A SEROLOGICAL SCREENING ON THE OCCURRENCE OF ANTIBODIES AGAINST SELECTED BOVINE AND OVINE VIRAL DISEASES IN ROE DEER (CAPREOLUS-CAPREOLUS),RED DEER (CERVUS-ELAPHUS), FALLOW DEER (DAMA-DAMA) AND MOUFLON (OVIS MUSIMON) IN BRANDENBURG

As part of a wildlife disease monitoring project conducted during 1991 /92-1993/94, a total of 2,265 serum samples from roe deer (Capreolus c apreolus), red deer (Cervus elaphus), fallow deer (Dama dama), and mou flon (Ovis musimon) were serologically screened for the presence of an tibodies against the viruses of the bovine herpesvirus-l infection (BH V-1), bovine virus diarrhoea/mucosal disease (BVD/MD), bovine leukosis (BLV), and meadi visna-infection (MW). On average, 0.22% of roe deer, 5.41% of red deer, and 0.64% of fallow deer showed BHV-1 specific ant ibodies. However, these antibodies may possibly be caused by the so-ca lled cervid herpes virus (CHV-1) an own virus genotype of cervides cro ss-reacting with BHV-1. Regarding BVD/MD roe deer, red deer, and fallo w deer showed nearly similar seroprevalences of 4.68%, 4.74%, and 3.53 % respectively. Since antibodies against BLV and MW could not be detec t ed in any of the sera investigated, there is no evidence for an occu rrence of these viral infections in indigenous free-living cervides. T he results concerning epidemiological and wildlife biological aspects are discussed.