A LATENT VIRAL AGENT IN DAIRY FARMS: MOLECULAR CHARACTERIZATION OF BOVINE HERPESVIRUS 4 IN TÜRKİYE
33rd World Buiatrics Congress, İstanbul, Türkiye, 6 - 10 Eylül 2026, ss.377-378, (Özet Bildiri)
- Yayın Türü: Bildiri / Özet Bildiri
- Basıldığı Şehir: İstanbul
- Basıldığı Ülke: Türkiye
- Sayfa Sayıları: ss.377-378
- Atatürk Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet
Özet
Background and Objective: The livestock industry plays a crucial role in serving global demand for animal protein. Early detection and monitoring of cattle diseases (Herpesviral infections ie.), as well as sustainable health policies, contribute to minimizing economic losses. Bovine Herpesvirus-4 (BHV-4) is a significant viral pathogen associated with genital and respiratory system infections in cattle, and its potential for latent infection, often presenting as subclinical, poses a considerable risk within the herd. Because of this silent circulation, it may pose a risk to economically sustainable cattle farming. The aim of this study was to determine the presence of BHV-4 in Erzurum Province using molecular methods and to identify the strains through phylogenetic analysis.
Materials and Methods: In this study, samples were taken from four family cattle farms located in the Eastern Anatolia Region of Türkiye. A total of 40 blood samples were collected from cows, and the clinical conditions were recorded. Viral nucleic acid was extracted from blood samples. Conventional PCR analysis was performed using primers specific to the BHV-4 glycoprotein B (gB) gene region. The amplicons identified as positive were sequenced. The sequence data obtained were compared with BHV-4 reference sequences registered in GenBank to perform a phylogenetic analysis.
Results: Based on the PCR analysis, 4 of the 40 cows in the study (10%) tested positive for the BHV-4 gB gene. The one of the positive animals had a history of abortion, while another exhibited enlarged retropharyngeal and prescapular lymph nodes. No specific clinical findings were observed in the other two positive animals. Sequence analysis revealed that Genotype II (n=3) and Genotype III (n=1) strains were circulating in the Eastern Anatolia region. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that strains from this study shared close genetic relationships with previously reported BHV-4 strains from Türkiye, Germany, Iran, USA and, Argentina.
Conclusions: This study has showed that BHV-4 can circulate asymptomatically in herds and may also play a role in certain clinical cases. While previous studies in Türkiye have reported the presence of three BHV-4 genotypes, Genotype I is indicated as the predominant genotype. In this study, Genotype II and Genotype III strains were detected in the eastern region of Türkiye. The presence of frequent animal movements, shared grazing land, and widespread animal trade in this region may facilitate the spread of BHV-4 between regions. These findings highlight the importance of molecular-level monitoring and strain typing of BHV-4 in cattle herds both in regional and worldwide.