PREVALENCE OF ANTIBODIES AND RISK FACTORS TO BOVINE VIRAL DIARRHEA IN NON-VACCINATED DAIRY CATTLE FROM SOUTHERN ECUADOR

Abstract

The aim of this work was to determine the prevalence of antibodies and risk factors of bovine viral diarrhoea virus (BVDV) in non-vaccinated dairy cattle at the South of Ecuador. A cross-sectional study was carried out to identify risk factors for BVDV infection in 394 randomly selected dairy cows from 75 farms, which were tested for antibodies in milk samples using a commercial Kit ELISA (IDEXX). Epidemiological survey was conducted to determine the risk factors and signs associated with BVDV. Results of this test revealed that the BVDV herd prevalence was 63.5% and the BVDV individual prevalence was 27%. The utilization of artificial insemination (AI) was significantly associated with BVDV status (P > 0.001) where the use of AI increased 2.35 the odds of BVDV positivity (95% CI: 1.46 – 3.38). The cows with clinical signs (diarrhoea, abortions, and ocular and nasal discharge) were not predominantly positive to BVDV antibodies.