Winter dysentery associated with bovine Coronavirus in cows from Mayabeque province, Cuba

ABSTRACT

Winter dysentery (WD) is a highly contagious disease characterized by gastrointestinal disorders in cattle. Bovine coronavirus (BCoV) has been recognized as the etiological agent of this syndrome. In Cuba, it appeared for the first time in adult cattle in 2004, and later between January 2008 and February 2009. In 2020, diarrheal outbreaks with clinical and epidemiological characteristics similar to WD occurred in units from Mayabeque province. Of eight stool samples collected, the presence of BCoV was confirmed in seven of them by reverse transcription assays coupled to endpoint polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), which confirmed 87.5% positivity. Virus was isolated in cell cultures and its characteristic cytopathic effect was observed on the fifth day after inoculation. The results of the present study confirmed that BCoV is the causative agent of diarrheas in the bovine herds studied, and confirmed the epizootic mode of presentation of this disease in them.