Prevalence of ovine and bovine respiratory syncytial virus infections in cattle determined with a synthetic peptide-based immunoassay

Subgroup-specific peptide-based enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays from the G-protein of the ovine and bovine respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), respe ctively, were used to determine the prevalence of the ovine and bovine subg roup strains of RSV infections in cattle. A total of 1,102 bovine serum sam ples were obtained from 6 diagnostic laboratories located in the northweste rn and the southeastern USA and were tested for antibody to either the bovi ne or ovine subgroups of RSV. Antibody to viruses from each subgroup was pr esent in samples from each region and all states tested. The Southeast had a higher prevalence of the bovine subgroup strains (69.5%). Then did the No rthwest (40.9%). The prevalence of the ovine strain was similar for the two regions (16.7% in the southeast, 14.9% in the northwest). The overall prev alence was 56.6% for the bovine strain and 15.9% for the ovine strain. Thes e results suggest members of the ovine subgroup of RSV circulate in the cat tle population but with less frequency than those viruses of the bovine sub group.