The contamination rate of Ilam province bovine population with respiratory syncytial Virus

Bovine respiratory syncytial virus (BRSV) are from the pneumovirus genus and belongs to Paramixoviridea family. The growth place of this virus is the respiratory tract. The infection mostly appears in calves and young animals which are often kept in close stables. For serological and identification antibody study of this virus¡ natural serum test¡ indirect heamoglutanation and ELISA assays can be used. The percentage of sensitivity of these tests for antibody presence against virus in serum is 92%¡ 95%¡ and 100%¡ respectively. The aim of this study was to analyze the rate of prevalence of BRSV antibody infection in dairy farms cattle population of Ilam province.
This study had been performed from autumn 2008 to the end of autumn 2009. Blood samples were collected from 400heads of dairy cattle with different ages. 356 (89%) female and 44 (11%) male cows were randomly selected from different regions in the province and in different seasons of the year. In overall¡ 85% of the samples were from industrial and the remaining 15% were from native dairy farms. %% Antibody against BRSV were measured using a specific ELISA assay. The data were analyzed using qui-square test.
Of the total number of cows under study¡ 298 (83.7%) heads of female and 21(47.7%) heads of male cows had antibody against BRSV. This was equivalent to 79.9% (319 cows) of the total animal population under study.
The rate of cattle infection is significantly highin Ilam province and it appears as though the infection rate has a direct correlation with features like sex¡ age¡ and season. Therefore¡ it is postulated that by proper management and effective handling of the respiratory ailments¡ we can observe a significant improvement on cattle health¡ as well as¡ in milk and beef production.