Parainfluenza-3 and bovine respiratory syncytial virus: intraherd correlation adjusted for sensitivity and specificity

Objective. The purpose of this study was to compare the intra-class correlation coefficients (ICC) and design effects (D) estimates adjusted or unadjusted for sensibility (Se) and specificity (Sp) of the diagnostic tests using a Bayesian procedure. Materials and methods. Sera from 232 animals from 44 randomly selected herds, to detect antibodies against parainfluenza-3 virus (PIV3) from non-vaccinated dual-purpose cattle from Colima Mexico, were used. Only 176 animals from 33 herds were used to evaluate the presence of the bovine respiratory syncytial virus (BRSV). Results. The ICC and D values adjusted and unadjusted for PIV3 were 0.33, 2.73, 0.32, and 2.71, respectively. For BRSV the values were 0.31, 2.64, 0.28 and 2.49. Conclusions. The adjusted or unadjusted ICC and D estimates were similar because of the high Se and Sp of the diagnostic tests and the relatively high prevalence of the diseases here studied.