Social isolation may influence responsiveness to infection with bovine herpesvirus 1 in veal calves.
An experiment was performed to develop a model to study the impact of stress on responsiveness to infection with bovine herpesvirus 1 (BHV1) in veal calves. Social isolation after previous group-housing was used as a putatively stressful treatment. Group-housed specific pathogen-free veal calves (n=8) were experimentally infected with BHV1 at the age of 12 weeks. Half of the calves were socially isolated at the time of infection. Clinical, virological and serological responses to BHV1, and adreno-cortical reactivity to exogenous ACTH were examined. In comparison with group-housed calves, calves socially isolated at the time of infection showed a diminished clinical and fever response, and delayed viral excretion after primary infection with BHV1. Four weeks after social isolation, basal cortisol levels before, and the integrated cortisol response after administration of a low dose of ACTH, were significantly depressed in socially isolated calves. The results suggest that social isolation in veal calves influences the response to an experimental BHV1 infection. A possible mechanism is discussed.
van Reenen
C G
CG
Department of Behaviour, Stress Physiology and Management, DLO-Institute for Animal Science and Health (ID-Lelystad), P.O. Box 65, 8200 AB, Lelystad, Netherlands. c.g.vanreenen@id.dlo.nl
Mars
M H
MH
Leushuis
I E
IE
Rijsewijk
F A
FA
van Oirschot
J T
JT
Blokhuis
H J
HJ
D000324:Adrenocorticotropic Hormone / Q000008:administration & dosage; D000818:Animals; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000032:analysis / Q000097:blood; D001831:Body Temperature; D002417:Cattle; D002418:Cattle Diseases / Q000276:immunology* / Q000821:virology; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay / Q000662:veterinary; D006566:Herpesviridae Infections / Q000276:immunology / Q000662:veterinary* / Q000821:virology; D007242:Herpesvirus 1, Bovine / Q000276:immunology* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000097:blood; D007118:Immunoassay / Q000662:veterinary; D008297:Male; D009297:Nasal Mucosa / Q000821:virology; D011897:Random Allocation; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012934:Social Isolation / Q000523:psychology; D013047:Specific Pathogen-Free Organisms; D013312:Stress, Physiological / Q000276:immunology / Q000662:veterinary* / Q000821:virology
D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D000324:Adrenocorticotropic Hormone; D006854:Hydrocortisone