Distribution of bovine herpesvirus type 1 in the central nervous system of experimentally-infected calves

MARIN, M; LEUNDA, M; VERNA, A; MORÁN, P; ODEÓN, A; PEREZ, S. E

The Veterinary Journal

ELSEVIER SCI LTD

Lugar: Amsterdam; Año: 2016 p. 82 - 86

1090-0233

Bovine herpesvirus type 1(BoHV-1) is responsible for respiratory and genital disease in cattle.Encephalitis by BoHV-1 is only occasionally reported. However, it has beenrecently demonstrated the participation of BoHV-1 in neurological disease. Inthis study, the distribution and thepathological alterations caused by two BoHV-1 strains in the nervous system ofexperimentally-infected calves during primary (acute) infection andreactivation are described. Calves were intranasally inoculated with BoHV-1 LosAngeles (BoHV-1.LA) or Cooper (BoHV-1.Cooper) strains. Euthanasia ofacutely-infected calves was performed at 6 and 7 days post-inoculation. Latently-infectedcalves that received dexamethasone to induce reactivation were euthanased at 2(BoHV-1.Cooper) or 5 (BoHV-1.LA) days after initiation of dexamethasonetreatment. Both BoHV-1strains were isolated from the brain of acutely-infectedcalves. Distribution of viral DNA in neural tissues was similar for bothstrains. After dexamethasone-induced reactivation, BoHV-1.LA or BoHV-1.Cooperwere not isolated from any brain section or trigeminal ganglia of infectedcalves. Macroscopic lesions were not evident in calves from any group. In BoHV-1.LA-infectedcalves, microscopic lesions were evident in the brain but not in trigeminalganglia. In BoHV-1.Cooper-infected calves microscopic brain lesions were not asremarkable as in BoHV-1.LA-infected animals. However, mononuclear infiltrates andneuronophagia were present in trigeminal ganglia.