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Seroprevalence and association of bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) serostatus with reproductive problems in dairy cattle in central and southern Ethiopia

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Abstract

Bovine viral diarrhea (BVD) is an economically important cattle disease with worldwide distribution and characterized mainly by suboptimal fertility in the affected herds. The objectives of this study were to estimate the seroprevalence of BVDV within dairy cattle, to identify potential risk factors, and to assess the association with occurrence of reproductive problems. Sera (n = 954) collected from dairy cattle from 98 herds in southern and central Ethiopia were tested for BVDV antibodies using a commercial ELISA. Among screened sera samples, 20.9% (95% CI, 18.4, 23.6) tested positive to BVDV antibodies. The herd prevalence was 50% (95% CI, 40.1, 59.9) and the intra-herd prevalence ranged between 2.6 and 100% (mean = 31.4%) in positive herds. Geographic region, herd size, and animal arrangement in the farm had significant association with serostatus (p < 0.05). Cattle from southern Ethiopia and herds of large size had 2.8 (95% CI, 1.9, 4.2) and 2.6 (95% CI, 1.5, 4.6) times higher odds of being seropositive compared to their counterparts, respectively. Serostatus to BVDV was associated with history of anestrus, repeat breeding (RB), mastitis, and extended calving interval (CI) (p < 0.05). Animals with history of extended CI and mastitis were 1.7 (95% CI, 1.0, 2.7) and 2.2 (95% CI, 1.5, 3.2) times more likely to be seropositive compared with those with normal CI and no history of mastitis, respectively. On the other hand, animals with history of anestrus and RB were less likely to be seropositive to BVDV compared to cattle with no such history. Sera from 26 selected cattle were also examined using reverse transcription (RT)-PCR for detection of BVDV RNA; however, all samples tested were negative for the presence of BVDV nucleic acid. Our study highlights the variation in BVDV status within Ethiopian dairy herds, and association with some important reproductive performance traits and potential risk factors.

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Data availability

The data collected and analyzed in this study are available from the corresponding author upon request.

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Acknowledgements

The authors appreciate the cooperation of livestock experts working in the Departments of Agriculture of districts included in the study. The proportional dot map showing the distribution of relative prevalence of BVDV across the study sites was prepared by Ato Tamene Sinishaw. The authors thank the participating farmers for allowing the study to be conducted on their herds.

Funding

This study was mainly financed by University of Nottingham Institutional GCRF Development-Focused Research Funding Body through the collaborative research project Investigation of reproductive failure in Ethiopian dairy cattle to improve dairy-based food security.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Hawassa University, P.O. Box 05, Hawassa, Ethiopia

    Kassaye Aragaw & Kassahun Asmare

  2. College of Veterinary Medicine and Agriculture, Addis Ababa University, P.O. Box 34, Bishoftu, Ethiopia

    Fekadu Regassa

  3. College of Veterinary Medicine, Haramaya University, P.O. Box 138, Dire Dawa, Ethiopia

    Berhanu Sibhat

  4. National Veterinary Institute, P.O. Box 19, Bishoftu, Ethiopia

    Takele Abayneh, Esayas Gelaye & Getaw Deresse

  5. School of Veterinary Medicine and Science, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington, LE12 5RD, UK

    Sharon Egan

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  1. Kassaye Aragaw
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  2. Fekadu Regassa
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  3. Berhanu Sibhat
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  4. Takele Abayneh
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Contributions

KAr, FR, KAs, BS, and ES conceived and designed research. KAr collected field data and samples. KAr, GD, TA, and EG conducted the laboratory work. TA and EG coordinated and supervised the laboratory work. SE contributed diagnostic reagents. KAr and KAs analyzed data. KAr wrote the first draft of the manuscript. KAs, BS, and SE revised and enriched the manuscript. FR and KAs supervised the research. All authors read and approved the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Kassaye Aragaw.

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The study was conducted after Ethical Clearance was obtained from Animal Research Ethics Review Committee of the College of Veterinary Medicine and Agriculture of Addis Ababa University (certificate reference no.: VM/ERC/08/11/018, 21/12/2018).

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Informed verbal consents were obtained from all animal owners who participated in the study.

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Not applicable.

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The authors declare no competing interests.

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Aragaw, K., Regassa, F., Sibhat, B. et al. Seroprevalence and association of bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) serostatus with reproductive problems in dairy cattle in central and southern Ethiopia. Trop Anim Health Prod 53, 471 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11250-021-02904-y

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