title: Flock-prevalence of border disease virus infection in Basque dairy-sheep estimated by bulk-tank milk analysis.
abstract: Bulk-tank milk (BTM) samples from 154 sheep flocks were used to estimate BDV prevalence in the Basque Country in Spain using an ELISA and a RT-PCR test. The proportion of antibody-positive flocks was 68% but varied significantly between provinces and was 93% in Araba and 54-55% in Bizkaia and Gipuzkoa. Most ELISA-positive flocks had very low antibody inhibition percentage (AIP) indicating high seroprevalence and recent BDV exposure. However, only 9% flocks were PCR-positive suggesting few infected ewes were being milked at the time of sampling. Phylogenetic analysis of the 5' NCR sequences of BDV from seven infected flocks showed that all except one clustered within the group formed by BDV type C strains from a previous study in the region, whereas the remaining isolate was closest to BDV type A. These results suggest that BDV strains in most Basque flocks have a common origin and differences in prevalence between provinces are associated to recent events affecting BDV spread such as use of communal pastures and sheep trading. The widespread distribution of BDV in the region, advocates for the implementation of BDV control strategies and highlights the potential risk of sheep as a pestivirus reservoir for other species.
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Health, NEIKER-Instituto Vasco de Investigación y Desarrollo Agrario, Berreaga 1, 48160 Derio, Bizkaia, Spain.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Berriatua
authors.forename: J F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Barandika
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Aduriz
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hurtado
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Estévez
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Atxaerandio
authors.forename: A L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: García-Pérez
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood*; D001483:Base Sequence; D001882:Border Disease / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000821:virology; D018083:Border disease virus / Q000145:classification / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D004197:Disease Reservoirs / Q000662:veterinary; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay / Q000379:methods / Q000662:veterinary; D005260:Female; D008892:Milk / Q000821:virology*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods / Q000662:veterinary; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies; D012756:Sheep; D013030:Spain / Q000453:epidemiology; D013045:Species Specificity
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral