Epidemiology of Bluetongue Virus and Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease Virus in Beef Cattle on a Ranch in South-Central Florida.

ABSTRACT: Bluetongue virus (BTV) and epizootic hemorrhagic disease virus (EHDV) infect a variety of wild and domestic ruminant hosts in the United States, with outcomes ranging from subclinical infection to clinical disease resulting in mortality. Because cattle have been suggested as a temporary reservoir for both BTV and EHDV, ongoing national surveillance for these viruses may benefit from inclusion of domestic cattle as a supplement to current programs, such as surveillance of wild white-tailed deer. To better understand the prevalence of BTV and EHDV in cattle, we surveyed for viral RNA (vRNA) in the blood of 1,604 beef cattle on a south-central Florida cattle ranch over 3 years. While overall prevalence of vRNA in blood was low (<2% for either virus), the occurrence of vRNA was much higher in

SUBMITTER: Merrill MM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6765206 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature