DETECTION OF OVINE CORONAVIRUS IN THE PRO VINCE OF VALDIVIA, XTH REGION, CHILE

In order to assess the presence of coronavirus, samples of intestinal content of 98 dead lambs, as will as faecal samples from 20 healthy la mbs and from 20 adult females as control groups, were analized by the enzime-immunoassay technique and by electronic microscopy. coronavirus was present in 6 (6.1%) of the dead lambs; being absent in the contro l samples. When comparing the ELISA test and electronic microscopy as diagnostic tests, a 66.7% concordance was found since the E.M. detecte d only four positive cases while the ELISA assay six. For the first ti me in Chile, a description of coronavirus in lambs, according to the f indings of other countries, is given. To evaluate its true impact the technique needs to be considered in future studies.