Comparative prevalence of Bovine Viral Diarrhea Virus antibodies among native and imported cattle in north of Sistan and Baluchistan- Iran

Background and Aims: Sistan is a major pole in dairy production and genetic resource for the unique sistanian breed in the southeast of Iran. This region has a wide border with Afghanistan and cattle imports are done through this border. The main aim of this study was to compare the seroprevalence of Bovine Viral Diarrhea Virus (BVDV) infection rate using direct Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) test among imported and native cattle’s. Materials and Methods: Totally, 180 serum samples were collected from 20 nonvaccinating farms in the north of Sistan and Baluchistan province –Iran. Commercial indirect ELISA test was used for detection of serum antibodies against BVDV. Statistical analysis was performed using Chi-square test. Results: The numbers of 123 (68.33%) cows were seropositive. All of the herds were were ELISA seropositive. The seroprevalence ranged from 73 to 100 percent within the farms. The prevalence was significantly higher in cows higher than 2 years old compared to animals less than 2 years old (P<0.05).The results revealed no significant differences in seroprevalence of BVDV between native Iranian and imported cattle in Sistan. Sex of animal had no influence on the prevalence of BVDV. Conclusions: Results of this study indicated that BVDV was highly prevalent in the north of Sistan and Baluchistan and BVDV infection could be controlled by livestock – trade control, and considering biosecurity measures in the farms.