Cattle exposure to bubaline herpesvirus (BuHV-1) in Southern Italy: A hidden threat for IBR eradication?

Gianmarco Ferrara, Valentina Iovane, Nebyou Moje, Elvira Improda, Giuseppe Iovane, Ugo Pagnini, Serena Montagnaro

Preventive veterinary medicine 2024 Mar

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There is sufficient evidence that both bovine herpesvirus (BoHV-1) and bubaline herpesvirus (BuHV-1) can overcome the species barrier represented by their respective hosts, cattle and buffalo. Although several studies have focused on the impact of BoHV-1 on buffalo, little is known about the impact of BuHV-1 on cattle. In this work, we evaluated the seroprevalence of BuHV-1 in the cattle population in an area where intensive buffalo farming is highly developed (Campania region, Italy). BuHV-1 seroprevalence of cattle sampled in this study was estimated to be 21.4% using a specific commercial ELISA for the detection of antibodies against glycoprotein E of the virus. Risk factor assessment by univariate analysis revealed a correlation between housing type and higher prevalence. Similarly, cattle housed with buffalo and adult animals had a higher likelihood of being seropositive. BoHV-1 vaccination did not prove to be a protective factor against BuHV-1 exposure. The role of age, grazing, and co-living with buffalo in influencing BuHV-1 exposure was also confirmed by multivariate analysis. All BuHV-1 positive animals were also tested with cross-serum neutralization aimed at evaluating the specific antibody titers against BoHV-1 and BuHV-1. We, therefore, assessed the potential cross-reaction between BoHV-1 and BuHV-1, the co-infection rate, and the agreement of the assays used. This study described the presence of BuHV-1 in the cattle population of the Campania region (Italy) and indicated the requirement to take BuHV-1 into consideration for any measures and control and/or eradication plans to be applied against BoHV-1. Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Citation

Gianmarco Ferrara, Valentina Iovane, Nebyou Moje, Elvira Improda, Giuseppe Iovane, Ugo Pagnini, Serena Montagnaro. Cattle exposure to bubaline herpesvirus (BuHV-1) in Southern Italy: A hidden threat for IBR eradication? Preventive veterinary medicine. 2024 Mar;224:106116