine Rhinotracheitis (IBR), Infectious Pustular Vulvovaginitis (IPV), and Rinderpest Part II. Plaque Assay

A plaque assay procedure was used successfully for studying the viruses of infectious bovine rhinotracheitis (IBR), infectious pustular vulvovaginitis (IPV), and rinderpest. The plaques produced by the IBR and IPV viruses were indistinguishable, but differed from those of rinderpest. The viruses were neutralized by their respective antisera as indicated by plaque inhibition. Plaques formed by the IBR and IPV viruses were inhibited by homologous and heterologous antisera but not by rinderpest antisera, while those of rinderpest were inhibited by the rinderpest antisera only.     

A Comparison of the Viruses of Infectious Bovine Rhinotracheitis (IBR), Infectious Pustular Vulvovaginitis (IPV), and Rinderpest: Part I. Studies of Antigenic Relationships

The viruses of infectious bovine rhinotracheitis (IBR), infectious pustular vulvovaginitis (IPV), and rinderpest were compared by specific methods. The results further confirmed that IBR and IPV are caused by agents with common antigens. No antigenic relationship was found between these viruses and rinderpest virus, which confirms earlier work.     

Infectious bovine rhinotracheitis (IBR) in the canton of Jura: an epidemiological outbreak investigation

Following an abortion in a beef herd in the summer of 2009, three outbreaks of infectious bovine rhinotracheitis (IBR) were diagnosed in the cantons of Jura and Neuchatel. An epidemiological outbreak investigation was conducted with the aims to identify the source of introduction of the bovine herpes virus 1 (BoHV-1) into the affected herds and to prevent further spread of the disease. The attack rates in the three outbreak farms were 0.89, 0.28 and 0, respectively. BoHV-1 could be isolated from nasal swabs of two animals originating from one of the affected farms. Comparative restriction enzyme analysis revealed slight differences between the isolates of the two animals, but a high similarity to previous BoHV-1 isolates from the canton of Jura, as well as to a French BoHV-1 isolate. This IBR outbreak has shown the importance of reporting and analyzing abortions. The current disease outbreaks recall the main risk factors for the spread of IBR in Switzerland: purchase and movement of bovines and semen of often unknown IBR status.     

THE EFFECT OF NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL BREEDING USING BULLS INFECTED WITH, OR SEMEN CONTAMINATED WITH, INFECTIOUS BOVINE RHINOTRACHEITIS VIRUS

Ten cows and heifers (Group B) were inoculated into the uterus at oestrus with semen followed by IBR virus for the first insemination and semen alone if a second insemination was necessary. All animals developed infectious pustular vulvo-vaginitis (IPV), and 2 cows conceived to the first and 2 to the second insemination (pregnancy rate of 40 percent requiring 4.5 services per conception). This group was compared with 10 control animals (Group A) which were treated similarly but received tissue culture fluid instead of virus at the first insemination. Group A had a pregnancy rate of 90 percent requiring 1.7 services per conception. Natural mating of 4 bulls with preputial infections due to infectious bovine rhinotracheitis (IBR) virus with 9 susceptible cows and heifers (group D), resulted in the production of lesions of IPV. The IPV infection did not affect their fertility (pregnancy rate of 89 percent requiring 1.4 services per conception) when it was compared to a similar group of females (group C) mated to the same bulls prior to infection with IBR virus (pregnancy rate of 100 percent requiring 1.2 services per conception). The 6 animals in Group B that were not pregnant and returned to oestrus 3 times were found on slaughter to have endometritis, salpingitis and vaginitis. A high incidence, 5 out of 18 (28 percent), of shortened oestrous cycles (less than 18 days) was a feature of the breeding pattern of this group. The undesirable consequences of distributing semen contaminated with IBR virus from artificial insemination centres are apparent.     

