Changes in hematological parameters in cattle infected with Bovine Viral Diarrhea Virus

ABSTRACT

Background: The bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) causes mucosal lesions, respiratory disorders, spontaneous abortion, congenital abnormalities, and stillbirth in cattle and wild ruminant populations worldwide. Clinical categories ofBVDV infection include persistent subclinical infection, acute transient infection, and mucosal disease. Virus neutralization, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and reverse transcription and polymerase chain reaction have beenused for the detection of BVDV-infected cattle, but are time-consuming and costly methods, especially when screeninglarge herds for persistent subclinical infections. In the current research, it was hypothesized that hemogram and blood gasvalues can be valuable indicator in the diagnosis and prognosis of infectious disease like metabolic disorders. The aim ofthis current study was to determine whether changes in the hematological parameters of BVDV-infected cattle representpotentially useful diagnostic factors.Materials, Methods & Results: Blood samples were collected from the jugular vein of 15 BVDV-antigen-positive (sick group)and 15 BVDV-antigen-negative (control group) Holstein cattle on a dairy farm in Konya Province in the Central Anatoliaregion of Turkey between January 2012 and September 2012. The presence of the BVDV antigen in the blood sampleswas determined with commercially available ELISA kit by using ELISA reader. Hemogram parameters [white blood cellcounts (WBC), lymphocytes, monocytes, granulocytes, red blood cell counts (RBC), hematocrit (Hct), hemoglobin (Hb)and thrombocyte counts (THR)] obtained from anticoagulated bloods were measured with automatic cell counter. Bloodgas values [power of hydrogen (pH), partial pressure of carbon dioxide (pCO2), partial pressure of oxygen (pO2), sodium(Na+2), potassium (K+), calcium (Ca+2), glucose (Glu), lactate (Lac), actual bicarbonate (HCO3act), standard bicarbonate(HCO3std), total carbon dioxide (tCO2)...