PCR studies on the potential sites for latency of BHV-4 in calves.
The aim of the study was to examine various tissues of experimentally infected calves for the BHV-4 genome so as to detect in which cells the virus persists during the latent phase of the infection. The presence of the bovine herpesvirus type 4 genome was detected by a nested PCR in a variety of tissues collected from two susceptible calves experimentally infected 62 days earlier. Mild clinical signs of bronchitis, an elevated body temperature for 2-3 days, and a slightly increased number of blood leukocytes were observed in both inoculated calves. BHV-4 was demonstrated in seven samples from the 12 different parts of the nervous system tested from each calf (29.1%), from the cornea, from lymph nodes near to the inoculation site, from the gallbladder and from the bone marrow. Thus a member of the predominantly lymphotropic Gammaherpesvirinae subfamily was detected in neural tissue and other organs that have never been associated with persistence.
Egyed
L
L
Veterinary Medical Research Institute of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest, Hungary.
Bartha
A
A
D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D001853:Bone Marrow / Q000821:virology; D002417:Cattle; D002418:Cattle Diseases / Q000821:virology*; D003315:Cornea / Q000821:virology; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D005704:Gallbladder / Q000821:virology; D006564:Herpesviridae / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D006566:Herpesviridae Infections / Q000662:veterinary* / Q000821:virology; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000821:virology; D008297:Male; D009420:Nervous System / Q000821:virology; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000662:veterinary; D017735:Virus Latency / Q000502:physiology*
D004279:DNA, Viral