PREVALENCE OF ANTIBODIES TO BOVINE RESPIRATORY SYNCYTIAL VIRUS, INFECTIOUS BOVINE RHINOTRACHEITIS AND PARAINFLUENZA-3 IN CATTLE AND BUFFALO - CALVES

Serum samples were collected from 155 cattle calves and 40 buffalo-calves aged 2 weeks-6 months old, belonging to different farms in which there were some reported cases of pneumonia. These animals included 50 apparently healthy and 145 cattle and buffalo calves in acute and convalescent stages of pneumonia. Cattle and buffalo-calves were tested for antibodies to bovine respiratory syncytia virus (BRSV), infectious bovine rhinotracheitis (IBR) and parainfluenza-3 (PI-3) by serum neutralization test (SNT). Immunocomb IBR, PI-3 and BRSV antibody test kit and haemagglutination inhibition test were applied on some of the tested serum samples. The prevalence of neutralizing antibodies in cattle calves to RSV was 1 6%, to IBR virus 53% and to PI-3 virus 63%. In buffalo-calves, it was 7.5% to RSV, 45% to IBR and to PI 53%. The prevalence of antibodies to IBR, PI-3 and BRS viruses was greater in calves (>3 months) than in calves (<3 months). There was a high correlation between immunocomb IgG and SN IBR, PI-3 and BRS virus antibody titers for all samples tested and also to HI titer to PI-3.