A study of some infectious causes of reproductive disorders in cattle owned by resource-poor farmers in Gauteng Province, South Africa

Two hundred and thirty-nine cattle from Gauteng Province in South Africa were tested for various pathogens causing reproductive diseases includingbovine viral diarrhoea/mucosal disease (BVD/MD) virus, infectious bovine rhinotracheitis/infectious pustular vulvovaginitis (IBR/IPV) virus, Neospora caninum and Brucella abortus usingvarious tests. For BVD/MD virus, 49.37% tested positive, 74.47% for IBR/IPV virus, 8.96% for Neospora caninum and 3.8% for Brucella abortus. The result for Brucella abortus is higher than the national average, possibly due to the small sample size. A high seroprevalence of antibodies to both BVD/MD virus and IBR/IPV virus was evident. These 2 viruses should be considered, in addition to Brucella abortus, when trying to establish causes of abortion in cattle. The clinical significance of Neospora caninum as a cause of abortion in Gauteng needs further investigation. One hundred and forty-three bulls were tested for Campylobacter fetus and Trichomonas fetus, and a low prevalence of 1.4% and 2.1% respectively was found in this study. The clinical implications of these findings are discussed.     

The DNA of an IPV strain of bovid herpesvirus 1 in sacral ganglia during latency after intravaginal infection

Two calves were inoculated intravaginally with a strain of bovid herpesvirus type 1 (BHV-1, IBR/IPV) isolated from a cow with infectious pustular vulvovaginits (IPV). The animals were killed during a latent stage of infection as characterized by seroconversion, absence of virus shedding and recrudescence of virus shedding after dexamethsone treatment.IPV-virus DNA was detected in 9 out of 20 sacral ganglia of the 2 calves. Of the sections, 7.2% (n = 250) contained 1 cell with IPV-virus DNA, which was restricted to the nucleus of neurons. In agreement with findings on herpes simplex virus infections, the viral DNA of BHV-1 is harbored in the local sensory ganglia.Virological and serological implications of the latent IPV infection are discussed.     

A study of a herpesvirus isolated from dairy cattle with a history of reproductive disorders

Three strains of herpesvirus were recovered from cows with vulvovaginitis. The three isolates (85/BH 16TV, 85/BH 17TV, 85/BH 18TV), when compared by cross serum neutralization (SN) tests, were found to be antigenically identical. They were serologically distinct from infectious bovine rhinotracheitis (IBR) virus and Bovid herpesvirus 2 (BHV2), while they cross reacted with bovine herpesvirus DN-599. Besides the serologic aspects, the three isolates appeared to share common biological, physical and morphological properties with the newly recognized bovine herpesviruses, of which DN-599 is a representative strain.     

The virulence of British isolates of bovid herpesvirus 1 in relationship to viral genotype.

Six strains of bovid herpesvirus 1 isolated from British cases of infectious bovine rhinotracheitis (IBR) were inoculated intranasally into calves. The clinical, virological and serological responses were measured and comparisons made between virus strains. Calves infected with viruses of subtype 1 developed more severe clinical signs and excreted higher titres of virus than calves infected with subtype 2b strains. The findings could be related to the history of IBR in Great Britain.     

Pro and contra IBR-eradication

Bovine herpesvirus type 1 (BoHV-1) is the causative agent of respiratory and genital tract infections such as infectious rhinotracheitis (IBR), infectious pustular vulvovaginitis (IPV, balanoposthitis (IBP), and abortion. Despite of a pronounced immune response, the virus is never eliminated from an infected host but establishes life-long latency and may be reactivated at intervals. Europe has a long history of fighting against BoHV-1 infections, yet, only a small number of countries has achieved IBR-eradication. Therefore, it seemed appropriate to review the reasoning pro and contra such a task. Clearly, the goal can indeed be achieved as has been demonstrated by a number of European countries. However, detection and stamping out of seemingly healthy virus carriers is inevitable in the process. Unfortunately, the use of vaccines is only of temporary and limited value. Therefore, there are numerous considerations to be put forward against such plans, including the high costs, the great risks, and the unsatisfactory quality of tools. If either control or eradication of IBR is nonetheless a goal, then better vaccines are needed as well as better companion tests. Moreover, better tools for the characterization of viral isolates are required. Collaborative actions to gather viral strains from as many countries as possible for inclusion into a newly created clustering library would be most advantageous.     

Improved sensitivity of the IPV-IBR virus-serum neutralization test

The serum neutralization (SN) test is still the most important method for the demonstration of infectious pustular vulvovaginitis/infectious bovine rhinotracheitis (IPV/IBR) antibodies. However, several authors have reported a relatively low sensitivity of the SN test, titers often being very low.     

