Transplacental and oral transmission of wild-type bluetongue virus serotype 8 in cattle after experimental infection

A. Backx, C.G. Heutink, E.M.A. van Rooij, P.A. van Rijn

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

    97 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    Potential vertical transmission of wild-type bluetongue virus serotype 8 (BTV-8) in cattle was explored in this experiment. We demonstrated transplacental transmission of wild-type BTV-8 in one calf and oral infection with BTV-8 in another calf. Following the experimental BTV-8 infection of seven out of fifteen multi-parous cows eight months in gestation, each newborn calf was tested prior to colostrum intake for transplacental transmission of BTV by RRT-PCR. If transplacental transmission was not established the calves were fed colostrum from infected dams or colostrum from non-infected dams spiked with BTV-8 containing blood. One calf from an infected dam was born RRT-PCR positive and BTV-specific antibody (Abs) negative, BTV was isolated from its blood. It was born with clinical signs resembling bluetongue and lived for two days. Its post-mortem tissue suspensions were RRT-PCR positive. Of the seven calves fed colostrum from infected dams, none became infected. Of the six calves fed colostrum from non-infected dams spiked with infected blood, one calf became PCR-positive at day 8 post-partum (dpp), seroconverted 27 days later, and remained RRT-PCR and Abs positive for the duration of the experiment (i.e., 70 dpp). This work demonstrates that transplacental transmission in late gestation and oral infection of the neonate with wild-type BTV-8 is possible in cattle under experimental conditions
    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)235-243
    JournalVeterinary Microbiology
    Volume138
    Issue number3-4
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 2009

    Keywords

    • possible overwintering mechanism
    • maedi-visna-virus
    • northern europe
    • clinical signs
    • pregnant ewes
    • sheep
    • calves
    • culicoides
    • vector
    • pathogenesis

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