BORDER DISEASE VIRUS TRANSMITTED TO SHEEP AND CATTLE BY A PERSISTENTLY INFECTED EWE - EPIDEMIOLOGY AND CONTROL

In a Swedish sheep flock comprising 202 ewes and 13 rams, a pair of tw in lambs born in the spring of 1990 demonstrated signs of border disea se (BD) and were persistently infected (PI) with border disease virus (BDV). Investigation showed that BDV had been introduced in the preced ing tupping period 5-6 months earlier by a bought-in ewe which, on the basis of immunoperoxidase- and polymerase chain reaction techniques, was shown to be PI with BDV. Only 7 of the ewes, all of which had been in close contact with the PI ewe, seroconverted during the subsequent gestation. Apart from the PI twin lambs the losses caused by BDV were restricted to 2 barren ewes. The twin lambs, the PI ewe and lambs fro m the other 4 ewes that seroconverted were removed from the flock. The flock was thereafter free from an ongoing infection with BDV as shown by the absence of seroconversion. In addition, 5 heifers in late preg nancy most probably seroconverted to bovine virus diarrhoea virus (BVD V) when kept in close contact with the same PI ewe during the winter o f 1989-90. When these heifers were reintroduced to the BVDV-free dairy herd from which they originated, their serum antibody titres ranged b etween 1:250 and 1:1250. Neither these heifers - nor their calves - ca used any spread of the infection in the herd, as indicated by the abse nce of seroconversion in 70 cows. The present investigation shows that in the control of both BDV in sheep and BVDV in cattle, it is importa nt to ensure that the risk of transmission of pestivirus between the 2 species is minimized.