DIAGNOSIS OF BOVINE VIRAL DIARRHEA VIRUS: A KEY COMPONENT TO A COMPREHENSIVE BVDV CONTROL PROGRAM

Bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) is one of the most important viral pathogens of cattle worldwide. Because of the insidious and complex nature of BVDV, laboratory diagnosis is critical in preventing and controlling BVDV infections. These same characteristics often make laboratory diagnosis challenging. A firm understanding of the disease is required to select the appropriate diagnostic strategies and samples for diagnostic submission and then make sound interpretations of the results. What follows is information on the various diagnostic tests currently available for BVDV and then a discussion on how they are used in strategically. Virus Isolation Virus isolation has historically been the most common method for identifying cattle infected with BVDV. The virus is relatively easy to isolate from a variety of specimens including serum, buffy coats (white blood cells or WBC’s), nasal swabs, and tissue samples. Several factors must be considered in selecting the appropriate sample and method for virus isolation. Since BVDV appears to replicate best in lymphoid cells