PCR STUDIES ON THE POTENTIAL SITES FOR LATENCY OF BHV-4 IN CALVES

The aim of the study was to examine various tissues of experimentally infected calves for the BHV-4 genome so as to detect in which cells th e virus persists during the latent phase of the infection. The presenc e of the bovine herpesvirus type 4 genome was detected by a nested PCR in a variety of tissues collected from two susceptible calves experim entally infected 62 days earlier. Mild clinical signs of bronchitis, a n elevated body temperature for 2-3 days, and a slightly increased num ber of blood leukocytes were observed in both inoculated calves. BHV-4 was demonstrated in seven samples from the 12 different parts of the nervous system tested from each calf (29.1%), from the cornea, from ly mph nodes near to the inoculation site, From the gallbladder and from the bone marrow Thus a member of the predominantly lymphotropic Gammah erpesvirinae subfamily was detected in neural tissue and other organs that have never been associated with persistence.