A comparison of the virulence of three strains of infectious bovine rhinotracheitis virus

The virulence of three strains of infectious bovine rhinotracheitis (IBR) virus was compared in six-month-old Ayrshire-cross calves. The strains were an isolate from a recent severe outbreak of IBR in Scotland (Strichen strain), the prototype British strain (Oxford strain) and a North American isolate (Colorado strain). The Colorado and Strichen strains produced the characteristic clinical signs and pathological lesions of severe IBR three to four days post infection (p.i.). The Strichen strain was slightly more virulent, possibly as a result of its having been passaged fewer times in tissue culture. In contrast, the Oxford strain produced a mild clinical response with minimal pathological lesions. Virus was recovered from nasal swabs for a longer period from the calves infected with the Strichen strain (up to 13 days p.i.) and Colorado strain (up to 12 days p.i.) than from the animals infected with the Oxford strain (up to 10 days p.i.). These findings support the suggestion that the recent epidemic of severe IBR in Britain had resulted from the importation of a “new” strain of virus.     

The control of infectious bovine rhinotracheitis (IBR) in Switzerland from 1978 to 1988

The eradication of Infectious bovine rhinotracheitis/Infectious pustular vulvovaginitis (IBR/IPV) in Switzerland is reviewed. In 1978 IBR was reported in dairy cattle in the Eastern part of Switzerland. No preexisting eradication program was available at that time. In 1983, following a period of hesitation, the legal basis for the eradication of IBR was issued. This aim was achieved by: i) Controls and restrictions of the traffic of susceptible animals in order to prevent further transmission of IBR. ii) Slaughter of seropositive cattle, based on the assumption that animals with antibodies to BHV 1 were virus carriers and therefore an IBR-virus-reservoir. iii) The fact that besides the cattle population no BHV 1 reservoir existed in Switzerland. iv) Never licensing IBR-vaccines because they were not able to prevent the infection and the establishment of latency. The costs of the eradication program amounted to approx. SFr. 114,000,000. A total of 51,911 animals were slaughtered in order to eradicate IBR. An amount of SFr. 5,000,000 per annum is estimated to be necessary in order to maintain the favourable situation concerning IBR. In the future, the experience concerning IBR is applied for the prevention and control of other infectious diseases in the Swiss cattle population.     

Advances in BHV1 (IBR) research.

Bovine Herpesvirus Type 1 (BHV1) is the aetiological agent of a number of diseases and not only of IBR, namely infectious pustular vulvovaginitis (IPV), infectious balanoposthitis (IBP), conjunctivitis, encephalomyelitis, mastitis, abortion, enteritis, and lesions in the interdigital space. The serological identical strains differ, however, in some aspects. Typical genital strains usually cause a mild illness, sometimes not even detected clinically, but serologically. They hamper eradication programmes and do not cause IBR when inoculated intranasally. The other--modern--strains are, however, always able to induce a severe disease in the genital tracts. But infection of field or vaccine virus leads to the development of humoral and cell-mediated immunity. The latter is, however, not transmitted to neonates via colostrum. BHV1 antibodies can be found in bovines in all continents, and in many wild species. Prevalences vary greatly depending on herd size and management. Because seronegative cattle play a role in international trade a number of European countries have eradicated BHV1, with very high costs involved. Marker and conventional vaccines can prevent disease but not infection followed by the state of latency. The genomes of several strains, including the marker strains can remain latent in the same animal and be reactivated after stress or injection of corticosteroids. For the detection of humoral antibodies the ELISA is widely used. It is useful for testing bulk milk samples for antibodies derived from field virus and conventional vaccines but not from gE-deleted marker vaccines. Importing countries should consider only vaccinated animals for import. They should require that the animals are seronegative prior to vaccination.     

Isolation and identification of four infectious bronchitis virus strains in China and analyses of their S1 glycoprotein gene

Between 2003 and 2005, four strains of infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) were isolated from the vaccinated chicken flocks in China. The results from chicken embryo cross-neutralization assays showed that all the four isolates were relative to strain A2 of IBV, which was isolated in 1996 in Beijing and related to strain 4/91. The S1 gene of the spike protein was amplified and sequenced. The nucleotide and amino acid sequence of the S1 gene had a similar degree of identity (88.98-99.28%) among the four Chinese IBV isolates. The identity of the S1 protein gene between the four Chinese IBV isolates and 14 strains of other IBVs varied from 70.06 to 81.59%. Phylogenetic analysis suggested that there are at least four groups of IBVs circulating in China and the disease outbreaks might have been caused by infection of multiple strains of IBV.     

