The investigation of the presence of bovine herpesvirus type 4 (BoHV-4) in cows with metritis in a dairy herd

Abstract

To investigate the occurrence of bovine herpesvirus type 4 (BoHV-4) infection in a dairy herd including cows with metritis, various methods were used for the diagnosis BoHV-4 in vaginal discharge samples. Blood serum samples were obtained from 368 cows for serodiagnosis of BoHV-4 infection. Of 368 serum samples, 256 (69.6%) were found positive for BoHV4 specific antibodies. For the virological study, vaginal discharge samples of 55 cows with metritis were used and tested for BoHV-4 using polymerase chain reaction (PCR), virus isolation and immunofluorescence techniques. Twenty-nine percent (16/55) of the vaginal discharge samples obtained from cows with metritis were found positive for BoHV-4 DNA by PCR. In this study, the presence of BoHV-4 was determined in cows with metritis in post-partum period in a dairy herd.