Pathogenicity of a bovine viral diarrhoea virus strain in pregnant sows: Short communication

The biological properties of bovine viral diarrhoea virus (BVDV) strain Ore gon C24V were studied after intranasal and subcutaneous infection of pregna nt sows. This virus strain is widely used in Hungary for immunising cattle against bovine viral diarrhoea (BVD). Based upon the results of the clinica l, gross pathological, histopathological and virological examinations it ca n be established that the given strain caused asymptomatic infection and se rological conversion in sows that were in the second third of gestation. Th e virus caused clinically apparent disease in some of the piglets born at t erm, which indicates that it had crossed the placenta. More than half (57%) of the live-born piglets died within 60 days of birth. The sows and their progeny did not shed the virus. BVDV infection has great differential diagn ostic importance in pigs, as classical swine fever (CSF) virus strains of r educed virulence cause similar clinical symptoms and gross and histopatholo gical changes.