Identification of a mutant bovine herpesvirus-1 (BHV-1) in post-arrival outbreaks of IBR in feedlot calves and protection with conventional vaccination.

Outbreaks of infectious bovine rhinotracheitis (IBR) have recently been observed in vaccinated feedlot calves in Alberta a few months post-arrival. To investigate the cause of these outbreaks, lung and tracheal tissues were collected from calves that died of IBR during a post-arrival outbreak of disease. Bovine herpesvirus-1 (BHV-1), the causative agent of IBR, was isolated from 6 out of 15 tissues. Of these 6 isolates, 5 failed to react with a monoclonal antibody specific for one of the epitopes on glycoprotein D, one of the most important antigens of BHV-1. The ability of one of these mutant BHV-1 isolates to cause disease in calves vaccinated with a modified-live IBR vaccine was assessed in an experimental challenge study. After one vaccination, the majority of the calves developed humoral and cellular immune responses. Secondary vaccination resulted in a substantially enhanced level of immunity in all animals. Three months after the second vaccination, calves were either challenged with one of the mutant isolates or with a conventional challenge strain of BHV-1. Regardless of the type of virus used for challenge, vaccinated calves experienced significantly (P < 0.05) less weight loss and temperature rises, had lower nasal scores, and shed less virus than non-vaccinated animals. The only statistically significant (P < 0.05) difference between the 2 challenge viruses was the amount of virus shed, which was higher in non-vaccinated calves challenged with the mutant virus than in those challenged with the conventional virus. These data show that calves vaccinated with a modified-live IBR vaccine are protected from challenge with either the mutant or the conventional virus.     

Characterization of bovine herpesviruses isolated from six sheep and four goats by restriction endonuclease analysis and radioimmunoprecipitation

Viral DNA from 10 herpesviruses isolated from 6 sheep and 4 goats were examined by restriction endonuclease analysis with respect to their relatedness to one another; to bovine herpesvirus type 6 (BHV-6), also known as caprine herpesvirus; and to 2 strains of bovine herpesvirus type 1 (BHV-1), known as infectious bovine rhinotracheitis virus (IBRV) and infectious pustular vulvovaginitis virus (IPVV). Viral proteins from the isolates were examined by radioimmunoprecipitation with anti-BHV-1/IBRV gnotobiotic calf (bovine) serum, anti-BHV-1/IBRV bovine hyperimmune serum, and anti-BHV-6 rabbit serum to evaluate their antigenic relatedness to each other. The goat isolates were obtained from animals with various disease conditions including respiratory tract disorders, vulvovaginitis, and wart-like lesions on the eyelid. The other isolates were from domestic sheep and came from aborted fetuses or from sheep with fatal pneumonia or proliferative lesions around lips and nose. All of the goats and 4 of the sheep from which the viral isolates were obtained had comingled with cattle. Purified DNA from each of the 10 field isolates and from BHV-1/IBRV, BHV-1/IPVV, and BHV-6 caprine herpesvirus was cleaved with restriction endonuclease Pst I. Five of 6 sheep isolates and 3 of 4 goat isolates yielded unique restriction patterns, ie, patterns that differed from each other by one or more bands. Sheep isolate DNA patterns were different from goat isolate patterns, and all restriction endonuclease analysis patterns were similar to the pattern for BHV-1/IBRV, but different from that for BHV-1/IPVV or for BHV-6.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Comparative studies of strains of infectious bovine rhinotracheitis virus isolated from latently infected calves

Three strains (479 C, 778 TL, 982 LE) of infectious bovine rhinotracheitis (IBR) virus isolated from latently infected calves were compared with the prototype strain of IBR virus (LA strain) in studies which included restriction endonuclease analysis, experimental infection, and reciprocal cross protection tests in cattle. From the restriction endonuclease analysis it appeared that the 3 "latent" viruses were derived from the same isolate, and that it differed slightly from the LA strain. However, latency does not seem to have affected the pathogenicity or the immunogenicity of the virus. This is demonstrated by the identical clinical and virologic response of calves subjected to experimental infection with the various strains under study, and by the finding that when the LA strain and a "latent" strain (982 LE) were tested in cross protection tests in cattle, they proved to be mutually protective.